This website compiles my past online presence from my inactive blogs to many of my Instagram and LinkedIn contents. From December 2016, I add new posts here (in category “hasansaidin.comBlog”) and I continue importing from elsewhere, including from my professional website/blog, rubah.my (in category “RubahWebsite/Blog”).
Why the albatross? I have been mesmerized by the bird since the 1970's when I first heard the song, "Albatross" by Fleetwood Mac. I looked for and finally in 2014 I saw my albatross in all its splendour in New Zealand.
I will eventually pay forward to millions of people. For now I make a positive difference to the world around me, person by person, group by group, team by team, organization by organization, nation by nation.
I created my company, Rubah Associates with the tagline of Horizoning our future, like the albatross over the horizon, bringing out the best of people and myself, in finding new horizons. My “rewire” now has me focusing on being a CEO Coach.
You can find ways to contact me or connect online with me at my Linktree page.
Hasan (Hasannudin Saidin) First posted on 21 December 2016 Latest update on 09 September 2021
Video: my conversation with Nadiah Suki on her accepting “process” for a greater good, and how her not whining about it is actually her practising gratitude.
Here is the reason I was so emphatic on “no complaining” when I had that conversation with Nadiah Suki: I recently completed a “no complaining” endurance in my recent 35-day Hajj trip! 😊
Prior to the Hajj trip, the teacher at my Hajj course had said that this is a journey of the heart.
The Sheikh taught me that with the 2 million plus people in Makkah, I should take heed of these (also see Appendix 2 further below):
not a vacation
no arguments
no complaining
expect uncomfortable
expect delays
people’s tests are different
not there to propose solutions to Hajj problems
The above apply before, during and after Hajj.
Before and during the trip, I prayed that my ears don’t hear and my eyes don’t see people complaining, arguing or proposing solutions. I also intended to avoid those kind of people.
Sure enough, there were some tests of those kind of people. Still, Allah did spare me from many, I am sure.
As an example at Kuala Lumpur International Airport when we were waiting to board the plane to Jeddah, my wife Marsila beside me suddenly said, “Oops, my bad, I shouldn’t have said that.” Truth was I really didn’t hear anything she said before that.
And as we were about to board the plane, a fellow pilgrim said to me, “Ada satu kecacatan (There is one defect)..” referring to the start of our journey, but at that time we were standing up to get on the bus to board the plane, so he could not finish his sentence.
In the first couple of days in Makkah, the tests of noticing people’s whining did continue. The travel package I bought had me share the hotel room with 3 other pilgrims, so they become new friends. To one of them I confided, in tears, that I was trying my best not to complain, not to add fuel to the fire of other people complaining, and not to be in the company of complainers.
Why? Because I am a guest of Allah and as a guest, I do not want to kecilkan hati (displease) my Host, Allah Himself!
This concept of not kecilkan hati Tuan Rumah (Host) was reminded to me before the trip by my friend, an earlier Hajah, Farah Rahim.
I texted Farah from Makkah that I was just keeping quiet when people complain. Farah suggested I smile while in the company of complainers, and I would be rewarded. So I did try to smile a lot throughout the pilgrimage. 😊
The pilgrimage was meant to be arduous, at different levels for different people. The congestion in the main mosque of Masjid Haram when we did the Tawaf and Sa’ie rituals as well as the daily prayers, the 40 degrees Celcius plus HEAT (!), the delays, the crammed camps in Arafah and Mina, the ratio of 60:1 people to toilet in the camps, the list goes on.
I think I was patient enough with the tests, Alhamdulillah, including when I smiled at supposedly intelligent suggestions people raised about the toilet situation, the meals menu prepared by the travel agency, etc., etc.
I decided to adapt to the new routines and travel situations (after all, I am a seasoned world traveler), and count the relative blessings I had.
Especially when another roommate said, “Allah loves you, Hasan - He gives you “corner lot” each time!” My roommate was referring to the positioning of my beds in Makkah, Arafah and Mina.
I was first to arrive at the hotel room in Makkah, thus I could choose the bed by the window.
In the Arafah camp, somehow I got the end bed (very narrow sofa bed/mattress - side-by-side literally touching the next one) by the wall, giving a bit of space to put my stuff between bed and wall.
In the Mina camp, my narrow bed (same cramming like in Arafah) was by the doorway of the room, giving “breathing space” to the next bed on the other side of the doorway.
Nadiah said that process is the bane of our work existence that she accepts (redha), for a higher good.
Blessings, tests and tribulations are also the constant of life and existence.
“and when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you give thanks, I shall surely grant you increase, but if you are ungrateful, truly My Punishment is severe!’” — Quran, 14:7
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s take on this verse is (see also Appendix 3 further below):
“As your Lord has declared, “If you're grateful, I will increase you in blessings to be grateful for. But if you are ingrate, if you lack gratitude, in fact, if you show ingratitude, I will give you more reasons to be ungrateful.”
This is a metaphysical equation. Gratitude = increase in blessings. Ingratitude = decrease in blessings.
This is a qaidah, it's a law. It's a metaphysical law that’s as true as the Newtonian physics that you learned in high school. If you're ungrateful, then Allah will give you more to be ungrateful about, more to whine about.
You think it's bad now? You have no idea how bad it can get. Read history to know how bad it can get!”
My Hajj pilgrimage was indeed an incredible journey of the heart, in many facets. The gratitude part is one of them, an intense experience and learning that I carry beyond the trip. Alhamdulillah, InshaAllah.
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 - Longer version (8.5 minutes) of my conversation with Nadiah Suki. It elaborates on higher level purpose, and goes into taking responsibility for influencing change.
Appendix 2 - Relevant slides from the Hajj course I attended. The teacher was Sheikh Seraj Alkhamsa. The course was “Hajj Series Intensive 1-Day Course 2023” at Al-Nawawi Institute.
Appendix 3 - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf on gratitude vs complaining
Impact or Impair? - My brief interview featuring “Malaysia PeersOnDemand” Member, Dennis FOO 符史坚, Managing Director of Pu Xin ASPIRA Co. Ltd., Shanghai.
Dennis is a Business Coach.
Among the many questions he often asks his clients is whether they positively IMPACT or otherwise (negatively) IMPAIR their business.
Request to be interviewed by me after participating in my free weekly events called Malaysia Peers On Demand. See our events at: https://www.rubah.my/events.html
Or become an official Member my online community. See: http://mypod.mn.co
Below is the text (about 5-minute read) of the narration for the video, “Chasing and Being Mesmerized by The Northern Lights” — the 30 minute video is embedded at the end of this post.
Close to 20 family members of Rizal Khalid (his Ironmates) went to Langkawi to support and cheer him for his first Ironman race.
It was raining almost throughout the race. HE SUCCESSFULLY FINISHED.
Congratulations, Rizal. How grueling it was. Now you are an Ironman!
The sea was relatively calm for the 3.8km swim. The 180km cycling had him riding “blind” in the rain for 6 hours. He ran the 42km with blisters.
Thank God there were no mishaps for him.
The Ironmates were there for him through the rainy day and night. “Spectate. Wait. Celebrate.”
Fitness and physical strength were not enough — past 13 hours and after halfway running, Rizal was all physically spent and in pain, and he pulled out all his mental energy to make it.
After finishing, “anything is possible” has a true and intense meaning - especially for him, and also for the inspired us, his Ironmates.
Chasing The Northern Lights in Norway was the main goal of my Europe trip in October 2022, and it was mesmerizingly achieved!
Another goal was for me to jump in every country we visit.
Have goals, plan, prepare and achieve!
Here are two jumps in Germany, one each in Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands, and several in Norway.
Oh, although the Norway tour operator took us to a spot in Finland to catch The Northern Lights (our first of two sightings), I did not jump in Finland because it was very cold, windy and icy!
