Not sure when I wrote the following beginning of a blog. I stupidly did not date it. But it was in late January or early February. You shall see why I did not bring this to the light of day before; the light of day being the blog. I am now. I will put it in quotes, It is me but it is before – not after. Hahaha
“I readily admit to being to research fiend. Last week Mohan, Shamir and me when to our favorite Japanese restaurant – the one you cannot go to if you are a woman and wear a scarf on your head. We were joined by a very interesting man, which made the count Alexis with three handsome men. No idea how I do it? Maybe I paid. Hahaha. The handsome stranger was known by Mohan for years and years and years. As boys they went to the same Penang school together but were not in the same grade. Mohan is older by quite a few years. Curious soul that I am looked him up – the meaning of his first name, and then his education and what he did for a living. He said he was the head of a think tank.
Me: What is a think tank? Does it have water in it? Are their sharks?
He just laughed. “
February 27, 2025
I now vaguely remember sort of baring my soul, probably in some detail revealing my past – before I a became a virgin again. I will check with Shamir and see if he remembers – I hope not.
I usually – in fact always – look into the meaning of Arab and Hindu names – children are named by the parents anticipating (hoping perhaps) that their child will grow into their name. It took me the longest time to remember this man’s first name but now I do and can research it. It is a Hindu name but has Arab origins. It means excellent, scholar, learned person, one accomplished in an academic discipline.
(This is an aside. What does Alexis mean? The defender of men. I once wrote a blog about this, will find it and reprint it when I want a day off of blogging. I compared the meaning with that of my Muslim name: Alaa.)
Back to then, whenever it was. Apparently I saw him again, no date yet again. Back to quotation marks.
“Last evening he and his son dined at Kashmir Restaurant. The son LOVES the world famous tandoori chicken. I told the father what I had learned about him, reading the discourse I had written. He was more than a little surprised. I am laughing as I write. He has an advanced degree from the University of London. Researched the University of London. It was a couple of blocks from the apartment I leased when I attended graduate school in London (2014-2017. His school (not mine) has a massive library and receives millions of pounds annually in grants and funding. I did not get his permission to mention his name in this blog. So it will remain a mystery until I see him again – if I do.”
Untold days later I did see him again. Again quotes and indentation.
“Days later. I did see him again but did not ask him if I could use his real name. Oh well. Stay tuned. I am sure he will say it is okay. I am having fun with him. I have a difficult time remembering his first name, for some strange reason. I sent him an email with this news.
Me: By the way I keep forgetting your name. Now I can remember because it is like facile
But that is not a good way to remember. Synonyms for facile are simplistic, superficial, , black and white; shallow, pat, glib, slick, dime-store, bubblegum. My favorites are dime store and bubblegum. I would like to hope that you are the antonym: thorough, profound.
Best regards, Alexis”
Not sure if he ever got the email. The email address I have now is different that the bubblegum email. (Hahaha)
Most names only have a few words to describe the name but there is an endless version of Fazil. I may have sent it to him, I cannot remember.
“Fazil فاضل Meaning in English – Find the correct meaning of Fazil in English, it is important to understand the word properly when we translate it from Urdu to English. There are always several meanings of each word in English, the correct meaning of Fazil in English is Profound, and in Urdu we write it فاضل. The other meanings are Gehra, Ameeq, Aalim and Fazil. By form, the word Profound is an adjective, profounder, profoundest. It is spelled as [pruh-found]. The word originated in Middle English: from Old French profund, from Latin profundus ‘deep’, from Latin pro ‘before’ + fundus ‘bottom’. The word was used earliest in the sense ‘showing deep insight’. There are also several similar words to Fazil in our dictionary, which are Abstruse, Deep, Difficult, Discerning, Enlightened, Erudite, Esoteric, Heavy, Hermetic, Informed, Intellectual, Intelligent, Knowing, Knowledgeable, Learned, Mysterious, Occult, Orphic, Penetrating, Philosophical, Recondite, Reflective, Sagacious, Sage, Scholarly, Secret, Serious, Shrewd, Skilled, Subtle, Thorough, Weighty, Wise and Acroamatic. Apart from similar words, there are always opposite words in dictionary too, the opposite words for Fazil are Ignorant, Light, Mild, Moderate, Open, Shallow, Slight, Stupid, Superficial, Trivial, Unemotional, Unimportant and Unintelligent.”
One can fall asleep reading the meaning of Fazil in English. Not my birth name, that is for sure.
Somewhere along the line I did receive his permission to use his real name in the blog – I guess there was no reason to talk about him – now there is.
Faithful ( and unfaithful) readers will know that when you Google Alexis McBride mine is the first one that pops up. With him, it is even better. Type in his first name and the second appearance is his first and last name. Now that is fame!!!
This is the first entry. It is impressive. I am decidedly jealous. I might have fame but I pay for it – my web site and my computer Guru. This man seems to get it free.
“Fazil Irwan Som is a communication strategist with a keen interest in digital leadership, the convergence of biotech and infotech, geopolitics, and nation-building in Malaysia. His diverse career spans the world of entrepreneurship, government, strategic studies, and civil society.
Previously, Fazil served as the CEO of Penang Halal International, a government agency responsible for promoting the Halal business sector in Penang. He also held positions such as the Head of Human and Sciences Department at the Islamic World Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat, Morocco, and the Executive Director of the International Strategy Institute (ISI), as well as the WIEF Foundation. Additionally, he advised the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Geneva.
Fazil’s creative spirit led him to found the Marketplace of Creative Arts (MOCAFest), an international creative arts festival bridging talented artists and the corporate world. He also pioneered the IdeaLab, an early-stage startup convention in Malaysia, connecting highly fundable ASEAN startups with global investors.
Fazil’s academic qualification include a BSc (Hons) in Economics and International Studies from the University of Warwick and an MA (Hons) in Southeast Asian Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, during which he was a British Chevening Scholar. His thought leadership extends to writing articles on technology and economic development for platforms such as the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Bangkok Post, Jakarta Post, NST, Business Times among others. He also founded and hosts the podcast series Future Things Radio on Spotify, a thought-provoking podcast series that delves into life in the future beyond capitalism and democracy, and its impact on our lives, society, culture, music and financial systems.
Fazil is also the founder of the award-winning Che Beach House in Terengganu, a tranquil beach retreat nestled in a coastal village in Terengganu, opposite Pulau Kapas.
We are not through with these coincidences, far from it. This I can date because a photograph was taken on February 4 at Lyf after an unusual breakfast, to say the very least. Mohan commanded my attendance at the Lyf restaurant. He is of the opinion that their scrambled eggs are the best in the world. Went down to the restaurant to find not just him but two other men – one was Fazil. It was a wild and crazy time, written about in a blog. At the conclusion of the eventful breakfast we were walking through the Lyf lobby when a couple recognized Mohan and we posed for a group photo. I used the photo on a template – everyone was cut out except me, Fazil and Mohan’s shoulder. I dutifully posted it on Instagram. It did have a rather profound message. Here is the link https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFunMW6TAh1/?igsh=MW1qZG1zMDFuNmhzOQ== In case you cannot link for some reason, here are the words.
“Every connection has a purpose. Some bring lessons teaching you something you need to grow. Others are blessings adding light and joy to your journey. Every encounter whether brief or lasting shapes who you are. . Embrace the lessons, cherish the blessings and remember, Each person you meet is a part of your story for a reason.”
My caption: The template cut the other folks in the photo out. So you see only the arm of one man who has had a great purpose in my life, then me, then Fazil. Not sure what purpose he might be serving. Hahaha. It was viewed by 268 people, received 11 likes.
This is what happened next. One evening, at an unknown time, I talked with Fazil after he had gone to a dinner at the E and O Hotel (where I have heard the food is terrible.) We spoke of the Islamic Faith. I learned to my amazement he could speak Arabic. It was then I spoke of the pearl inside the shell – the pearl b being the faith, the shell being the rituals that surround it. I need to explore than concept further, perhaps during Ramadan. During our conversation Fazil spoke of his thesis.
Then, another evening, again at an unknown time, I saw him and asked him for a link to his thesis. He immediately sent me a pdf.
I am convinced that is the reason I met him, that the purpose he was serving. I will study and learn more of my adopted country focusing on Islamic justice. I know about justice; I did not go to law school just to eat my lunch. Hahaha
I am holding back some absolutely amazing news. The announcement will not be made on the first day of Ramadan. I received the glad tidings from a paper Muslim. He: Fasting starts on Sunday. Me: WOW Great news paper Muslim He: TGIF Me: NO TGIS He: Maybe paper Muslim knows a thing or two. Me: Paper Muslim starting to look like the real thing when you throw in an Inshallah.
You shall learn more of paper Muslims with me exploring Fazil’s thesis.
Photographs will include dates given to me by my driver Din. They are so special!! Then the plug situated firmly in my bath tub. My goodness it took two men, Melissa a project manager, and over a week to achieve. With every hardship there is a benefit. I shall joyfully sit in my bubbles. There will be no photographs of that. Hahaha A reel showing the deserted sandy beach below. I am truly blessed by Allah
