Goodbye 2019…Hello 2020!

It’s officially 2020! Wow! One year has already gone? Time flies by so fast. The new year is all about new beginnings, but I can’t seem to let go of 2019. So much has happened during last year, such big events have taken place!

Yes, 2019 was truly unforgettable. It has witnessed one of my greatest triumphs, and one of our family’s greatest losses. This was the year that I had managed to fulfil one of my lifelong dreams…I finally published my very first book, ‘My New Pair Of Eyes’! But with what I gained came loss. Yes, only a few weeks after I published my book, not only did I lose my beloved Mamajee @adamdidam, but we all lost a part of ourselves. It was a year that witnessed our darkest hour, and we were all tested to our limits.

We were all affected deeply. But as difficult a time as it has been, 2019 not only tested us, but shaped us. We went in holding on to the strength we had, but we came out stronger. I believe that 2019 has prepared us for a fresh start in 2020. We’re on our way to personal success – we’ve wiped our slate clean, and we’ll be drawing a road that goes only up.

As for me, as I travel up that road, there is some emotional baggage that I’ve accumulated over the year that I want to be letting go of. There are memories that I want to keep safe but smile instead of cry when I think of them. 2020 is an opportunity that I want to take to achieve greater things, try new things, take risks – and try my best not to start so many things and not finish them!

I have a feeling that 2020 will be a year of surprises, opportunities, and new beginnings not only for me, but for my whole family. I was lost in 2019, but as I step into the new year, I pray that I will find myself, that I will find my strength, and that we all will rise up again.

Happy 2020,

Omar Mukhtar

I’m Officially 13!

“Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past, a blessing was sent from God to a couple, and they were warm and unbelievably kind to him. Despite the many challenges they faced, they did more than just take care of him; they cherished him and nurtured his talents! 

In fact, many of this boy’s achievements were only achieved because of the hours his parents spent with him to aid him. They were with him every step of the way – they enjoyed the ups and climbed out of the downs, and every single second, they enjoyed each others’ company.

Thirteen years – and a little brother and sister – later, the trio had become a, umm…five-o? 😅 And it was only with the UNBELIEVABLE  amount of help from his parents that he was admitted into his dream school and published his very first book!”

---

Does that story sound familiar? Yep, that little fairy tale is about me, and each little bit is 100% true! It may sound clichéd, but my parents are probably the most loving, caring and supportive parents in the WORLD, and trust me, there’s no way you could prove that statement wrong!

Dear Mrs Mom and Mr Dad,

It may be my 13th birthday, but it’s YOU both that deserve to be celebrated! Your love is beyond words, and you are always supportive of whatever I do. I mean, how else do I explain the time when I wanted to be a fisherman…and you both were all for it?! 😂

And that’s not all: when I wanted to write my first book, you made me believe that I could achieve anything! Mr Dad, you read (and reread!) my book COUNTLESS times and gave me feedback and ideas about what to include and tweak. Mrs Mom, you sat beside me from the start to finish and helped enormously, even though you were ill!

There’s physical proof of just how much you loved me – you’ve kept every little detail from each milestone in my life: things from as early as the pregnancy test to my first haircut!

Thank you both for always supporting me and believing in me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you! You’ve always been there for me, and I know you always will be. For my 13th birthday, I pray to God that He rewards you generously for how loving you have been towards me and reserves you the highest place in heaven! (And I don’t need any presents this year, coz they definitely won’t beat you!)

Your ever-grateful son,

Omar Mukhtar

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

A Letter To My Beloved Malaysia…

To my beloved Malaysia,

My name is Omar Mukhtar, #The12YearOldAuthor, and I’m a British-born Malaysian…

Even though I was born and bred in the UK, I am still proud of my parents’ birth country – MALAYSIA! I’ve always felt a strong connection to my roots, and from the very first time I set foot on its soil, I’ve experienced things I never would have experienced anywhere else!

When I was little, I used to think that there was no place better than England, and the mere thought of travelling abroad made me shiver! But my trip to Malaysia proved me wrong, and I’ve never been more proud of my Malaysian background! My first book, ‘My New Pair of Eyes’, documents all of Malaysia’s glory.

‘My New Pair of Eyes’ is not just a book…I wrote #MNPOE as a gift to Malaysia, and to show my appreciation for my roots. Through my humble writing, I wish to convey how proud I am of my heritage! My journey was truly unforgettable, and I just had to share how brilliant the culture, years-old traditions and kind, welcoming people were!

#MNPOE is not just a recount of my time in Malaysia; it’s the story of my unforgettable journey around a beautiful country with the power to change the way a little boy who didn’t even want to go to heaven looked at the world forever! It’s my homage to the amazing culture of the country and the people in it!

I don’t like to think of Malaysia as just one big chunk of land…I think of it more like a combination of different ‘kingdoms’, each one beautifully diverse and unique, with its own ethnicities, dialect, culture, historical background and cuisine! I’ve only explored a tiny part of Malaysia, but I’ll definitely be back for more!

In honour of 62 years of MERDEKA, I pray not only for the prosperity of Malaysia and Malaysians, but for the preservation – and CELEBRATION – of its heritage, because to me, that’s something that all Malaysians should definitely be proud of, and something we should all hold on to before it is lost forever!

Salaam Merdeka,
Omar Mukhtar

#The12YearOldAuthor

#BritishBornMalaysian

Feeling Blessed…

Alhamdulillah, what a great way to end the Spring Term! Other than my excellent end-of-term report, me and 3 other students from Year 7 were selected to go to the University of Birmingham to compete in Salter’s Chemistry Festival. And guess what? We won 1st Prize! We were competing against 16 other schools from the West Midlands in a chemistry forensics challenge. We managed to win and we were the only team to gain full marks for our final answers too. And that’s not all, we were among the youngest there! But above all, nothing could beat the proud smiles on my parents’ faces! I thank God for giving me the opportunity to not only represent my school, but to make my parents happy! May God guide me on the right path so that I can continue to make my parents proud and set a good example to my little brother and sister, Fatimah and Ali!

Blessed,

Omar Mukhtar a.k.a. The Pawsome Lion

#The12YearOldAuthor

p/s: Don’t forget to pre-order my first book #MNPOE – buy now or cry later! 😎

My Happy Pills!!

I was the only child for 7 years…Then miraculously, God blessed me with a little sister, Fatimah, the #MiracleNumber2. And one and a half years later, God decided to surprise me with a little brother, Ali, the #SurpriseNumber3. They truly are my happy pills – I wouldn’t trade them for the world!

A blessed Lalajee,

Omar Mukhtar a.k.a. The Pawsome Lion

#LuckyNumber1

#The12YearOldAuthor

#MNPOE 😎

p/s: Tag your happy pills!!