Happy Birthday, Kimi!

taken off Kak Lyna's blog:


"It's my little adik's birthday! If there is a sibling whom I'm tremendously proud of, it's got to be my little brother below me who goes by a lot of names; Kimi, Imy, Adik, Dan... in the past, Kismis even! Not to say the rest aren't the people whom I'm proud of, I just think he's gone through so much more. We've a 9 years gap but he was the little sibling I was waiting for for years so we were exceptionally close throughout the times we were growing up. 


I saw him as someone very independent and had a mind of his own. He always knows what he wants and he works top notch to get to where he is now. Besides my elder brother, Kimi too had to take up something he didn't like in university. I remember the big fight he had with our parents as he was very determined on taking a different course but he didn't have money. He wanted to study what he really liked but he couldn't because our father didn't want to pay for his education if he were to take that different course - and we were forbidden to help. Everyone was torn in between, there were a lot of heartbreaks but he moved on. He continued with his studies, he took up the course our father wanted him to do and he started working at the age of 18. 


What he did - you name it. Bar tender, postman, despatch, librarian, translator, delivering flyers but he settled being a tutor for over 3 years. He had classes to attend and he also had tuition classes to do so since many years back, he's gotten used to sleeping only 2-3 hours a day - which for most us is near impossible. At the age of 19 (second year), he has earned enough to pay for his tuition fees (at that time, £12,000) and didn't want our father to pay for his education. I can tell that it wasn't easy - there were a lot of times when he would call up and admitted "yes, it's hard" but that was also something he chose to do. This little brother of mine has always wanted to prove people wrong and to show people if there's a will, there's a way. Hence, there wasn't any hanky pankies in his life - strictly business.


By 19 years old, he was earning £560 a day on weekdays & £1120 a day on weekends (yes, I still remember - and had over £11,000 a month!) ; at that time, it was equivalent to RM3920 & RM7840 respectively. And by 19 years old, he already started to give our parents part of his income (he gave both our parents £2,000 each if I'm not mistaken) and also gave out allowances to his younger siblings. Although he had a lot of arguments with both our parents, I can assure you that never once did he disrespect any of them and I believe with the blessings and prayers of your parents only can he go thus far. He respects them accordingly, loves them tremendously and show them his appreciations constantly. 


At the age of 21, he attended Oxford and was scouted even before he graduated from a lot of multi-national companies ; which no one in the family had ever! 


He's turned 24 years old today and he's gone so far ahead than the rest but remains to be very humbled and down to earth. He rarely splurges on himself and rather spend on family. He's crazy of responsibilities - he currently pays for our little sister's tuition fees, he gives her allowances, buys our mother her needs, get our father his toys, brings out his nephews & nieces for shopping sessions, sends & fetches them up from tuition classes, sends our grandparents to the hospitals for check-ups... all done by him. 


Hence if there's anyone in this world whom I think deserves so much love and blessings from Allah, it's him. He has always told me one thing: "if we think spending 1000 on our parents is too much when we're just earning 2000, then it's wrong. I noticed if I earn 2000, and I spend 1000 on my parents, God gives me double or triple back". Our cousins always ask him how can he still save so much and he would say the key is to not be stingy to your loved ones; Allah will pay you back.


Today, I wish God would listen and grant my prayers - I hope he will meet someone who loves him dearly, I hope he will get so much more rezeki and berkat, I hope his life will only consist of sincere people, I hope God will never lead him astray, I hope he will constantly gain so much more successes, I hope he will live a very long life, I hope never will he have to go through shame and sorrow, I hope God will always enlighten his life, I hope he will always be at peace.


Adik, Kak Lyna loves you! "


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Happy Birthday, Kimi! My hope is for you to meet great people along the way and for you to be a better person yet still maintains to be the awesome man you already are now. 


Lots of love (and hugs) ,
Freida.