Words of wisdom and inspiration

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In response to my blog article " Life is what you make of it", I received this comment from Dr. Ahmed Adam. I was left speechless and almost in tears after reading his very touching story. I would like to commend him and thank him for sharing his very inspirational story to the world. Dear Dr. Ahmed, I pray and make dua that Allah grants you complete shifa and may He fill your life with patience always. May you endure all of life's trials and tribulations with a positive attitude knowing that whatever He has written out for us is the best for us. In every negative situation there is always some positive that comes out of it. Allah has used you as a tool to inspire and motivate others. God bless you.

"Hi Desert Moon, I thoroughly enjoyed your post “Life is what you make of it.” I also commend you for giving advice to our youth that the time spend at University is a Golden Opportunity and should not be wasted. In brief, my story, so that hopefully someone may realise that Life can change in an instant. I am a Medical Doctor (I have 4 Tertiary Degrees); Executive Director of a large Private Hospital; Executive Director of a TV Broadcast Company on which I presented many shows; Vice Chairman of Human Rights Foundation; Author of 3 published books; Gym fanatic. I was at the top of my game: superb physical fitness and sharp mental acuity (telling myself that I will do this for the rest of my life). One fine morning, I awoke with partial paralysis and severe pain over my left arm (could be a heart attack); Investigations showed multiple Disc prolapses and severe spinal stenosis in C4-C7. Then followed a series of tests and further deterioration. In brief: I have had several minor strokes (TIA); Pituitary infarct; gunshot chest and leg; IBS; Accelerated osteo-degenerative changes; lax ligament syndrome; sleep most days on a recliner (cannot go flat otherwise my breathing stops); in constant pain every single day (tablets are useless and they don’t help; cannot drive a car; have difficulty in moving my neck; unstable legs which meant that I feel recently with bleeding in the brain leading to further memory loss (plus a few more, but you get the idea); so from riding the Crest of a powerful exhilarating wave, I fell to the bottom and felt the crushing weight of tons of water pressing me down; I use a wheelchair on the rare occasions when I go out; so the advice for some youth: next time when you are complaining of the traffic jam, remember that there is a Doctor who can no longer drive; next time you are lazy to study , remember that there is a person who would love to read and study from large textbooks, but cannot lift anything heavier than 1 kg; next time if you complain that your car is parked very far from the entrance to a shopping mall, remember that someone has not seen a shopping mall in 2 years and needs crutches or a wheelchair just to get from point A to point B. We need to look at our own life and count our Blessings, before we lose something and then realise how important a person or body organ has been to our life. Fortunately, perhaps because of my training, I have no regrets, no grief, no sadness; I have embraced my new life and look for opportunities within that limited scope, to make the best of everyday. The best years of my life were at Varsity, and it is sad to hear that some Varsity students are wasting this awe-inspiring phase of their lives. Thank you for a wonderful article and may all that is good for you come to you in great abundance, warmest regards, Dr Ahmed Adam [South Africa]."

Live and let live

                                                Picture: www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk
                                          
So this morning whilst driving to work, I took a closer look at my surroundings and I noticed an amputee struggling to cross the road. I observed a lady with a child in a pram walking hastily towards the shopping centre across the road. Cars were speeding in all directions. Some people were probably going to work, others were probably on their way to a meeting or a conference. Each and everyone of these individuals are going through the trials and tribulations of life. All of these individuals have dreams and goals that they wish to achieve in life. Some may have experienced heartache and disappointment others may have had a rosy life from birth. At a traffic signal I noticed a man looking visibly upset and angry. He turned his head towards me and I smiled. Suddenly the frown changed into a slight smile. The key to leading a happy life is being respectful to everyone you meet. Be kind to everyone you meet and don't hurt people because you have no idea about their life story thus far. Recently I have been receiving inbox messages from people telling me that so and so person on your facebook page is gay or lesbian or this woman is having an affair with that man etc. Please refrain from sending me such messages. I will block you. I mind my own business and I am not interested in other peoples affairs. I was brought up to respect everyone. I have many friends who are homosexual and when they call me or visit me I treat them with respect and dignity. Their sexuality and what they do in their personal lives is between them, and their Creator.Which brings me to another pertinent point on the topic of respect. There are elements within our community who feel as though they own the masjid and hence they prevent religious scholars from other countries from visiting the masjid calling them all sorts of names. The masjid does not belong to you and neither does it belong to me. It is the house of God Almighty and everyone should be welcomed, respected and made to feel comfortable, even the Non-Muslims who wish to visit. Since when does a masjid belong to a certain sect or group of people. Whilst there are many ulema who are doing good work, by the same token there are scholars out there who are deliberately dividing the community rather than uniting the community. This needs to stop.

Life is what you make of it

Everyday, I come across people who inspire me and make me realize how grateful and thankful I have to be for everything that God has blessed me with.A few days ago we had a couple that came to the pharmacy. They were deaf and unable to speak and yet they had perfectly normal kids. What amazed me was how normal they were as a family. The kids communicated with their parents in sign language. We also have another couple that frequent the pharmacy often. The husband and wife are both blind, yet they are well educated holding university degrees.They have their own home and lead perfectly normal lives. We view their loss of vision as a disability but for them it isn't. They full of enthusiasm. They travel, they go to the movies etc with their driver. They such an inspiration to me. The only time my heart breaks is when they call the pharmacy to ask us if its going to rain as they wish to make a barbecue. These people have turned their disabilities into a strength and have made a success out of their lives. Yet on the other hand we find individuals who have no disabilities at all, but are unable to make their lives successful. I have come across university students who simply go to campus to have fun, wasting their parents money. I have come across men who are too lazy to work and depend on their wives to support them. Life is what you make of it. You can be poor but still become successful or you can be from a rich home and be unsuccessful. Life is short. So make the best of everyday that goes by. Wake up in the morning with a positive mind set and tell yourself that you are going to achieve your goals for the day. Rise up at the crack of dawn telling yourself that you are going to make a difference in someone else's life. Simple acts of kindness like smiling or listening to someones else's problems all constitutes towards making a difference. Live each day as though its your last. Live happily and forgive easily. Go to bed every night with a clean, happy heart.

International Cricket Match Referee, Dev Govindjee travels to the Caribbean

The Hilton Hotel
Bridgetown

Barbados

Tuesday 23 June 2015

It is almost a week since my arrival to Barbados to be a part of the Caribbean Premier League Cricket event which has 6 Franchise Teams playing across the 7 different Islands ( Countries) of the West Indies.

My flight path after leaving Port Elizabeth on Wed 17th took me on a BA flight to Johannesburg then to London Heathrow- having left ORTIA at 9.30 we landed around 7 a.m. ( London time) on the 18th – this was an anxious flight as I had to make sure I got from Heathrow to Gatwick in time for the flight to Barbados- fortunately I had arranged on internet for a cab to be waiting my arrival not knowing how long it would take through customs & passport control- the God’s were with me as the flight got in earlier than expected and I managed to exit in another hour to be met by the cab and within another hour I was at Gatwick- even had time to shower in the BA lounge and after a change of clothes it was a much more relaxed 8 hour flight into Bridgetown Barbados where the time is 6 hours behind that of SA.

Naturally the body clock needed to adjust and a week later this is still in rather chaotic mood and the waking hours have been virtually anytime – thankfully I can manage on clusters of short deep sleep so the waking hours finds me working.

Barbados is 21 miles long and 14 miles wide and the Island Map called “Ins & Outs of Barbados” gives the reader the following welcome message :

“ Welcome to Barbados- a safe, friendly island colonized nearly 400 years ago by the British & declared a proud independent nation in 1966.

Barbados is beautiful & everything is within easy driving distance. Taxis enthusiastically ply their trade , it is safe to walk anywhere & people will happily give you information.

Enjoy your stay!”

Not sure how many other countries can include a Welcome message such as that ?

My first two days were taken up on meetings and venue inspection of the beautiful Kensington Oval Cricket Ground- scene of the 2007 World Cup Final and also where Rihanna in 2011 sang for the 1st time in her home country!

Did manage on Friday morning to do a long walk with Mick Martell ( the Australian umpire who forms part of my PCT) – we left the hotel and walked along the stunning Carlisle Bay – the Hilton forms part of the South Western corner of the Island of Barbados. The beautiful beach went on forwever with warm water which eventually forced us to take our tops off and in our walking shorts jump into the stunning Caribbean Sea!

By Saturday everything was in place for the opening match of this tournament with the Barbados Tridents playing the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

There are two Playing Control Teams (PCT) – I have an umpire from Australia , Guyana & Trinidad with me as well as a 4th umpire who is local.
The other PCT has been based in St Lucia.

The opening match went very well and we had no issues to deal with as the Barbados Tridents captained by Kieron Pollard defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors captained by Denesh Ramdin- the sold out crowd gave me an idea of what enjoying cricket Caribbean Style is all about.

Sunday we ( the PCT) arranged for the taxi to take us on a 5 hour Island Tour.
This was just special as she took us along the stunning coastline from the hotel- each “suburb” is referred to as a Parish so from St Michael Parish ( where the Hilton is) we traversed the Island through St Thomas, St James, St Peter until we got to the northernmost point called North Point in the parish of St Lucy. We had made stops for photographs at various places of interest starting in the downtown Bridgetown centre at the Independence Square with the magnificent Parliament buildings and statues of Nelson and one dedicated to the two World Wars.

We found the journey fascinating as explanations given about the early history, the work on plantations of cotton and sugar cane, the unique Chattel Houses- wooden in construction and many colourfully painted- they were raised from the ground in order that the plantation workers could move these homes onto new land when they had to work at a different cotton or sugar cane plantation.

We also came across staggeringly expensive erf with views to the coast and modern Condominiums – a unit in one of these was bought by Rihanna at a discounted price ( as she is Barbadian) of around USD 25 Million.

Wonderful Marina developments where the rich & famous have their yachts and catamarans parked as if they were cars outside a home !

Of course I had to make a stop at Sandy Lane – the five star beachfront resort close to Holetown in the St James Parish - this is where Tiger Woods chose to marry Erin Nordegren in 2004.
The list of celebs who have stayed at Sandy Lane is worth googling!
From Oprah to Elton John, The Onassis clan and even RVP of soccer fame.

We were thrilled to come across three club cricket matches- stopped at one to visit the clubhouse and chat to the people there- it was also interesting to note British tourists who hire cars as it is quite easy to get around, stopping to also enjoy the Village Style cricket matches- the Sport in the Caribbean is unbelievably popular.

We stopped for lunch at one of many little quaint restaurants and then proceeded to continue our 5 hour trip which at times was through some lovely tropical warm rain.

The evening we took another cab to a sports Bar called Bubbas- huge screens in a beautiful setting where naturally Cricket was being shown and we watched a bit of the 1st match of the other group- in St Lucia – sadly rain affected that match and it could not be completed. The St Lucia Zouks ( with Kevin Petersen) playing the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel who have Kallis in the line-up.

Yesterday ( Monday) Mick Martell ( Aus umpire) & I went into the downtown city centre- about a ten minute drive from the hotel- spent many hours taking in the atmosphere- clean, neat shopping lanes, closed off streets to allow walking only, the Marina with the famous Chamberlain Bridge spanning the Careenage. We enjoyed lunch at the Marina Restaurant & Bar at the Bridge House- lovely view across the bridge and good food- rained heavily while there so many tourists moved into the restaurant frpm the balcony seating areas.

We managed to do some shopping as well- the Caribbean Islands ( countries ) all have their own currency with a different exchange rate ! Things are very expensive because of our weak rand and that has always got to be taken into account. Two Barbados Dollars = 1 USD .

This morning took a walk on my own around the hotel and found the George Washington Home- interestingly this is the only city Washington had ever visited outside of the USA!
Had some coffee at the Barbados Coffee Shop – the slogan read “ Just another day in Paradise” and I thought – how fitting!

It is now 1 pm and time to get ready for tonight’s 2nd match – the Barbados Tridents play the Jamaican Tallawahs . This brings Kieron Pollard ( Tridents) up against Chris Gayle (Tallawahs) – so the toss is going to be interesting – with two towering figures alongside me- both metaphorically & literally speaking!

So on that note my 1st Caribbean update comes to an end- This is the first of a 6 week outing – from here I shall move to St Kitts on Saturday for my next group of matches- shall let you know all about
St Kitts once I have settled in there.

Always

Just

deV

To view Dev's travel photos, simply click on the link below

https://www.facebook.com/dev.govindjee.5?fref=ts

Rey's mouth watering Chicken corn soup

With winter at our doorstep and with every second person getting ill, including my family and I, why not indulge in a delicious bowl of chicken corn soup that will help you to recovery. With moms easy recipe anyone can become a master chef for sure....

                                1. Add 1 cup of cubed chicken fillet in a medium sized deep pot

  2. Add 1 tablespoon ghee to the chicken

        3. Add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic masala



   4. Add 1 teaspoon green chillies

    5. Add 1 teaspoon white pepper

   6. Add 1 teaspoon salt

      7. Add 1 cinnamon stick

      8. Add 2 teaspoons mustard powder

    9. Mix all of the above ingredients thoroughly. Now add 1 1/2 

                                    cups of water and cook chicken on low heat until done.

            10. Now add 1 liter of milk and 1 big tin of cream style corn

                                      to the chicken. Take 60 g of butter and melt with 2 tablespoons

                                      of flour. Make into a paste and add to the milk. Allow the milk to 

                                      boil. Before serving, add one small tin of nestle cream and add a 

                                                           dash of black pepper on the top

 11. Serve with garlic toast or croutons

International cricket match referee, Dev Govindjee visits Ireland

DUBLIN – update

Friday 5 June 2015

MY VISIT TO DUBLIN FOR THE ICC INTERCONTINENTAL CUP MATCH BETWEEN IRELAND & THE U.A.E. WAS ONCE AGAIN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.

ARRIVED IN DUBLIN VIA JHB & LONDON LAST SATURDAY to REALLY FOUL WEATHER WHICH HARDLY CHANGED AT ALL- HAD A FEW FREE DAYS DURING WHICH TIME I DID SOME VENUE INSPECTIONS AND ALSO POPPED INTO THE CITY CENTRE WHICH I HAVE VISITED A FEW TIMES BEFORE BUT WANTED TO SHOW THE UMPIRE FROM INDIA WHO WAS ON HIS FIRST TRIP TO IRELAND.

THE MATCH GOT UNDER WAY UNDER GLOOMY SKIES ON TUESDAY WITH THE PROSPECT OF IT BEING WASHED OUT A VERY STRONG ONE- BUT THEN AGAIN, THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE WEATHER HERE PROVED ITSELF ONCE AGAIN WITH SKIES CLEARING, RAIN STOPPING AND PLAY GETTING UNDER WAY – PLAYED LATER THAN THE SCHEDULED CLOSE- LIGHT IS NEVER A PROBLEM AS SUNSET HERE AT THIS TIME CAN EASILY BE AROUND 10 PM!

THE HOTEL ON THIS TRIP WAS VERY CONVENIENTLY SITUATED- THE HILTON AIRPORT DUBLIN HOTEL IS ABOUT 15 MINS FROM THE AIRPORT AND PROBABLY THE SAME DISTANCE FROM THE MALAHIDE CRICKET CLUB WHERE THE MATCH WAS SCHEDULED TO BE PLAYED.

OVER THE PAST 4 DAYS THE PLAYING CONTROL TEAM WENT OUT EACH EVENING TO EXPERIENCE THE CUISINE ON OFFER IN THE VICINITY AS WELL AS IN MALAHIDE WHICH IS ONE OF THE UPMARKET AREAS OF DUBLIN.

ACROSS FROM THE HOTEL IS A TESCO – THIS OPENS 24 HRS A DAY SO THAT TOO PROVED CONVENIENT FOR THE ODD PURCHASE.

DURING THE PAST FEW EVENINGS WE HAD MEALS AT THE NOBLE HOUSE NEAR TO THE HOTEL- THIS WAS A SPECIALIST THAI RESTAURANT. I ALSO VISITED A LOVELY COFFEE SHOP CALLED INSOMNIA WHICH FORMS PART OF THE EUROSPAR FRANCHISE- DELIGHTFUL THE WAY THEY MADE LIGHT MEALS ON ORDER- ONE COULD CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF FILLINGS AND HAVE A WRAP OR A BAGUETTE MADE UP AND TOASTED.

THE HOTEL ITSELF BOASTS A LOVELY RESTAURANT CALLED BURNELL- I AM ACTUALLY SITTING IN THAT RESTAURANT AS I TYPE- ATTRACTS MANY BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO COME AND CHAT OVER LUNCH IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR STREAM OF TOURISTS.

THAT REMINDS ME- WHILE WATCHING THE MATCH AT MALAHIDE CRICKET CLUB, I WAS AMAZED AT THE NUMBER OF PLANES COMING IN TO LAND AT THE NEARBY AIRPORT- IT SEEMED ALMOST LIKE EVERY TWO MINUTES A PLANE WOULD HOVER ACROSS AND LAND AT THE AIRPORT- I GOOGLED THE CURIOSITY AND WAS AMAZED THAT OVER 450 FLIGHTS COME INTO THE CITY EACH DAY- SUCH IS THE POPULARITY OF DUBLIN & IRELAND AND SUCH IS OUR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE WHEN UNDERSTANDING THESE THINGS. WE LIVE SUCH SECLUDED LIVES AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW BUSY OR POPULAR CITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE COMPARED TO OUR OWN ONES.

ANYWAY, LAST NIGHT WE WENT OUT TO MALAHIDE FOR SUPPER- THE INDIAN UMPIRE WAS THRILLED AS WE FINALLY GOT TO AN INDIAN RESTAURANT- MALAHIDE HAS SOME GREAT PLACES INCLUDING THE STUNNING GRAND HOTEL- SO OUR MEAL WAS AT THE JAIPUR WHICH SERVED SOME GREAT FOOD – MY THALI WAS VERY GOOD - CONSISTED OF FOUR TYPES OF VEG CURRIES WITH A NAAN BREAD AS WELL.

THE FOUR DAY MATCH COULD HAVE ENDED YESTERDAY- IRELAND NEEDED ONE MORE WICKET BUT THE UAE HELD OUT- SO WE WENT BACK THIS MORNING- ONLY START PLAY EACH DAY AT 11 AS THE DAY IS LONG AND SUNSETS CAN BE ANYWHERE AROUND 10 PM ! IT TOOK ONLY 4 BALLS THIS MORNING AND IT WAS ALL OVER- GOT THE FORMALITIES DONE AND HAD LUNCH THERE BEFORE GETTING BACK HERE TO THE HOTEL.
THE TWO LOCAL UMPIRES DROVE OFF AS THEY LIVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF IRELAND- ONE IN BELFAST WHICH IS ACTUALLY NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE OTHER IN ANOTHER TOWN.

THE INDIAN UMPIRE SHALL JOIN ME FOR SUPPER AT 7 – WE PLAN TO GO BACK TO THE NOBLE HOUSE THAI RESTAURANT NEAR HERE – HE FLIES OUT VIA DUBAI IN THE MORNING AND I FLY OUT FROM DUBLIN AIRPORT AT 2.30 TO LONDON AND THEN TO JOHANNESBURG AND SHALL BE BACK IN PE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

DUBLIN IS SUCH A WONDERFUL CITY AND THE WEATHER WITH ALL THE RAIN THEY GET TENDS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LUSHNESS OF THE SURROUNDS – THE EMERALD ISLE TAG BEFITS THE COUNTRY AND JUST GETTING INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE IS ALWAYS SUCH A PLEASURE FOR ANYONE WHO APPRECIATES NATURE AND THE BEAUTY THAT COMES WITH IT.

NOW IT WILL BE BACK HOME FOR ONLY 10 DAYS BEFORE MY NEXT BIG ASSIGNMENT- THE TRIP TO BE A PART OF A MAJOR SPORTING EVENT- THE CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE (CPL) EXCITES ME EVEN THOUGH IT DOES MEAN ANOTHER LONG TREK OF FLIGHTS VIA JOBURG THROUGH TO THE WEST INDIES AND ALSO AWARE THAT IT WILL BE 5-6 WEEKS AWAY FROM HOME!
I FLY OUT ON THE 17TH JUNE.

ENJOY THE READ AND ONCE AGAIN THE HOPE IS THAT THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF INDICATION AS TO RECEIVING THIS – MY NEXT UPDATE SHALL BE FROM BARBADOS WHICH WILL BE MY FIRST PLACE FOR A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE I MOVE ONTO ST KITTS AND END UP IN TRINIDAD WHERE THE CPL 2015 COMES TO A CONCLUSION- MY DEPARTURE OUT OF THE WEST INDIES IS SCHEDULED FOR 29 JULY.

ALL THE BEST AND AS USUAL

LOTS OF LOVE

I AM ALWAYS JUST

Dev