These 3 things changed my life forever; the 1st relates to business, the 2nd to self, and the 3rd to family.

Click the link above for details.

Yep, and click the link above for details as well.

You guessed it. You know what to do.

Click the links above to access the content for each section. Let me know what you think by posting comments below. I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy new year! 2011 will be awesome, trust me.

Noura and I traveled all around Southeast Asia trekking Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand for nearly 2 months. I learned a lot of life lessons from backpacking and met people from all over the world that truly touched me.

Those were some of the best days of my life with Noura. I never knew how adventurous she is! Notwithstanding stereotypes aside, my Syrian friends in Brunei were pretty impressed that she had the aptitude and athletic prowess to backpack with me. She’s definitely a guy’s type of girl.

If you missed it, you can catch all of my backpacking adventures organized here.

What blessings are you thankful for this year?

We splurged on the eating. We had some kick-butt Italian food at Little Italy. We marveled at the perfectly-baked Pizza at Toscany’s. Or was it Mai Yai Thai on the water front that stole our hearts? We hung out on Manukan Island and it was surreal seeing 3 islands on the horizon.

Back on the shores of the city, we caught The Next Three Days and Rapunzel…both great movies – highly recommended.

Anyways, we’re back in Brunei now – great trip! I love KK, don’t you?

Dirtiest border patrol I have ever dealt with. Talk about starting off on the wrong foot in Vietnam.

Here is my travel diary experience entering Vietnam through Lao Bao…

I got the full show. First, the immigration guy sneezed on my passport. Then he “accidentally” dropped my passport (3 times). Then after picking it up, he snorted mucus up his nose and hocked his throat while giving my passport a dirty look and looked me up and down like a 2 cent hooker. Then he picked his nose while flicking through my passport pages with the same dirty finger. I was like a rare game in lucky hands and I was treated like shit.

After 30 minutes of questioning about my intention to have kids and other communist trivia, a group of immigration officers started to form. First they made me smile for about half an hour to see if my picture matched that of my passport’s. My mouth got sore smiling and that has never happened to me. I mean this was a smart and creative way of torture, I was thinking. How smart of them – I could never really report this because they did not give me evidence to substantiate any significant wrong doings. It was just baseless humiliation. Then I thought, who do I report this to? I’m in there country. Technically, they can do anything they want to. I had put Vietnam on the map as a tourist destination and I was going to support their economy and this is how they treat me as a first impression?

By this time, I’m aggravated and wanted to turn back to Laos. For several hours, I was the entertainment of 7 lonely officers touting and squinting at me as if I was an alien from another planet.

After running out of jokes, the immigration officers came up with another torture idea. They made me sign a billion blank papers to hopefully prove I forged the signature on my passport. This was insane and retarded. Cooperating with a smile, I did so. Then I was asked to show 3 other forms of ID and they were still not convinced. In the end, the accused me of counterfeiting my passport.

After pleasing like a peasant and showing them my wedding pictures, I was able to slide by after hours of appeal. I bet they enjoyed seeing an American suffer and beg. That was probably the whole point of this saga.

But even then it wasn’t over. In agonizing pain, after being painstakingly convinced my papers were all in order…the officers turned their backs to me and spent 1 hour serving all the locals that had just walked up to the immigration counter. This whole while I stood in attention, in the cold, waiting. Even our bus driver tried to intercede but he was sharply reprimanded to get the hell out of the building with the carefree whisk of Hitler’s hand.

Now that we’ve crossed the border, I’m thinking what Americans did here during the war had a deeper impact than I had thought. I’ve got tons of Vietnamese friends in Houston. I’ve never seen anything like this from them towards me. What was happening here: can someone give me an explanation?

Anyways, it’s a sit and home and watch movies culture here in Brunei – that kind of defines our nightlife here. During the day, you know there’s sports and all. At night, it’s sit at home and beat the kids…or watch a movie. I was joking about the kids part. Now that I think about it, I have watched so many movies here in Brunei, I feel like my life has become a movie. We watch about 1-2 movies a day. Wow, I don’t have a life and I’m loving it.

The Shawerma was so fricking awesome, I self-declared it a national holiday today in Brunei.

Noura has this bomb-ass recipe for Shawerma. I’ll let you in on the franchise secret. It’s all about…

• Greasing up the pita bread in chicken broth and margarine
• Making garlic spread secret sauce and using gherkins
• Adding the pomegranate molasses to the marinade

“I didn’t even know the man,” one suspect reports. “I was out shopping and the next thing I know is he went to the Post Office and forwarded all of my incoming mail to his address.”

Local police authorities are cautioning citizens not to flaunt their iPhones in the faces of this Mousilli double when the phone ships next month; this could incite the criminal masterminds into terminal kungfubia frenzy. One of the survivors reports that Basim is currently holding a black unlocked iPhone 3GS flagrantly displaying the words “$uckafree 4 life” on his lockscreen.

Apple has come forward and is suggesting consumers keep their new iPhones in older generation cases once they start shipping July 2 to avoid theft, kickassery, and other random acts of jealousy and delusion. Seclusion also rhymes.

Crime accessory Noura Mousilli was not present at the time of questioning. More news as the facts unfold.

Tamarind Hill Contemporary Thai & Burmese
Phone: 03.2148.3200
Address: 19 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
E-mail: tamarindhill@samadhi.com.my

Here’s a summary of our experience. We were amazed by the entrance, complete with a long stone staircase winding and leading to the entrance among a sea of candles and a blue-lit river. We snapped at least a couple of pictures before entering. We were enamored by the texture, lighting, and ambiance of the place. It’s nice to have someone take care of the details for one night as you enjoy the service and splendid atmosphere of a complete getaway restaurant.

We started off the feast with the best Tom Yum soup we have ever tasted. The chicken inside the soup was grilled – high quality stuff. The fresh tomatoes in it were just the right size, not oversized.

For our first entrée, we ordered the Thai grilled chicken, a dish prepared with cherry tomatoes and grilled capsicum. I thought the dish was OK – nothing too special. What really boiled our appetite was the aromatic Kaffir lime rice which descended on the table with an attitude of its own. This was met warmly with an applause from our mouth-watered taste buds.

Our entrée numero dos was basically stir fry beef and it was really good to say the least; the meat was soft and the asparagus accompanying it made for a great combo – classic, nothing exquisitely unique. Lastly, the tamarind was tangy, not too sweet, and delicious just the way I like it.

On the ambiance, the lighting was subtle and dazzling. The music they were playing didn’t really fit with the Thai theme but it was nice – some tunes from Thievery Corporation and yeah, I shazammed a couple of hits.

In summary, one of my favorite Thai restaurants abroad. Although not entirely unique, this place is simply awesome, the service super friendly, and the ambiance and food to die for. I’m definitely coming back next time I’m in KL but next time I’ll be bringing my whole family to enjoy this wonderful new place.

Now here are 10 things backpacking taught me:

#1 Live a compact life to be flexible to change and opportunities. It also helps you keep a clean head and rid yourself of futile worldliness.

#2 Be yourself: You shouldn’t worry about being different. You are beautiful within. Really, you are! People love it when you are yourself.

#3 Don’t be scared to experiment: Explore! Yes, go for the uncharted territory. The world is full of beautiful wonders and you have nothing to lose.

#4 Humanity is all basically the same: People all over the world have the same base tendencies. No matter what language and what color, we’re all the same. God put us on earth as one family.

#5 Don’t plan too far ahead: Just don’t trouble yourself. Plans always change and you should be ready for that moment with good humor because it will happen.

#6 Life needs a companion: It was beautiful being married and having a true friend accompany me. For survival and for love, you need another person with you at all times at best.

#7 Be safe: Yes, do take emergency supplies and survival gear. You never know when you will need it, so don’t skimp on it. Be adventurous and skimp but not on the wrong things!

#8 One dollar goes a long way: Be thankful. I never knew how poor people live. In the US, people are very spoiled. I am a bit more thankful for everything now.

#9 Muslims are everywhere: It’s a great passport to have, a Muslim identity. You are greeted and treated with respect all over the world, except in the US or Europe.

#10 Work is optional: Getting a job and keeping a stable job is not the most important thing in the world. One of our jobs is to make sure we are happy on the inside and spiritually whole. Attend to yourself and take time off to do what you want to do. Work can wait!

What? OK! So we caught a train to On Nut station with the store owner and went to the grocery store there setting out to buy ingredients to make Tom Ka Khai, Green Curry Coconut Chicken, and Pineapple Fried Rice.

I cannot describe how we turned a bookshop with a coffee stand into a full service kitchen! ….It’s like the Thai cook gained the ultimate pleasure seeing me trance into gastronomical ecstasy…

We bought an electric wok and stirred up fish oil and mushroom soy sauce like as if it was Chinese New Years all over again. I cannot describe the extent of hospitality and humor with which Thai people approach life. Cooking and eating and serving people brought this shop pure joy – I felt like my mother or sister was in the kitchen, asking me what I think of the food and if I wanted more.

“Basim! Where’s your spoon? Come taste this, mate” the chef frequently beckoned. It’s like the Thai cook gained the ultimate pleasure seeing me trance into gastronomical ecstasy. I was in pure heaven today and I will never forget the friendship that was built today and the generosity we received. Indescribable and unpredictable, that’s why I love Thailand.

Maybe it’s because people want good luck and to live a long life to enjoy worldly things. Maybe people create large things to make themselves insignificant and invisible? Is it for them to hide beneath? Why would man dedicate himself to create such large structure in the name of a God king with a body and spirit much like their own? What do you think?

I am here at the Killing Fields, remnants of the genocide of the 1970s where an estimated 1.5 million people died here under the bloody hands of the Pol Pot regime. This is too much to take in.

People were brainwashed that they had a mental disease called “thinking too much” and that they should release themselves to the free will of Angka, the supreme authority of the land. People were told that God had died and Angka would now sustain their needs. Educated countrymen were summoned forward for their skills in order to rebuild the nation…only to find out they would be the first to be massacred.

It turned out there was not enough fuel, time, or precious ammunition to deal with the thousands of citizens every day that needed to be evacuated from the cities to the countrysides to concentration camps to be murdered. Hateful human torture agents were trained and manufactured as quick as victims were being exterminated who would turn against their own people killing their families and friends for the lords of the land.

Somber, sad, stoic, sedated, sorrowful: this is Cambodian mood. In their Khmer eyes a million untold stories of the past.

Stripped of every intention of creativity, people mean business here. Differentiation is important because goods and services are plentiful and redundant. But people move so quick here, emotions and details don’t seem to matter in this big city. It’s name recognition and putting products in your face that sells.

In Laos, I noticed men mostly sit around and do nothing. Here in Vietnam, women work as hard as men do and even more. It’s like the whole society is working 24/7. It’s crazy like that!

Some parts of the city (non-central districts) are gray with smog, noisy with rattles of machinery, honking horns, yelling workers, and buzzing with 18-wheelers steamrolling the gravel all day long in the haze of pollution and randomness. The entire society looks converted into factory workers – the kids, taxi drivers, women and men all look like construction workers plowing in the industry. Manufacturing of steel pipes, fittings, cranes, and automotive parts – this is what surrounds you as you enter the big city.

Once you get to the heart of Ho Chi Minh, it’s completely different and highly modernized. All over though I must say people are very sincere and mean good intentions. We have met some on the nicest people during our travels here.

Motorbikes, overcrowded, and power lines running into each other. That’s Saigon for you with 8 million people bursting at the seams of this bustling capital city. Busy as hell is the name of the game here!

Government touches everything and processes are very serial, hierarchial, heavily bureaucratic, and corrupt of course. The common distribution of wealth idea does not work based on the buddy systems I have seen – people revert to bribes and having good contacts to get things done and from what I have noticed, that makes lower class people even more disadvantaged. Socialism is hard to implement with even distribution and minimal defects.

On the bright side making sustenance Men, women, and children here have convinced me that the Vietnamese are people of strong will, hard work, and relentless determination. They will make the impossible happen; if you just watch people you can catch their energy in their hustle and flow. People in Southwern Vietnam are very business-minded always trying to make an extra buck or two. As soon as your pockets give, smiles dissolve and the predator’s eyes lock-and-load on the next target. These soldiers have the soujurn swagger of a famished fighter on a battlefield fighting for a pinch of life. The energy is infectious. A bit like the ambitious “can do” bug you get by visiting New York City and seeing small people in a big city get by.

Wheeling it to Danang to get a visa extension. There better not be rain there or I’m going to kick somebody fat and ugly. Come ye Sun!

Oh yeah, no more temples. What a scam. I feel like they’ve built all these temples in Southeast Asia to boost tourism and steal backpackers’ lunch money. Nobody’s even using them for religious purposes – common folks never visit them. They’re even reconstructed without regard to the original structures. I rather watch the Discovery channel for high quality footage than riding a boat and hiking for 3 hours each. There’s just way too many to see and not enough time!

By far, Mr. Hung’s foodstall (near the river) is the best place to eat hands down. You can enjoy the best food here in all of Vietnam.

This is the most touristy town yet. But it is a good touristy town because the shopping, food, and people were great. We got some fake Lacostes, mini North Face backpacks, and some perfectly cut tailored shirts and pants for $10 a pop and we’re talking fabric and service with high quality. The party’s at Phuong 1 on 7 Tran Phu street.

It’s been a lively stint but I think 2 days is enough damage because shopping is the biggest pull here. As Lonely Planet jabs, all of a sudden backpackers after Hoi An are looking spiffy with their collared shirts and custom-made trousers. Now I look less like Gandhi and more like a tourist again. Mom, you’d be proud of me if you saw me right now.

Nha Trang! On a 12 hour sleeper bus, here we come…

People are genuinely happy here. Just today we found throngs of people picnicing on the beach eating rice and chicken for 50 cents and poking jokes with friends laughing from the tonsols of their throats. Are they happy? These people have absolutely nothing – no iPods, no cars, and no fancy clothes. They’re just roughing it and it seems from their outlook on life, they’re living a “good” life with friends, work, and family.

In America, we want more, more, more. Here, they have less, less, less and it’s working for them. All I remember from America is stress from work, stress from bills at home, stress from traffic, and stress struggling against the wake of mainstream being a Muslim. For me it’s truly more relaxing living here in Southeast Asia where you can be yourself and live a simpler life within a more wholistic society that possesses a balanced and blended value system.

I will upload past journal entries since the beginning of January along with pictures as soon as I get proper www in this country. Facebook is banned in Vietnam by the Viet Kong. Yes, they still exist and they stole my lunch money! Just kidding man.

Amazing it is the more you remove from your life the more powerful you become.

Like soldiers these trees stand in attention by the thousands on these picture-perfect hills. Implanted on the banks of the river you can spot feather-fragile huts fringed on cheap wood and hope from above. Lower in the shallow waters men poach the gentle passing stream for the catch of the day. People have a strong connection with nature here in Laos and rely on God’s primitive resources to afford daily sustenance. It’s a humbling life whose reigns are never in your hands. When a farmer or fisherman realizes his fate is not exactly in his control, this is called subjugation to God; he attains a calm and balanced temperament- something burnt out in the hearts of citizens making a living in the big city.

When goods and services are sold for more than what consumers are willing to pay, the market adjusts itself to accommodate; in a nutshell, an economic devaluation occurs.

The parallel that I am drawing is when the world gets to be too much to bear and you are consistently giving it your best, you have to get away and control your worldly desires. Turn away from life’s demands to “collecting things” and society’s imposed fear of poverty and get back to the basics. You can enhance your spirit by traveling to achieve a holistic self again – your equilibrium must not be neglected. Enjoy the childish things in life and do what makes you feel special again, even if it is foolish. This is what I learned today.

The monks here remind me of the tenets of Islam that preach simplicity, humility, and living every day as if it were our last. Traveling is like death because you take barely anything with you when you move on.

Later in the day. On a motorbike on the bumpiest and curviest road straight out of hell with a beautiful view of heaven right outside the window. Just barely swerved past a cow on the road. OK, I’ll write later when it’s less life threatening!

At sunset we went biking through the rustic villages around the 25,000 populated small town. This was by far one of the best ways to reach into the countryside and see the way people were living in this albeit slightly tourist-infested heaven. Kids were smiling, cows were grazing, and dads were sipping tea of course while the women tilled away at the fields.

Main attractions here include kayaking and tubing during the day and biking & meeting crazy drunks and Bob Marley look-a-likes at night. We met this one dude from Sweden working as a bartender who had decided to start working at Sabaidee Restaurant because he had 2 weeks left in his vacation. Inspiring!

This is a place for stoned hippies and shirtless soul seekers walking barefoot around town. Everybody is so high here, it’s not even funny. It’s a town stuck in the 1960s with a great outdoor culture.

I think we’re going to move on tomorrow. Heading North, captain.

So you might ask why the hell are you doing all these Western things in the middle of the Orient?

I must admit – day 2 of the trip and I’m at a coffee shop watching TV and having greasy pizza. Yes, even backpackers miss home sometimes. Around travel days, your full day is shot being lazy and coping with being human. You have to rest to be energized for the rest of your travels.

Travel mix up. The reason for this rush is I told the lady at Air Asia to book me to Vietnam and she booked me to Vientiane, Laos! We changed our whole travel plans but I think our plan B is going to work; just a lot of rushing through the first sites because I’m on a visa pinch.

Ok, enough depressing news – here’s an unrelated picture riding around in the city. There are tons of motorbikes here!

People are very peaceful and surrendering, warm and welcoming, and speak in voices quieter than pin-drops. We had some good spring roles here, curries, and noodle soup. We’re taking a bus tomorrow to visit some interesting sites.

Highlights of the day:

• Witnessing animists worshiping ancestors
• Getting served by 6-year old waitresses
• Finding 75% of people on motorbikes women
• Seeing French influence on a Thai-like country
• Meeting the most peaceful kind of people on Earth!

Finally posting my wedding photos for the first time. This is a traditional Syrian wedding that starts with a chant as the groom among a pack of men doing a sword dance has to ask for the bride’s hand from her home and take her to the wedding hall; the rest is typical dancing, food, and fun! (August 4, 2008)

Noura and I spent a fabulous Eid in this slice of heaven. KK is a short-stop before KL with a mild yet vivacious city climate and a silky serene island scene. We jettied our way to Manukan Island which is located just off the edge of earth between nowhere and no care. Shot great pics. Fabulous.

After a quick bite, we experienced the Empire Country Club‘s premiere cinema… and let me tell you it was a gorgeous venue to watch the movie 2012. The movie was horrible, but the cinema had the coolest electronic seat chooser ever!

We crashed at a horrible hotel, whose name I will spare. After a water pipe leak and no warm water in the showers (and non-noteworthy breakfast at the hotel), we hiked out and saved our morning by having a lovely traditional Malay breakfast with Roti.

We then made our way to Tutong Beach where we met about 50 zillion Serikandis which was, as always, a pleasant surprise. We ate some marvelous food and soaked in the generosity while having fun and talking about everything from “How to Make a Great Cappuccino” to moving to Bangkok and starting a new life…

So for the play-by-play, let’s go over what we did today at the beach:

• Ate a lot of food…grilled vegetables
• Skidded around in ATVs
• Played beach soccer…fun!
• Ate a lot of food…fried Jackfruit, yummy
• Prayed together
• Uppercut tall waves
• Ate a lot of food…sweet ayam
• Had fun & cracked jokes
• Ate a lot of food…top class lamb
• Snapped great photos…learned how to shoot manual

Speaking of which, Fadilah Ahmad Alhijazi (Señor Pablo) took some amazing pictures of us. It’s this man starting off the Youtube video here. Pablo is a philosopher, an artist, great baker, an adventurer, and a foreign diplomat. My wife and I agree he was the inspiration of the day. Take a hop over to Señor Pablo‘s blog. Can’t wait to meet again.

It was loads of fun. I have to go to bed now because I’m dead tired.

Actually, we had no choice. I’ll tell you the story. The landlord “found out” he was not authorized to rent us the place because it was government property and all of a sudden my agency gives us short notice to move. We didn’t want to get into issues with the government because we had absolutely no time for hassle so we just bit the bullet and did the unusual.

Now it turned out to be quite refreshing. It’s wonderful how things you at first oppose can be blessings in disguise. A fresh new beginning before the end of the year when we have to move again…

Honestly, I’ve never bought a brand new car in my life. It’s really high class and beats the hell out of buying an old car – I mean I know anyone can just say that but it’s a tipper when the decision is close. I was going to buy a Corolla, but we decided why the hell not…get something exciting!

Basim: “No plans. Let’s just stay at home. Just chill. You know, it’s been a while since we’ve done that…”

Noura: “No way! Why don’t we go to Kuching?”

[24 hours later we’re on a plane eating peanuts...]

What a beautiful hidden city in Malaysia. It’s a perfect walking city and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of KL. Kuching was a pleasant surprise for me.

People are so nice and easy going here. The Sarawak people have this happiness and peacefulness about them. I’m glad I came.

This is the official Southeast Asia Tour. We have some crazy things planned so stay wired for pictures to come. I’m going to be updating this blog now more often to keep my family and friends updated.

It’s like in 1 split second the weight of responsibility shifted from one man to another. It is him saying this is the daughter I raised all my life and poured every ounce of love into her and I just hope you can try to do the same.

It is an immense over pouring. It is a quantum leap of faith and security. This is the beginning of my life as a married man.

Her name is Noura…but of course! (What else would her name be?) She is a vibrant character and a very good listener. She’s a very simple girl. Almost anything I say now could be too judgmental so I am just going to ask you to make duaa for me. She seems like a wonderful person. I like her smile, her mom, and especially her Dad. He’s quite an accomplished man. Her family is quite put together and her siblings are young and fun, yet respectful. I’m really happy. I ask that Allah guides me and helps me carry forward. Ameen.