Holiday Season

Aah, the holiday season.

Only two days ago I was watching Liverpool in action, and today I get to watch another one. At the time of the year when other major leagues are enjoying their winter break and the Russian pitches are frozen (and matches are played with fluorescent orange balls if there are any matches), the English league is peaking at its busiest period. Its a tradition they say, and for the players and staffs - regardless of foreign or local - it must have sucked to be 'working' when their relatives are enjoying the roast turkey at home with their glittering Christmas tree next to them.

But hey, what do I care. I'm a fan, and I don't get paid portion of a million ringgit every week to play football. And furthermore, I don't celebrate Christmas! But I do enjoy these festive times.

Maybe I won't be in such buoyant mood had Chelsea won their Monday game after Liverpool drawing against 10-men Arsenal. Or maybe I won't be very cheerful had Liverpool dropped points yet again at Anfield. But it still is frustrating to see a dominant Liverpool suddenly lose their dominance after Adebayor got sent off. Or when Liverpool are stringing possibly the most backpasses in the whole league just to keep a 70% possession.

But maybe it is this superpatient football that makes sure their oppenents can't do anything, and instead, it is up to them to decide whether to score or not. Liverpool always play possession football, and I dare to say, the way they are playing, they might be unbeatable. (In fact, the only occasions Liverpool have lost are the two matches at White Hart Lane.) The only concern is if they draw instead of winning.

But why worry, right? This is the festive season. Just sit back and enjoy. (I might regret what I write here a few hours after this, but I certainly do hope not.)

Meanwhile, I woke up on this lovely Sunday morning enjoying my breakfast at 2 in the afternoon and saw in the newspapers the Israeli airstrike that killed 205 and possibly more. While we're enjoying our holidays, there are people out there being slayed. I hate myself to hate the Jews and I will still hate myself hating Jews and I won't say the Jews did it, but instead I would say the regime did it, and I don't understand the necessity of killing people while you're occupying their land. I'm really frustrated with what they did but here I sit doing nothing.

But as Muslims, we have a weapon, and although it might sound weak to say this, it is a test of faith to believe in Allah and His answers to our prayers (ﺩﻋﺎﺀ) and that is our weapon. And those victims died with Quranic verses on their tongues and we hope that they shall go to an even better place for their afterlife. For us who are still living, we shall pray for peace throughout the world, and for the perpretrators, I pray that they'll pay for the atrocities that they have done. Aamiin.