Unforgettable Turkey - Day 1, Bahrain

The Marine Tower, Bahrain - 1st stop!

8/12/08 Day 1, On board Gulf Airlines, flight GF281:
Suddenly, almost unbelievably, I find myself on Gulf Air, flight 281 - on my way to Bahrain. Goodness, I was momentarily stunned. What am I doing, I thought to myself as I kissed my little baby Zakiy, already missing him as I said my goodbyes. I don't know what lies ahead, I can only pray that this will be a momentous journey in my life, one that is unforgettable. I have always had my eyes on Turkiy, especially the Blue Mosque, and finally I am travelling that bit closer to making my dream a reality.

As I fly thousands of miles above, way up in the skies, I am feeling a bit upset that my boys are not coming with me, with a tinge of regret that hubby dear would not support one of them. Alas, I guess there is wisdom in everything that happens in our life. Maybe my being away from home, for a holiday on my own after twenty three years of marriage, I can consider as taking time out. Maybe too, that a short lapse of time without ummi will bring some good to the boys...and hubby too.

We arrived at Bahrain airport as scheduled, around 3 pm local time. Will be staying overnight here, before we head off to Turkiy. I took the second coaster trip to hotel. We were going to stay at the Marine Tower, a sort of water front hotel. By the time we reached the hotel it was late evening, so then it was not the time to do much sightseeing and photo snapping. (Note: about Bahrain, read my post on Bahrain - last leg of journey). On route, I can see that Bahrain is a beautiful kingdom, but still with the familiar brown desert soil, typical of arab countries like KSA or Jordan. At the airport,t alhamdulillah, the wait through immigration did not pose much problem, Dr. Zainundin, as our group tour leader from POTO, seemed to handle the paperwork smoothly.

However, much to my frustration, there was no Celcom compatible lines, compared to other phone service. Hubby had activated the IDD line earlier on at KLIA. The other communication lines already had strong reception upon landing. Hmmm...must let hubby know about this, considering he is attached to TM.

Then zakiy called, he had to call through Zura's number, and then got cut off. My poor baby...I could sense he was missing me actually. But still no reception on my phone. Luckily, and alhamdulillah, the comfortable hotel accomodation and the pleasant meal served made up somewhat for my consternation. It had already been arranged that throughout this trip I would be bunking with Zura. All praise be to God, although she is my niece, and a renowned Malaysian novelist, and although it seemed a millenium ago that we ever slept under the same roof, we hit it off just as we did all those years before. For that I am thankful to Allah, that I had this chance to get to know my niece again, a chance for us to rebond, so to speak. But above all, thank Allah, she is still just as "whacky" as I am, we seem to click well, laughing at the same jokes and all. Dato and Datin always had a room near to us, which is comforting to me as far as I am concerned. As for Datin, there was never any doubt in my mind, having her around would always promise some good laughs together.

Anyway, after dinner, I went straight to bed but was rather rudely awakened by the music from the disco somewhere within the hotel premise. Hmmm...so much for being an arabic country! Unable to resume sleep, I tried once more to check my phone line. The line was Batelco. Aaaah...finally! Messages started to come in, and finally, I got to call home, talk to hubby dear, big boy Ashraf and baby Zakiy. Thank you Allah, now I am more in the mood for my Turkiy expedition. Signing out...for now!

Zura at Bahrain immigrations

waiting for coaster to the hotel

the room which I share with Zura- pleasant room

breakfast with dato n datin - don't they take hot drinks? u have to ask for it!

typical scene of middle east country -brown sandy soil

Unforgettable Turkiye (Turkey) - Intro

the formidable foursome...heeheehee...

Unforgettable POTO Turkiy Group:8/12/07-18/12/07

Salaam. On 8/12/07, I left my hubby and two precious boys, and boarded the Gulf Air Flight GF 281 - I was on my way to Turkiy! And when I returned 10 days later, 18/12/07, someone asked me how was my trip. I gave an answer which surprised even me; I said "Fabulotastic!" And you know what? I knew then, I had to share it here in this blog; if not for anyone else, then for my personal musings for a long time to come....share with me...
That Saturday morning, the whole family sent me off and we left home at 7.45 am, stopping first to have breakfast near Mak's house. My luggage was neatly carted off into the booth, the new suitcase with its 4 wheels (for easy lugging around on my own), looked bulky, already full with warm clotihing I had packed for the cold wintry weather in Turkiy, not forgetting some emergency food supply just in case I needed them.

at KLIA airport

the sending off committee

I was the first to arrive at the airport. When I say the first, I mean that I was travelling as a foursome: my brother in law, Datuk Prof. Dr Razak, aka B. Seh; my older sis, Datin Razmah, aka K. Mah; my niece Zura, aka Aisya Sofea and I. So, I hung around at Counter K, level 5 of the airport which was the appointed meeting point. Eventually, someone from the group came, having recognised me by my POTO handluggage. Later she was to be known fondly as the "Tauke Tayar" from Selayang.

Dato'

Datin

Aisya Sofea

All in all, plus the tour leader and his wife, there were 39 of us, the oldest being Mak Bee, around 70 her age is I think, and the youngest, Nabil, 10.

Keep posted. From here, I managed to jot down my posts on my PDA phone on a day to day basis throughout the trip. Read on....

got tagged

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night. my baby

2. What were you doing at 0800? Sleeping, before the school starts and i m deprived of this rare privilege

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? answering phone call from one of my students

4. What happened to you in 2006? went for umrah with the family, my brothers, sis in law and nephew...unforgettable !

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? AHMAD ZAKIY...looking at his sleepy face as he woke up from sleep

6. How many beverages did you have today? so far, only plain water

7. What color is your hairbrush? blue all this while, now pink

8. What was the last thing you paid for? The boys' KFC lunch yesterday, abah went to wedding in KL, I attended Intan's wedding.

9. Where were you last night? at home, as usual

10. What color is your front door? wooden door, colour of wood

11. Where do you keep your change? All over the house. my niece likes to call my house a treasure cove...finders keepers i told her once hahahah

12. What’s the weather like today?just nice for an outing with the family

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? any ice-cream is BEST....

14. What excites you? anything told to me excitedly and anything about my passion in life - writing, books, education, family and biology

15. Do you want to cut your hair? a must before i start work again

16. Are you over the age of 25? waaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy past...

17. Do you talk a lot? only with ppl very close to me

18. Do you watch the O.C.? what's OC?

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? yes

20. Do you make up your own words? yes, only known to close family members

21. Are you a jealous person? unfortunately yes

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Aniza/ali

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Khalijah/kamal

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? today? naquib

25. What does the last text message you received say? "congratulations on your son's success - take care always"

26. Do you chew on your straw? nope, never i think

27. Do you have curly hair? confidential

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? aisya sofea's place today, next vacation - umra/egypt inshaallah

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? BUSH!!!!

30. What was the last thing you ate? nasi lemak sotong

31. Will you get married in the future? Already married

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? War of the Worlds - actually, that is the ONLY movie i have watched in the last month or so...

33. Is there anyone you like right now? of course! all those close to me

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? 1 hour ago

35. Are you currently depressed? nope - the turkiy trip detoxed me hehehe

36. Did you cry today? no, alhamdulillah

37. Why did you answer and post this? someone was kind enough to think of me, so cant really disappoint her, can i?

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey:
Noble One
Par Excellente
Mummy Daniel and Dania
myaisyasofea
smartdoctor

Aaahh...He did it Again!

Salam, its 3 am, 28/12/07. I have returned from Turkiy for exactly 10 days now. Supposed to put down some detailed posts about my trips with all the interesting snapshots to accompany. But...i had to hold on first..till yesterday, 27/12/07...when the PMR results were announced.
And you know what??? My beloved big boy, AHMAD ASHRAF ILMAN B. ZULBAHRI. aka The Noble One...he did it again!!! Alhamdulillah...all praise be to Allah Almighty, that oustanding son of mine scored 9A's for his PMR exams. What can I say...CONGRATULATIONS my son...you deserve it! Well done!!!

I am elated of course. I had confidence for all his subjects..but wavered a bit over his Science...of all the subjects...oof (considering ummi teaches Science form 3). We arrived at SMIK early, hoping to catch the results as soon as possible so that I could rush back to my school to deliver my students results. Alas, it took forever. And the longer we waited, the harder the butterflies 'flew in my stomach'....the suspense was killing me! To score 8As would have been great and acceptable to most students, BUT not for my poor Ashraf. The whole clan was practically expecting straight As from him, nothing short would do. For a moment, I wondered what was actually the pressure I was feeling - to watch the disappointment if he failed to score straight As...or to conjure up plausible explanations to my kith and kin if he fails to measure up to expectations. Anyway, thanks to Allah, i was spared of that "unthinkable" scenario. Phew...

As if pressure from the clan was not enough, when the results finally arrived, all his friends, (and their parents too), waited for him (accompanied by ummi) to take his results first. Even the school was confident he would score straight As and was assuming so...pressure upon pressure for both mom and son. But Allah is Great, Ashraf was able to deliver...what was expected of him. And I am not ashamed to say, I am one Damn Proud Mom today...grinning from ear to ear. He has proven himself worthy of being named The Noble Knowledgeable One. (Tak sia-sia aku menaruh impian tinggi dengan memberi nama itu...) I am sooooo proud of you son.

And so, on the very same day, just to show our appreciation, hubby and I returned to the computer store which we surveyed exactly a week ago, to fulfill his request should he get straight As - a laptop for him to carry around for his designs and bloggings. Just as he has brought great pleasure to both Ummi and Abah, we felt we should not delay his pleasure too. So now he is the proud owner of an Acer Travelmate laptop! But rules remain...his curfew hours for computers still applies.

Many relations asked, "what did the mother feed him for him to perform excellently?" I just smiled, but now in this blog, allow me to answer that question. Upon reflection, I want to say that the main "nutrient" he received was unconditional love from us, and the constant feeding into his mind that he is our son, he is special with special talents and that he could do whatever he sets his mind to do. We gave him the faith and the confidence..for we truly believe in his abilities. The constant reminder we gave him that the mind was a gift from Allah, it is his responsibility to nurture and sharpen it. The endless reminder that as his parents we would surely support him all the way, in any way we can...but finally it is he alone who will be entering the examination hall. Anybody can succeed, as long as he wants it strongly enough. Take one step towards God, and He will surely come much closer to you. That has always been our advice to Ashraf.

And so, closes another chapter of his young life. Another hill successfully climbed, another obstacle victoriously overcome. Other hurdles await, the nearest would be his SMA, and then the SPM exams. Our advice still stands, our rules and regulations for study discipline on him still apply. And Ashraf knows them well. I can say, much to my relief, he is looking forward to his new upcoming challenges as a Pure Science student, inshaallah. Alhamdulillah, as he lies on his bed asleep now, I know that to a certain extent, I have instilled the love of learning in my big boy..not only for the sake of exams, but for the sake of the knowledge from Allah itself. He is excited about learning add maths, biology physics and chemistry, already accepting that learning these subjects and scoring, would be quite a phenomenal task. But i can see, he is taking it in his stride, and I am determined to back and support him all the way.

I am proud of you, son! Those tears you saw this morning, were tears of gratitude to Allah that He has bestowed upon me a fine young man for a son, in the likes of you, AHMAD ASHRAF ILMAN!

I'm On My Way Now...

Havent had my hands on this blog for some days now. Just too busy preparing for my 10 day Turkey trip. Yup...on my way now, inshaallah Turkey here i come.
It has always been my dream/ambition/wish to go to Turkey and visit the Blue Mosque. If i get this wish come true, then that will be 2 out of 3 "most desired place" i would hv visited; the first being Masjid-al-Haram of course. The travel agency officer says its winter time - double bonus for me...
There is only one snag to this upcoming trip of mine - i am going alone; meaning the boys are not coming with me. The trip costs me rm4318.00, all expenses like ticket fare, accomodation n meals included. It has been many years since I have been in 'winter season', so had to get myself some appropriate winter clothing, then my passport had less than 6 months before it expires. All in all, preparation alone plus converting some cash to USD, cost me an added rm5000. Whatever meagre amount left, is enough only to take zakiy with me. I asked hubby dear if he could support big brother ashraf....simply put he said, "NO!" and he added, one boy doesnt go, then both dont go. What can I say...
So, some may question, why do i want to visit Turkey atall,on my own at that too, when the family is not coming along? Leaving my boys behind? Still i want to go?
I have asked this question myself, and you know what, I must honestly say my answer is I WANT TO VISIT THE BLUE MOSQUE. It has been my wish from as long as I can remember..and now the opportunity presents itself. Perhaps if i hold on now, and save more, then maybe I can take my children along with me, I say to myself, without having to ask from hubby (i try to be as self reliant as possible). But with my condition, I often ask myself will i ever get the chance in future? my blood pressure,my kidney function and cirrhosis are all under control now, i feel fine right now..but i often ask myself, for how long before the cirrhosis decides to make its presence felt - the symptoms to show up. I want to visit the Blue Mosque in Turkey...
I am only a teacher's daughter. I learn from early on in my childhood, you want something, then work for it. I love traveling, I love reading good books, those two things were not easy to come by then. I learn that i must be self reliant, and at that time when I was a littl child, you want to have money, then have a good paying job, you want a good job with a good pay, study hard, do well in exams, get into university, then you will get a good job. Alhamdulillah, ala kulli hal, Allah has blessed me with all this, with all the added bonuses which I am forever thankful for. So, I get a job which helps me make travelling affordable. And i want to travel to see the Blue Mosque.
It is unfortunate my boys cant come with me, the trip would surely have been that much more fun if they came along - just to see their excitement would have been rewarding in itself I am sure. But as it is, they cant come, and i cant just take one of them..they are part of two. I am sorry boys, but I hope you guys will understand why I have to do this...this is a part of my life I want accomplished, before...before whatever the future holds for us we do not know... and I know you guys wont mind. And yes, we'll start saving for spain and morocco, i know you guys dont want to miss out on that... just pray that my "project" works okay...that can speed up a bit our savings guys...Inshaallah.
I can only guess what my siblings are saying, but this is something I Want To Do - for myself. God Willing, in future I will go with the boys... on other trips.
So, if all is well, inshaallah, this Saturday, 8/12 i will be On My Way to Turkey, making stop at Bahrain en route. Whatever, all praise be to Allah, Alhamdulillah, for giving me the means n the opportunity...if all goes well, it will be another of my wishes/prayers that Allah has yet again answered...alhamdulillah. I now pray that the trip will be a safe and enjoyable one, one that will remain in my memories for all times.
By the way, Datin sis Hajjah Razmah, and hubby, Dato Prof Dr. Hj Abd. Razak and niece, Hanizura Jamaludin, will be coming as well. I look forward to an enjoyable, adventurous trip with you guys...
So till the next post, inshaallah....

Fun time, the holidays are back!!!

zakiy the oil rigger

ashraf - heat scan image
ashraf n his dad on cabin 5 of Eye on Malaysia
Zakiy n Ummi on cabin 5 of Eye on Malaysia
Zakiy, Ashraf n their dad-background is the Eye on Malaysia
at Petro Sains - my boys the palaentologists?zakiy the archeologist
zakiy the astronaut...
ashraf - before the heat scan - dari jauh, like Harry Potterlah!

on our merry way to petrosains gallery...
the impressive petronas twin tower, kuala lumpur
zakiy, th f1 driver..he made it!!!
ashraf n zakiy, in the dinosaur's lair...
petro sains gallery this is what that first greets you..mr T- Rex himself! siap 'rap'lagi!


Aaaahhh...finally! my little boy Zakiy finally got his chance to visit the PetroSains at KL suria. We left early saturday morning, 17/11/2007, as soon as the holidays started. I have been there before, and I am glad that the gallery did not stay static. There were changes, and another subgallery - The Petro Speed was something new to me too. Hubby dearest, as usual, just sent us. He did not want to participate in our adventurous mood-well its his loss...



At petrospeed there was a game which i found very interesting. It was the Mind Ball. You know what? It is a game where you direct a small ball into your opponents goal post - just by the will of your mind. A kind of electrode? i suppose, is placed on your forehead, looking like you are wearing a bandana, n then by sheer control of your mind, you "will" the ball into your opponent's goal. It is all about brain activity wavelengths actually....your ability to bring yourself into a state of being in total control, totally relaxed, and you do that by getting your alpha and theta brainwaves under your control. Why should this kind of scientific game be included in the PetroSpeed gallery you think? Well, much of the success to F1 races, have a lot to do with the driver's frame of mind, his ability to stay calm and cool on one of the fastest race track ever, his ability to set his mind on a mission; hence the mind ball practice.



And you know what? I won both challenges i took with big boy, Ashraf...much to my joy! I lost my concentration for a moment with baby Zakiy (well...its understandable you will agree, if i say we always lose out to our youngest darling...heheheh...)But on the second challenge, I managed to put my 'winning' cap back on, and needless to say, i won, yet again. Ashraf is NOT SATISFIED. He blames it on his having a cold, which distracts his focus. I say...this proves one thing significant....MOM KNOWS BEST,MOMS ARE COOL...you moms out there rejoice..i have defended the SUPERIORITY of our species...hahahahah (boy, am i enjoying sweet victory or what?). Ashraf..jangan mare haa.....



From KL Suria, we went to see and eventually ride on "Eye On Malaysia"....big deal. It was an exciting thought, to ride on a huge Ferris Wheel for an aerial view of KL city. Unfortunately, it wasnt so aerial, at least to me. The view of KL from KL Tower is by far more impressive. We were supposed to do 4 rounds but lucky..or unlucky us...we went to as many as 8 rounds...by the 3rd round i was like begging to get out!!! Nothing great...for those who have not gone there, my personal opinion is...just turn a blind eye to it...



Anways, here are some pics for sweet remembrance. At the end of the day, the 3 of us, ahsraf, zakiy and I have decided to return to PetroSpeed sometime soon - just for a rematch of the mindball game.... just for the petrospeed gallery, rm 5 for adults, rm2 for under 12. It will take about 1 hr to enjoy yourself in that gallery. I recommend it...with your children....salaam, cheerio...

yet another year passes by

mom, 4 big brothers(by 2006, only 3), 5 big sisters and a younger sis -where it all started!

at sg. tua
in jeddah
in mekah

in sumatera - lubuk sikaping
in sumatera - my ancestor's museum - Imam Bonjor museum
in sumatera - at the line of earth's equator
in aquaria petronas twin tower
celebrating eid ul fitr -the big boy, ashraf, the hubby, zul, me, the ummi, the baby, zakiy

in cameron highlands
in cameron highlands
in madinah
in langkawi

at the highest peak in langkawi

The present - muslimah, wife, mom, teacher, writer (inshaallah), happy transplant patient

enjoying life and thanking God everyday

in Wales
at home sweet home then..tmn sri andalas klang

in Grantham Lincs, UK

younger days, living on my own, with kidney failure and 'in days of ignorance'



You know what? On 14th November I celebrated yet another birthday in my passage in time. I share this date with the late Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru and Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, 2 very well known dignitaries. Well I guess I must have something great in me too then, hehehe..




I guess I dont have that much years left in me, I reckon I have lived out most of my life, considering my 1 transplanted kidney, my hypertension, and my recently diagnosed liver cirrhosis. No problem there with me, when it is time to go, you just go...




But really I am not complaining. I have lived a wonderful life...wonderful in the sense there have been many experiences that I feel not many have gone through. I have looked death in the eye when I was terminally ill with renal failure, but God has been gracious and I am now enjoying a second chance to life..a good life mind you.




I have experienced excruciating heartache and heartbreak when I was forced to terminate my very first born due to my failing kidneys then. Till now, mention or even memory of my first born, dearest Abdullah, will touch a raw spot and it still hurts, even though the years have dulled it somewhat.




I have been privileged to go out, be on my own from the very tender age of 12 when I was selected to study in a boarding school, Sek. Men. Sains Selangor Cheras KL and then overseas to the UK, from Grantham to Salford. Leaving home from that tender age pushed me to be resilient and more self reliant. I learn to make decisions on my own, forced to learn from my own mistakes, widen my worldview. All these contribute to the person I am within me today.




I have been honored time and again to witness the true meaning of love, and countless encounters to appreciate God's love direct upon me. My sister, Oni showed me exactly what the word selflessness means when she gave me one of her kidneys, to which I owe her my life today. My hubby Zul, showed me the practical meaning of being patient in times of adversity when i was severely ill. For that I am grateful to him. The love of God has saved me numerous times from making mistakes in my life which if not for His love and Guidance, would have given me many regrets. He has blessed me with two beautiful, intelligent, and obedient sons, which make up a lot for the loss of their previous two older siblings. Ashraf and Zakiy you guys are the apples of my eyes, my right and left arm!




God has blessed me with my ever loving brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews ( and now grand nephews n nieces), so many good friends, numerous students over the years of my career as a teacher who accept me as I am, my strength, my weakness together. My life is blessed by their love and friendship




So cirrhosis or not, hypertension or otherwise, I must say my life is good, all praise be only to Him. I am so blessed, and that makes me abundant. What therefore remains of my time on earth, please dear God, let me spend in the worship of YOur Greatness, let me spend in the service of man, spreading the Word of God and spreading love that He bestows in abundance in my heart and in service of this mother earth in the education of my students to be responsible for what they do here on earth.




For the years that I have lived on this earth, and for all that remains, I thank you O God, for I am truly blessed and Guided.

Finally all that I ask for now is the Husnul Khatima, the best of all ends, the pardoning of all sins by God and a place in His Paradise, my final abode...

MY WITTY, EXCELLENT SON!

zakiy n dad - 2nd trip to madinah -2006
akiy, big bro, and ummi in cameron highlands -2006
baby zakiy - 1st birthday!
zakiy, par excellent- school sports
"anak ummi" with ummi, mekah 2006

HE was born at 11pm, on Tuesday, the 11th day of the 11 month...and today he turns 11! My cute handsome charming baby (i can say all this, after all, he is MY son) - AHMAD ZAKIY MOHSIN, The Witty, Excellent One.

How shall I describe him? Where his brother is more serious, deliberate young man, my baby is best described as a very social, friendly person, easy to talk to and make friends with, not forgetting cheeky...his presence brightens up this house, anytime...

Unlike with Zakiy's elder brother, hubby dear and I did not bother much about looking for a name for him, plus the fact that we never knew his sex right till the day he was born. But I had previously discussed with his dad that since big brother already has a name which means intelligent/learned, I would like this little one to be excellent/one who does good deed/doing well. So we ended up with Ahmad Zakiy Mohsin..and how he is living up to his name thus far...Zakiy means witty...o u can count on my baby to be witty! He is the apple of my eye true to the meaning of that phrase. Where my elder son would say Ummi is sweet, he would say I am enchanting (menawan..his exact words). A real flirt he is...how much more witty could a mom like me ask for...i smile every time i remember it.

And I can surely count on him anytime to help me around the house - to wash the dishes, to help me push off the water on our front porch after it rains, and of course to make my hot tea or cold vico...I can count on Zakiy to do it.

One thing about my boy, my baby...he is so down to earth. He will always introduce himself as the less smart son, big bro being the smarter one. And he believes he has a history to prove it. For all i can recall, i think Zakiy is the first youngster to be expelled from kindergarten!! for failure to count beyond the numeral 3! Well, personally, the problem was not my son, it was the school's inability to accomodate a smart child like my baby! Parents take note: check out thoroughly if the kindy you wish to register your child in has the ability to accomodate multiskilled children. I registered him to UMMI's Kindergarten - meaning i started to train him myself, and true enough, within a week he was up to the numeral 100! and the school said he had learning problems - as if!! Parents take note: always believe in your children's abilities and talents...they may seem too deeply buried initially, but they are there...trust me!

His fast witty comments have always been evident. Once his cousin who was then a univ undergraduate was attending an interuniversities function. So she said it was time for her to "pasang badan", hoping to meet some smart good looking undergrad i presume. Out of the blues, my little zakiy who heard her saying that, interjected,"kenapa? selama ni kak ....jalan bawak kepala saja ke?" much to my hilarious suprise! He was only 3 or 4 at that time.

Well my baby is 11 today...he is much much taller, eating more now, and has gained several kilos much to my delight, and he is nowhere a problem learner or child. He is a school prefect, he conducts the school assembly from time to time, he scores strings of As in exams...he is obedient to his duties to Allah and us, he is my beautiful handsome son, and I am so proud of you Zakiy! And I want you to know my baby, that even if I live till you reach 60, u can count on a kiss on your cheek from your ummi every single day. You are my sunshine, you are my smiles, and when i grow old, tired and weary, i know i can rest my head under your roof. Happy Birthday my darling baby! I LOVE YOU AND I AM SO PROUD OF YOU, AND WILL ALWAYS BE PROUD OF YOU!

Bummer...

Aaaahhh..so many happenings...dont know where to start!!!
I will go for the latest...did u know yesterday morning, on my way to school, i had an accident?? yes..albeit a minor one. But....the events that followed it is one i shall remember for a long long time...
Just after the Southern Park exit, amidst the heavy morning traffic, a green proton wira aeroback bumped into my 5 day old perodua Viva! O..the sheer frustration at having your brand new car bumped into...(itu satu hal...). It gave me quite a jolt, to hear the clanging of metals. Regardless of the rain, I pulled over to the bus stop nearby, looked behind, expecting the driver to follow suit. Of all the nerve..the driver, a malay lady i think in her late twenties...had the audacity to just shake her hands, boldly indicating nothing was wrong with my car, and simply drove on, leaving a bewildered and puzzled me!!
Since it was raining, and the traffic jam was quite heavy, all i could do was watch her pass me by, and then i drove on. From where I was, I could see her switching lanes, from the third to the second, and then tried unsuccessfully to go to the first. My thoughts were she was probably trying to escape me. Well... I wasnt chasing her, how could I?
But Allah is Great! While she was stuck in the second lane, simpleton me and my viva in the third lane kept on moving slowly until I was actually beside her. I hurriedly unwind my windscreen ( is that what its called?) n shouted at her, "Apa cerita ni?". Her companion beside her, another malay lady, shouted back on her behalf, "Takde apa-apa...takde calar pun" , and then they simply drove off again at the roundabout to Klang. The nerve of that perpetrator!!!
I called hubby dear, only to hear his sighs and lamentations, so i quickly added that the driver said there was no scratch to the new car ( I must emphasise on the word new...how frustrating...) but hubby dear told me to check the back once i reached school.
Which I did...the lady was right...there was just the slightest of peeled paint...but THE WHOLE OF THE LEFT BUMPER WAS MISALLIGNED!!!!! Which she would have totally failed to observe, loking on from the comfortable position she was in...in her car! Later on, when i tested opening the booth, a screw from somewhere actually dropped off. My poor new car...it felt like a tooth had dropped off it...
Its not so much the minor accident that shook me. It was the sheer irresponsible attitude of the driver..and what makes it feel worse to me, she was of my sex and my race.... and how sad..I am sure of my faith too, a fellow muslim! I am not an insensible person, I believe the accident is what it was - accidental. But not to have the courtesy to pull over and apologise or to try to pretend to be the slightest remorseful..that is something that I totally fail to understand. And to my eyes, that makes her a damned criminal! A shameless Malaysian, a lowly lady, an errant muslim! No manners!!! BOth she and her companion...
I was still slightly breathless when i recounted the incident to my colleague in school and when she asked me if the driver had shouted an apology during our very brief exchange of words, it was only then that i realised her vulgar attitude - confidently n boldly shouting out that there was nothing wrong with my car, but not bothering to even say "sorry!". If she is a parent, well..she is bound to raise a brood of arrogant, shameless, deceitful brats...simply because she obviously lack those noble values to raise noble, well mannered children!
Thank God, I did not lose my cool when the accident occured. In that short span of time, I managed to memorise her plate number. I also managed to trace from my valuable informant, the owner of the car, a male name, and his identity card number, presumably the husband of the rude, reckless driver!
Well, owner/driver of green proton WJC 5025, I know at least who that car belongs to, I know your address...and for your information I have made a police report that very morning, Tuesday, 23/10/2007, at 9.00 am, precisely 1 hour 45 mins after you hit my car, and then arrogantly drove away.
YOu may have escaped me, you may probably even escape the police, but you know fully well what you did hasnt escaped Allah! And since you did not deem it important to talk and discuss with me right after the accident, with your arrogant, rude behaviour, you left me no choice but to bring my frustration to Allah. And I am of firm faith, that Allah listens to those who have been abused...not so much by the physical accident, but by your rudeness and sheer bad manners. So, I believe Allah will mete out a just treatment for you too...Good luck!!!
So, if any one of you out there in the universe, knows this lady (fellow teacher?), send my good luck wish to her...you can say she needs it...for i rest my case in the hands of God. And there is no saying what the reckoning of God will be...

after some time

Salaam!
Indeed...after sometime i finally managed to get down to checking my blog again. Its always a nice surprise to see that someone has browsed through my blog and added a comment or two. I think everyone with a blog can understand that excited feeling we get when we know someone else has read our posts and interested enough to make comments.
I believe i have not entered any post since the start of Ramadan...an you know what? this auspicious month is almost over. Its 24th Ramadan today. Ashraf's PMR exam has come and gone...inshaallah i can only pray he will get what is deserving of him - but we are both worried about his Science Paper 2. Both of us cried with worry. Silly us...
Ah yes... now i remember why i was also distracted from sending in a new post. The hot weather in this fasting month has caused me to suffer some set back due to dehydration. But alhamdulillah i m ok. Everything that befalls us is a learning experience, right?
I also finally did something which i now realised i have not done for some time als0 - visit the bookstore ... and actually buying a book. My colleague, Mr. Radha had recommended me a book that he said would be a good read, The Power of Your Subconcscious Mind, by Dr. Joseph Murphy. I did not get the book, but i found another instead. I have watched the book being discussed in the Oprah Winfrey show and it sounded to me at that time...well..readable, and aroused my curiousity somewhat. At the bookstore, i browsed through the book, and thought "o well, i can part with RM 60.00 to find out what this book has to say." But the truth is i am always a victim of my own curiousity. I just wanted to know what the secret is. So i am now the proud owner of "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne.
And now...all i can say is the book is worth every cent i put in!!! The secret finally revealed to me, is so simple in its truth, that i decided to try it out immediately. Mashaallah, all praise be to God...the simple truths which i tried to follow actually work! It is all about law of attraction and how like attracts like. Some powerful words in the book too. Feeling that just reading the book is not enough, i surfed its website: www.thesecret.tv and downloaded the secret movie online. I was really motivated, and inspired, to say the least. Motivated enough to get me writing this post in my blog.
So now, I shall try to practice the secret and basically, what it entails is already in the teachings of Islam i feel, as the law of attraction is basically a law of the universe. I truly recommend this book to everyone. It is quite an eye opener, and i believe, if you are looking for "goodness", you will find out how in this book.

in honor of friendship...

The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with,

never say a word, and then walk away

feeling like it was the best conversation you ever had

to the world you may be one person,

but to one person, you might be the world

True friends are two people who are comfortable

sharing silence together

Keep love in your heart,

A life without it is like

a sunless garden when the flowers are dead

REMEMBERING MY FRIENDS, MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS...OVER ALL THE YEARS...THOSE WHO HAVE COME AND GONE...AND THOSE WHO STILL WALK BESIDE ME,THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP...AND LOVE...

just suddenly thinking of rose, azland, maulud tonight...may Allah bless their souls...ameen

if inshaallah my effort is realised, it is in memory of you guys...