Daycare

My children had been in the waiting list of the daycare of my choice for a few months when finally I was informed that they could start there on Dec 1. Yay!

The first day was fine. They were happy playing there.

The third day, she was reluctant to go. He cried when I was leaving. The pattern continued. At one point she skipped school altogether for almost a week.

I cried leaving them screaming for me. My friend advised me to be strong, because kids do that. If I falter, they would too. The teachers said it's normal for kids to cry when the mother walks away. They said they would stop crying soon after I leave. I checked on the Internet, and found that it's normal. I just need to quickly and swiftly leave. Think of it this way: even at home they do cry when they see me go out. It was a lot easier when I sneaked out early in the morning to work when they were both soundly asleep, happy in their father's arms.

Now that their daily routine has changed, my son would have no problem waking up in the morning. He would happily put his shoes on and drag his backpack to the car. Such an energetic boy! My daughter would sometimes complain when I wake her up, but with some coaxing she would comply, albeit a bit of visible reluctance on her face.

It crushes my heart to see the happy face of my boy turns 180 degrees to complete sadness upon the sight of the school! The image of him crying with all the tears running on his face and his nose red lingers in my mind. It is indeed disturbing. I really hope they do get over it as soon as I leave.. and they spend the many hours of their day at the daycare happily playing, learning, and socializing; and well-taken care of. I hope they are not sad thinking of me or of home.

When I go pick them up, they would be smiling and laughing, obviously very happy to see me. The hugs and kisses are HEAVENLY WONDERFUL... mashaAllah.

Last week she kept counting the day. She knew it's five days of school and two days off. She once said "It's not fair!" but I replied with "That's how it works, sayang."

And today I expected some Monday-blues struggle again, but I was surprised to see my son did not start crying after the small "uhuk" and my daughter smiling and and jumping out of the car.. they both walking into the daycare with the teachers with them (instead of being carried inside). MashaAllah.

It was a big relieve that I cried a little bit. Alhamdulillah.

May the sacrifice do both of you good, inshaAllah.

I LOVE YOU BOTH SO --?
MUCH! :-)

Bagels

I had a craving for bagels. Searching high and low for this special bread ended up with frustrations. From the Internet, I saw a bagel place in a nearby mall. When I went there, it was nowhere to be found. I asked the information counter, and the answer was "It was closed a long time ago".

My colleague drove me to a completely different mall to look for bagels.. we looked online and read about this bagel restaurant. The traffic jam and crowded basement parking took us one hour. We saw the name of the restaurant in the building directory... but it was nowhere to be found either!! We concluded that it was just closed recently.

Of course all of the outlets were closed! No business. The local people here do not know or love bagels.

I went to Starbucks at two different malls and the answer was "they are gone".

Later I went to Coffee Beans, and there were some bagels..!! Once I took a bite, it was a disappointment -- that's not bagel!!! It's soft! They were bagels-wannabes! No wonder they did not even look like masculine rings.. but I held my tongue. The test of the pudding is really in the eating.

I looked for bagel recipes online. I heard that it's difficult to make. I found a recipe that looks doable: Homemade bagel recipe. Make great handrolled water bagels, it's as easy as baking a loaf of bread!

I did not want to wait until I could find the time to get all the ingredients and to actually make the bagels. So I braved the unfamiliar trip to a place quite a distance from my office. I allocated half hour each to and fro, and another hour for the actual eating. I set a date with an old friend whose office is near this place. I printed the driving directions. I arrived at the mall in 30 mins.. scouring all over for this bagel restaurant and could not find it.

Finally, I saw it! Yay!

My friend was already there, waiting for me. Yay!

When the bagel I ordered was served, I took the first heavenly bite... finally! Yay!

ALHAMDULILLAH. Thank you Allah!

I bought a dozen to bring home to share with my family.

I am HAPPY! :-)

Spared

"At approximately 1750 hrs, on 14th of December 2010, yet another Company staff had fallen victim to snatch thieves. The victim was on her way to the open car park behind The Restaurant and had just walked crossed The Street, .. , when a motorcyclist rode pass her and snatched her handbag. The victim was caught by surprise as that stretch of the street is a One-Way road. The snatch thief rode his motorcycle against the flow of traffic to snatch the victim's bag. Fortunately, apart from bruises on her arm, the victim did not sustain any other injury." (Security Alert Memo, Dec 15, 2010)

Yesterday I signed out at 5:45pm and was already walking out of the gate when I saw the shuttle (provided by the company) and immediately got on board.

It could have been me walking on that very spot at that time. That's scary. I usually take the shuttle only when it coincides with my leaving the office building, and yesterday was one of those rare days.

Alhamdulillah, Allah spared me.
Oh Allah The Protector, The Most Merciful, The Most Powerful.. I seek Your Protection against oppressive conducts of Your Creations.
May Allah protect me and my dearest family and friends and all of us.. Amin!

One of The Best Sights

I had a good time enjoying the sight of my husband holding our youngest child -- so effortless like only a strong, protective father could do. I could not help smiling the whole time we had that conversation, me lying down on the bed and him standing tall with the 1-year old on his arm.

The Gift of Islam

A few weeks ago I listened to the radio, an interview with a Muslim convert. MashaAllah.. how difficult it was for him in his search for The One God even when signs were right around him. He was a very religious, devoted Hindu. He mentioned how much he loved God and how the concept of many Gods bothered him. Parts of Hindu scriptures mentioned this One God but of course over the centuries the concept was distorted.

He tried Christianity and if I am not mistaken, some other religions too, except Islam, even though he had lots of Muslim friends. Then a string of events (that seemed coincidental to us, but of course was part of Allah's Plan) finally led him to this "whole new world" of The Truth.

What struck me the most was the fact that the majority local born Muslims failed to show what Islam is and what the non-Muslims are missing! The guy was at one point in his journey very angry at us for this disappointment. I agree.

Now he is a full-time daie, alhamdulillah.

And how many Muslims themselves do not really believe? How many of us do not love Islam? How many of us are always trying to be other than Islamic? Astaghfirullah.

Thank you Allah for the gift of Islam.

Oh Allah..

Al-Wadud, Al-Haqq, Al-Wahid -- keep us in The Right Path

Al-Ghaffur -- forgive us of all of our sins and weaknesses

Al-Rashid -- keep us guided

Amin!

ALHAMDULILLAH.

The Beauty of Allah's Perfect Creation

I was marvelling at the beauty of Allah's perfect creation this morning and the overwhelming feeling of gratitute filled my heart. MashaAllah...

THANK GOD

This may sound unkind, but I am very very glad that I do not have to deal with certain person as much as I would have to had I -----. Thank you Allah. After the experience where Allah showed me some of the true colors of another person, it is almost no-brainer. I know I am not capable to take the responsibilities nor am I appreciated for the hard work let alone be rewarded for the effort especially when I lose my patience and sincerity in the process. There would be no joy either so nothing to cherish in lieu of the work and stress and resentment.

An incident yesterday was another reminder to me. Alhamdulillah thank you Allah for not testing me in that particular aspect.

Call me a quitter, but as they say.. Once bitten twice shy.

Reversing Roles

My 1-year old can feed himself. He says "Some!" to ask for some of the food we have. Sometimes when I sit next to him, or when I have him on my lap, he would have some food in the spoon or fork, say "Some!", and try to feed ME! :-)

My 3-year old likes to listen to bedtime stories. Her current favorite is "The Bear House" told by Dadda (even I like listening to the storytelling). While lying down on her bed (next to mine), she would sometimes sing songs to ME.. like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Lay Down Your Head.

They are so cute. My heart glows with happiness and pride of them.

One night her little brother pushed the bedroom door on her, and got her fingers hurt, twice. Dadda was upset and yelled at me, and I yelled back at him. She defended me saying that "It's not Momma's problem. It's Umar's problem." She's so smart and mature. Apparently she's also more sensible than her Dadda sometimes.

My heart glows even more.

ALHAMDULILLAH Thank You Allah for My Children...! :-)

(Almost) Hopeless Case

I almost did not believe that we finally got our share $$ back. It was almost a hopeless case, with one delay after another, and long silences in betweens. I first asked to sell mine before I got married, and now we are having the third child already. :-)

Nonetheless, I am thankful that after 5 years we finally got our money and some. Alhamdulillah. Now I can make use of it to pay some debts (as usual) and other outstanding matters that had been kept in the back burner for a while, plus giving ourselves a new bed to replace the broken one, while not forgetting to share a little with others and to have some savings on the side, inshaAllah.

May Allah The Provider continue to bestow us with the abundant sustenance full with blessings.

ALHAMDULILLAH

Birthday Appreciation

I don't feel that my birthday is any big deal. Nonetheless, I really appreciate the loving thoughts and acts specially for me from my dear family and friends.

Thank you all, for your kind wishes and du'aa. The special food made, bought, and served for me was extra delicious. I am also grateful for the warm birthday hugs and kisses and more :-)

May Allah return the kindness and reward you for the good deeds.

I LOVE YOU!

The ultimate appreciation of this blessing of life and all its bounties is to Al-Muhyi, ~The Giver of Life.. my humble gratitude for the Rahmah.

Oh Allah ..
Al-Badi The Originator
Al-Khaliq The Creator
Al-Muqit The Nourisher
Ar-Razzaq The Sustainer
Al-Musawwir The Shaper of Beauty
Al-Karim The Generous
Al-Wadud The Loving One
As-Samad The Satisfier of All Needs
Dhul-Jalal-wal-Ikram The Lord of Majesty and Bounty
Malik-al-Mulk The Owner of All
Al-Hamid The Praised One
Ash-Shakur The Rewarder of Thankfulness

may I be among those who are always grateful,
make my life continuously in goodness and in your protection and blessing,
one that is a blessing to others' and that culminates in the success of this world and the hereafter.

AMIN!

A Cup of Coffee

Yesterday when I was making my cup of (decaf) coffee, Amira asked for her own cup of coffee too. Although I said "Momma's coffee is --?" and her response was "Yucky" (from the baby book given by their aunt), I did not talk her out of coffee altogether. We compromised to sharing my coffee with her.

So last night I shared my cup of coffee with my daughter. We took turns sipping the hot beverage using the single teaspoon.

It was weird because she seemed to be way more matured than she actually was. She's my 3-year-old and she was acting like a girl friend with whom we get together for coffee. She told me that we should wait for our turns (of sipping coffee), and as it cooled down, she said "No problem" when drinking straight from the cup.

We both enjoyed the coffee. I watched her with amazement, thinking "This is the same baby who had to be forced to part from her bubba only five months ago. This is the manja girl who always asks to be picked up and carried because she 'can't walk' while suggesting that her baby brother walks by himself to the kitchen."

I did not expect that to be one of the best moments in my life.

Thank you Allah for my children!

For My Dear Friend

Sadly I am not able to do a better job at taking and keeping pictures of my kids anymore.

This picture was taken in June 2010. Umar was cranky (he wanted to take control of the bike), but managed to smile for the camera. He's still learning to walk, and loves to push the bike. It's their indoor bike as Eid present last year. I did not notice that he's not wearing anything but a diaper.. it's hot and that's how he's typically "dressed" at home!

With Love from All of Us :-)

Seeking The Blessings

In this Holy Month of Ramadhan, I am unable to fast. Already upset, it gets more frustrating to have to find ways to hide eating. It's worse when I have to run around in public. After a stupid incident at the office cafe, I found a solution in a colleague who is willing to help me every day. Alhamdulillah.

That aside, I am hopeful that I get some reward by feeding those who break their fasts.

Last week I got to also join some of my family members in breaking fast in two separate occassions. When visiting my brother who just had a newborn, I brought along some pizzas for iftar. We shared the meal with his mother-in-law too. It was humble but very satisfying. Alhamdulillah.

Then I went to visit my sister and her family, bringing iftar food from pasar Ramadhan with me. They were so happy to receive us and to have a bigger spread of meal that day. I am so glad to be able to join them for the iftar. The food was amazing and the company was heart-warming. Alhamdulillah.

I'm looking forward to more iftars, inshaAllah.

Thank you Allah for my family and all the love we share.

May Allah grant us the strength to increase our ibadah in this blessed month, and the imaan and taqwa to perform the ibadah the best we can.

My Love

I love my kids. I love them so much.

Everyday I look at them I am reminded of how wonderful this is. I am thankful for the amazing experience Allah gives me.

Yes there are moments when I get angry with them, especially lately when Amira had her tantrums of "I want NOTHING!!!" after going back and forth countless time answering my Qs about why she was crying and what she wanted. She's stubborn and she can competently verbally defend her mind. Mind you, she'll be only three next week.

When Dadda yelled at her and asked her to do something, she ignored him. He repeated it, and she said to me "Dadda did not say 'please'!"
So he responded "I don't have to. You disobeyed me!"
She replied "I am not talking to you. I'm talking to Momma!"
I had to hide my smile.

My daughter, who has outgrown being "Momma's Moon" (now she says she's "Momma's daughter, not Momma's moon"), defends me whenever I get into a fight with her father. Ha ha!

Umar is also talking more now. He says lots of words and repeats most of the words we say to him. He understands most of what we say to him, and responds accordingly in his own way. He loves jumping around and one of their routine before bed is jumping on Amira's bed - laughing and screaming together with pure joy.

MashaAllah, they are strong and smart. May them grow up to be man and woman who are kind and beriman. May Allah continue to bless them with health, happiness, intelligence, love, and all of His Rahmah.

I just need to be more patient with my kids. They have to endure most of the day away from me. That is the saddest part. When I am away, they may be subjected to certain things that I am really unhappy with.

That's why I am spending as much time as possible with them.. carrying them around with me when I'm running errands - pasar malam, groceries shopping, car maintenance, etc. I am extra tired by the extra load, and things take longer to be done, but I'm sick of losing more time with them.

I'll do this as much as I can and I long as I am capable of doing it.

May Allah continue to give me the strength to be their Mother the best I can.

I'm Pregnant!

What a surprise again!

Alhamdulillah. Thank you Allah for another gift. Please grant us all your protection and blessings.

InshaAllah the due date is in Feb 2011.

My Miracle Baby

Yesterday I read an email forwarded to one of the mailing lists I subscribe to.

It talked about a mother asking for our prayers for her little baby girl who has been severely affected by a condition during her birth - cord prolapse. She is not able to function as normal. My sincere sympathy. May Allah grant her patience and the baby mercy.

My firstborn was breech, and when the water broke, the cord went with the water out of the opening. It took us a few minutes to figure it out and a few more minutes to get emergency help. By the time I was in the ER, one foot of the cord was already out. Someone quickly tried to shove it back in. Nobody immediately responded to my repeated frantic question "How's the baby?"

I remember one of the things in my mind at that moment was that "Oh Allah! Please don't let my husband suffer, not again. I don't think he can handle that." That was definitely a moment where I left it to Allah, The God.

It is such a blessings, MashaAllah, that I was woken up to the call to my name and the news that "The baby is safe, it's a girl". ALHAMDULILLAH. Apparently it happened very fast and that saved the baby. Time was very crucial. They had carried me out of my bedroom at 4:17 AM and she was born at 4:53 AM. My thanks to the FAST 911 response and ER assistance.

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/pregnancy/hic_umbilical_cord_prolapse.aspx
An umbilical cord prolapse presents a great danger to the fetus. During the delivery, the fetus can put stress on the cord. This can result in a loss of oxygen to the fetus, and may even result in a stillbirth.

My baby is a beautiful, smart, happy, energetic, bossy girl who will be three soon, inshaAllah.

Allah saved my baby girl and blesses us with her wonderful presence in our life. All praises to Allah.. countless, countless thanks and gratitute

Speedy Assistance

It was the last day of our guest's visit here and we were going to send her to the airport that night. They wanted to make full use of that last day, so they were all at the mall spending happy time there.

I went to work late that day, so I had to stay late too. But alhamdulillah it's flexible enough for me to replace the hours to other days or make use of the extra hours I had done.

So after seven hours, I quickly walked to the parking lot. I wanted to surprise them by appearing at the mall earlier than thought.. only to see the parking attendant giving me a sorry look. He said he hed been unable to let me know. I had forgotten to turn off the lights! My battery was flat!

He checked my car and advised me to call the security at work and ask for help. So I did. Alhamdulillah the security was very responsive. While waiting for the help to arrive, one of the drivers came over on a bike to check me out and inform me that the driver with the jumper was on the way. It was not long at all. The car arrived, the driver and the parking attendant worked together to jump up my car. It took a few minutes. The security called to confirm that everything was OK.

I was, honestly, touched by the great care they showed.

It was speedy and assuring. VERY HELPFUL.

I lost only a little time and arrived at the mall to meet my family early still, surprising them. We went home to get ready to go to the airport and everything went well.

Alhamdulillah. Thank you Allah for everything.

My Loving Moon

Last night we all had trouble falling asleep because of the fever and runny noses. So we tossed and turned, and my daughter was especially tumbly because she took a nap at sunset.

My son finally felt asleep. While cuddling back and forth with me and Dadda, at one moment she was lying between us, one hand on my leg and the other on his leg, she said:

"I love my family"

She can't say the last word perfectly yet, but that was a perfect moment for me.

Countless thank you, Allah, for the blessing of a loving "Momma's Moon"*

~~~~

Trying to teach new words to my two toddlers, I said:
"Umar is Momma's son, and Amira is Momma's daughter"
She responded "No..! I am.. umm.. umm.. Momma's moon!"

BIG SMILE!

My Charming Kisser

Whenever my son is not cranky, he's the most charming boy I have met.

He's a big kisser. He loves to kiss his sister, making her giggle happily. He kisses me when he wakes up in the morning. He gives his Dadda a lot of kisses.. so much so that I am jealous of it.

He obviously loves his Dadda. He gets up, happy and excited, whenever he sees him entering the room. He climbs up to him, gives him kisses, and comfortably positions himself on his chest or tightly wraps him arms around his neck. He would fall asleep in his arms. Dadda's patting and rocking can be better than Momma's boobba. Or in more exciting moods, he starts to play with him - throwing pillows at him, jumping, and laughing. He is a playful boy!

Moments of hugs and kisses full with love like this is priceless. Many times I breathe in this overwhelming feelings of gratitute and thankfulness, reminding myself to enjoy THESE WONDERFUL MOMENTS and knowing that ALLAH HAS BLESSED ME WITH THE VERY THINGS THAT I LONGED FOR AND HAD BEEN ASKING FOR and humbly accepting that THIS IS NOT FOREVER.

I love being a mother. The feelings are indescribable. Sometimes it makes me think of the lyric
In all that I've done wrong I know I must have done something right
To deserve a hug every morning and butterfly kisses at night

May Allah bless us always.

ALHAMDULILLAH, thank you Allah for the gifts more that I asked for and more than I deserve.

Sisters

I have three elder sisters, all of whom are very dear to me.

I was reminded of the blessings of having them in my life when I received a visit from two of them a few weeks ago. CY and CN were pillars of support for our parents and they co-shouldered the responsibilities to us the younger ones when we were all kids. The only new clothes other than school uniforms we got as children were Baju Rayas bought by CY from her hard-earned money working at a factory in KL. The rest were used clothes, which I did cherish, from relatives or neighbors. CN helped lovingly took care of other things, such as school and medical matters. We also used to hang out at her house during school holidays. And Yeop was like a father to us.

When I was living in boarding school, KIpah helped me a lot. AbangMan did too.

When I started working in KL, I lived with CY, of course. So did my brothers when they were at that stage. That helped keep our expenses low while we were just starting out. She took us in, opened up her humble house, literally making room for us even when she herself barely had much.

They did what they had to do. They were our heroes.

That's my sisters and I am so proud of them. I don't know if we can ever reciprocate that. May Allah return their kindness and reward them for all the sacrifices and selfless love... Amin! I love you all very much and thank you very much for the love when we needed it the most.

Home

Once in a while, it is really nice to come home to:

• wonderfully happy kids who are excited to see me
• a calm husband who greets me with a smile from his favorite spot
• the aroma of hot dinner waiting for me
• the clean kitchen with no dirty dishes
• the tidy house with mopped floors
• the freshly dry laundry

And I do appreciate it

ALHAMDULILLAH

Things are a lot better when we all work together

I Could Not Ask for More

Lying here with you, listening to the rain

Smiling just to see a smile upon your face

These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive

These are the moments I'll remember all my life

I found all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more

Looking in your eyes, seeing all I need

Everything you are is everything to me

These are the moments I know heaven must exist

These are the moments I know all I need is this

I have all I've waited for and I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together

I couldn't ask for more that this time with you

Every prayer has been answered

Every dream I have's come through

Yeah, right here in this moment, is right where I'm meant to be

Here with you, here with me

These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive

These are the moments I'll remember all my life

I've got all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than the love you gave me

Cauze it's all I've waited for

And I could not ask for more

~Edwin McCain

In the Name of LOVE

Thank you, Allah, for blessing me with the capabilities of taking care of myself and my children. I am grateful for the gift of will and determination to put up with a lot of discouraging and oppressive elements in life.

Alhamdulillah, there is still some compassion in my beaten mind, body, and soul to do people favors - out of sympathy and not love - even when they truly do not deserve them. The tortured souls are those that are forever miserably unhappy regardless of how bountiful they are provided for and cared for despite their own lack of effort, gratitude, and common reciprocity. Allah is The Just and I believe in it.

I am thankful to Allah for the wonderfully indescribable something called LOVE that has filled my heart and my children's hearts.. the beautiful feeling of greatness that fires up the will and determination to go through difficulties and to put up with hardships.

May Allah continue to bless and love us. Amin!
ALHAMDULILLAH

Friends

A few weeks ago I got a chance to meet my good friends.. in separate occassions. We used to be very close once upon a time. After awhile, we each took separate paths and lives continue to go on.

I know I am not good at keeping in touch with others. I barely call my family and friends. The most is brief text messages a few times a week. We don't write email to each other either. I know I also miss out a lot because I do not facebook or myspace. But who has time for that..?

I went to Nida's parents' house and we talked a bit. I was busy handling my two kids too. She gave birth to a baby boy two weeks ago and I still haven't visited her. I managed to visit her baby at the hospital though.

I got to meet Umi and chatted with her about the latest goings on. We did not get to hang out too long anyway. I hope her father gets well soon.

Then I had lunch with Nieza and Kak Shidah at KLCC. It was fun, as usual.

Each time, it was not enough time. Too much to share and to talk about. You are all dear to me.

May Allah bless us. I love you all!

And I also miss you all.

Today

Today is not a good day.. so it is easy to dwell on the negatives. I am forcing myself to think of the countless good things I am taking for granted.

I found that the tea lady's children stay home by themselves when she is at work. Last night my husband said his friend's children stay home all day (now it is school holiday) by themselves when she is at work. He wondered if it is normal like that here. YES. For most people who cannot afford a stay-at-home parent or a live-in maid, the kids tend to themselves. The tea lady wakes up at 4am everyday to make meals for the whole day so that the kids have food to eat even when she is not home.

On school days, she also makes sure the school uniform is all ready in one place - underwear and socks included - so that the younger one can get ready by herself before noon. She drew a 10 o-clock for the kid to refer to so that she would not be late. Things mothers do for their kids.

I remind myself to buy something for her kids whenever I buy a snack for myself at work.

For some people, little things mean a lot. Compare that to ingrates who are never thankful and who always want more.

This reminds me of what I see every day at work. We the locals can be considered the middle class. The upper class is the expats. The lower class is the migrant cleaners.

Expats are paid maybe 10 times our salary. They also get all kinds of perks, like lodging, allowances, and the paid trip home (or anywhere) every quarter.

The cleaners are paid maybe a tenth of our salary. They do not even get any medical coverage. Most of them do not see their family back home for many years -- they cannot afford the costs.

We the middle class spend money here and there mindlessly. My electric bill last month was half of the tea lady's monthly pay. My groceries last week costed more than the cleaner's monthly pay.

If I am still ungrateful, then I do not deserve more.

May Allah keep me in the right path.

Gratitude

Definitely lots of things to be thankful for despite of the lack of updates here.

My amazing Amira helps with laundry a lot - putting in washer, hanging to dry, putting clean ones away. MashaAllah. Thank you sayang.

My energetic Umar has four teeth. He looked like a cute hippo a few weeks back. Healthy strong baby.

I was having my first food of the day yesterday at 3pm, after spending thousands of ringgit on fees, and overhearing two women talking about how cheap some jobs pay.. "Imagine getting paid RM500 a month.. how much to send to the kampung, how much to pay bills, how much left to eat." It was humbling. How much do I share with those more in need.. whatever Allah bless me with? Whatever I earn more than I really need, is not mine. I am just a channel.

I was driving home at the rush hour from Shah Alam.. and it seemed to be another round of waiting at the traffic light when the cars in front of me kept going.. then only I saw the traffic policeman waving to the cars.. right when it started to rain.. on them too. Imagine that.. standing in the middle of traffic jam, breathing in all the pollutants, under the searing heat or heavy rain, to take care of the motorists.. Thank you for making our lives easier.

There's more.

Thank you Allah for everything.

Love

Love is a gift

Pure love is selflessness

My Amazing Mother

ALHAMDULILLAH

I am blessed by Allah with a mother who is very

humble
helpful
considerate
loving
active
healthy

My mother is a good Muslimah who tries to practise her Deen the best she knows and can.

I always feel bad that I don't keep in touch with her that much, nor do I take care of her. Whenever she's not well, it is always the other siblings who help her. I do not grab the opportunites to do good to my mother and to serve her. When we needed help, especially around the time I had Umar, it was Mak who was around, trying her best to help us in many ways.. like babysitting Amira, doing the dishes and laundry, cleaning up the messes, cooking, buying beddings and clothes, etc etc. She's old - in her 70s - and yet she does more than us the supposedly stronger and younger lot. MashaAllah. I just wish that she had been feeling at home at our house. I really want my mother to be comfortable around us.. to enjoy our food and our company. I miss hanging out with her.

Thank you Mak for the eternal love despite my lack of reciprocity.
Thank you Allah for my mother.. please grant her your boundless blessings in this world and the hereafter.. Amin!
Oh Allah, forgive me for my weaknesses, and help me do more for my beloved mother.. Amin!

I LOVE YOU, MAK!
WITH WARMEST HUGS AND KISSES!

Big Sis Wisdom

Sometimes it's spooky to think how coincidental some things are.

I have a colleague who is a few years older. She had, in numerous occasions, out of a blue, just mentioned a topic that I was thinking about, and - without me saying much about it - she would go on and on giving me her advice regarding such matter.

She had shared with me issues related to work and career, going to school, home care, parent care, child care, marriage, religion, and social. She gives me moral support to do what I should do given my situation. Some of her views certainly did open my eyes and relieve the burdens.

That's all from Allah.

ALHAMDULILLAH.

Thank you Allah

for the

.. health and ability to work so that I can do my part taking care of my family

.. sensibility to appreciate the blessings

.. love of my family and friends

Oh Allah in whose hand is my heart

help us stay in the straight and true path

$ Again

I hate to be so absorbed by the NEED to have $$ but we do need it to survive.

However, we need to manage our $ better.

Again this week we were that close again. Maybe it is good to be pokai once in awhile to remind us to be a little careful and frugal with what Allah gives us.

$ should be WISELY spent, to go further, and to benefit others too

Alhamdulillah for the availability of assistance when we need it
and the ability to pay it back when we really should

May Allah continue to bless us with the sustenance and rizq
May we always remember the less fortunate and those who need it more

ALHAMDULILLAH .. ALLAH IS THE PROVIDER

Gifts from Makkah and Madinah

Alhamdulillah I got to see my sister last week. She and her husband just came back from their Hajj trip.

I was bothered by the fact that I did not have any more AL to take in order to be able to visit her. I already missed seeing her before she left for the trip last month.

Somehow in the morning at work I thought of driving to see her during lunch time! It might be possible!! So I asked around and checked online directions, and alhamdulillah two colleagues also joined me in the quick trip :-)

So I got to meet her, and Mak, and my other mother too. We were greeted warmly as usual with hugs and kisses.. and were quickly served simple lunch (they were still cooking), and given dates and zamzam water as well as cashews. I got to talk to her, and ask her about her experience there.

This reminds me of my own Hajj a few years ago.

Indeed, it is a wonderful gift from Allah to be His guest. This is the real GIFT.

And last weekend I received the souvenirs from them - a black abaya (just as I had wanted), a long cloth for my husband, kufis for the boys, bangles for the girls etc. These are touching gifts from a loving sister whom I miss.

ALHAMDULILLAH.