Mekkatu Mukoromah

Everyone are excited about Tok Cek and Tok Wan  going for umrah this Friday. That night, on the day they arrrived at my aunt  Kak La's house, we were fussing around them like mother hens to make sure they have brought everything with them. Socks, sweaters (for the long transits), long pants, medication etc. Apparently Cek  has got everything packed except for talcum powder.

Being the good daughter Kak La is, she had bought a very beautiful jubah for her mother. I would say a jubah fit for the queen. (No kidding) In electric blue, fully embroidered on sleeves and at the bottom in silver thread and sequins with high chinese colar. If Cek wears it, it would be going to Mekkah in glitter and glamour. And with Cek, usually, she is be able to pull it off.

I miss Mekkah. Kaabah is softly calling out to me. I need to save now to be able to answer the Kaabah's call. I hope in not too long a time.

The air in Mekkah is totally different from anywhere in this world.  Maybe because of the Nur that trancends on the land, so luminious and the barokah that Allah bestows upon all His visitors.

phones and the invisible

I remember our first telephone. It was black, heavy and chunky. It had the rotating disk with the finger holes for each number and we dial by  spinning the disk clockwise to the end point then let go, then continue with the following numbers. Manual and creaky. The ringing tone are all the same through out the whole country. Kriiiiing....Kriiiing...Kriiiing....shrill and could be heard even from our neighbours houses, 3 or 4 houses away.

Never imagine that our handphones today can be so slick and brilliant. No more jarring ear-drums sensitive ringings. We can download our favourite song for ring tones. Sweet music for our ears.  For the more islamic individuals, maybe the theme song of jejak rasul or raihan's songs. Some ringtones sounds exactly like real kittens that you start looking around the lrt coaches for them.

Now we can mms moving pictures, video conference,(just the thing for parents missing their out -of -country studying children)  have internet, watch football on your phone. Not only you just press the buttons, now you only have to touch the screen. The features of all brands change and advance at a fast pace . MasyaAllah.

I have always linked this superb technology to the 'things' we cannot see in this world. What make it all possible. How can we see our love ones and hear their voices from across the globe and ocean by a touch of a button Which brings me to this point. There are many things that are invisible. Like the telegraphic waves or the microwaves or the electrowaves and whatever waves.  It is there and it functions.

That proves there are many other things that our eyes cannot see which are there and functioning.

strange houses 4 everyone..

 hajar's house..like a cooking pot..ahaha

aishah's house..in between two ambitions :P

mimi's house..tunggang tebalik..wakakkaka

mama's house...duno where to go *-*'

powerpuff girls house

don't worry be happy

What makes us happy ?. That would depend on each individual. The examples of things that makes us happy. Wealth and what comes with it.  Family. Challenges, some people are warriors at heart, ready to take the next level of everything until they reach the top. Doing charity work gives some people contentment and fullfillment. Travel and see the world, globetrotting. Friends and more friends.

Being happy is good. It gives out good vibes and good charge. It makes the body and mind healthy. It lights up your face, and a potent anti-aging agent. It creates a good aura. (the overated buzz word, aura)

However, being happy can be tricky. How does one be happy when we are in an unhappy situation and everything else is falling apart. When we lose something valuable to us, or fail.

To me, being happy is not getting what we want. It is just a decision to be happy instead of  being unhappy, It is saying " I want to be happy, no matter what".

A zikir a day, keeps the syaitan away

Firman Allah:

"Orang-orang yang beriman itu, hati mereka menjadi  tenteram kerana berzikir kepada Allah, Ingatlah bahawa  dengan berzikir kepada Allah, hati akan menjadi tenteram" (surah ar-Ra'ad:28)

To me, our hearts beats for every single second, it never rest. Our bodies rest when we sleep, but our hearts go on and on, thumping away. We give our hearts pressure when we panic, or shocked or fearful. Our heart  'breaks' when we get hurt and  flutters when we see someone we love.

Our hearts too needs a break, without all the stress or stressors  and that is when we zikir to Allah swt, our Creator. This is from the logical point of view, my simple logic. But if we go into the value of zikir or the importance of zikir  that I can find in the kitabs, here I list down a few.

1. If we think of Allah, Allah thinks of us
2.An ibadat higher than giving sedeqah or going to jihad
3.Save one from the wrath of Allah
4. To keep the syaitan away
5. Istighfar diminishes hardship and increase livelihood.
6.Those who salawat  to Rasulullah saw will get his syafaat in the hereafter
7.Lahaulawala.....azim is an antidote of many ailments including depression
8.Keeps us protected from the temptations in this world
9.Fill our hearts with light
10. Looks easy but not done by many of us.

Bunga kehidupan

Jangan lah kita bersedih jika kita tak cantik seperti siti norhaliza (atau jlo!!) Kenapa kita berjerawat, hidung pesek. Rambut kita tak secantik rambut jennifer aniston. Dah berminggu-minggu diet pun tak kurus2 jugak.

Kita lihat bangalow-bangalow indah di persisir bukit dan di kawasan2 ilit, dan terpatul dari mulut kita, WOW! (berapa juta??)Dan terbayang terus dalam kepala saya bibik-bibik yang sedang mop, sedang masak di dapur, sedang memandi kan anak  tuanrumah.  Tak  mungkin rumah agam itu di uruskan seorang bibik sahaja. Tersangat besar dan terlalu banyak tingkap2nya. Lap tingkapnya sahaja dari pagi ke petang.

Kita tengok orang yang berpangkat besar.  Jalannya  bertenaga, cakapnya pun berkeyakinan, pakaiannya mahal dan berjenama.  Bila dia lalu, semua orang akan ke tepi.Kereta mewah menunggu di luar. BMW, merc, honda dan volvo model terkini.

Kita perhati bahagia nya sesetengah pasangan. Perkahwinan dah masuk tahun ke 30, masih loving, masih mesra dan manja dengan suami, bersayang-sayangan.

Saya ada kenalan yang mempunyai semua yang di atas. Cukup dan lengkap. Dan masih lagi meningkat  dalam hidup mereka. Syukur Alhamdulilah.

Kita  pulak bagaimana?

Ada rumah, tetapi cozy sahaja.(kecik)  Rupa paras, sederhana, walaupun tak boleh masuk iklan. Kereta, yang terkecil di atas jalanraya. Pendapatan, cukup tapi tidak mewah. Yang tak di sebut tu,tak ada lah maknanya.

Firman Allah swt

"Janganlah engkau menumpukan perhatianmu kepada kesenangan yang telah Kami berikan kepada beberapa golongan di antara mereka sebagai bunga kehidupan di dunia, kerana Kami mahu menguji mereka di dalamnya, dan rezeki (pemberian)Tuhanmu adalah lebih baik dan kekal" (Taha ayat 131)

Janganlah kita ingat Allah tak adil pada kita, hanya Allah sudah mengatur semua dalam hidup ini  mengikut kebijaksanaaNya.

Open Your Eyes Lyrics

Look around yourselves
Can’t you see this wonder
Spreaded infront of you
The clouds floating by
The skies are clear and blue
Planets in the orbits
The moon and the sun
Such perfect harmony

Let’s start question in ourselves
Isn’t this proof enough for us
Or are we so blind
To push it all aside..
No..

We just have to
Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds
If we just look bright to see the signs
We can’t keep hiding from the truth
Let it take us by surprise
Take us in the best way
(Allah..)
Guide us every single day..
(Allah..)
Keep us close to You
Until the end of time..

Look inside yourselves
Such a perfect order
Hiding in yourselves
Running in your veins
What about anger love and pain
And all the things you’re feeling
Can you touch them with your hand?
So are they really there?

Lets start question in ourselves
Isn’t this proof enough for us?
Or are we so blind
To push it all aside..?
No..

We just have to
Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds
If we just look bright to see the signs
We can’t keep hiding from the truth
Let it take us by surprise
Take us in the best way
(Allah..)
Guide us every single day..
(Allah..)
Keep us close to You
Until the end of time..

When a baby’s born
So helpless and weak
And you’re watching him growing..
So why deny
Whats in front of your eyes
The biggest miracle of life..

We just have to
Open our eyes, our hearts, and minds
If we just look quiet we’ll see the signs
We can’t keep hiding from the truth
Let it take us by surprise
Take us in the best way
(Allah..)
Guide us every single day..
(Allah..)
Keep us close to You
Until the end of time..

Open your eyes and hearts and minds
If you just look bright to see the signs
We can’t keep hiding from the truth
Let it take us by surprise
Take us in the best way
(Allah..)
Guide us every single day..
(Allah..)
Keep us close to You
Until the end of time..

Allah..
You created everything
We belong to You
Ya Robb we raise our hands
Forever we thank You..
Alhamdulillah..

Artist: Maher Zain
Album: Thank You Allah

kuching's national library

The girls and I jog near the library,  picnic near the library and pass by the library all the time since we came to Kuching but only last week we stepped into the library.  That too was because on that very heavily rainy day,  Hajar and I had alot of time on our hands before Aishah finish work.  We ran a few yards  in the rain to reach the entrance from the parking lots. The  library area is  very huge and very green,  right beside a very lovely lake.

Wow! I am impressed.  On the ground floor is the multimedia hall where we can use the PCs, very high-tech.  At the lobby,  there are two entwined elegent staircases made out of light green glass curving up to the reading hall on the first floor. So those in skirts, please go up quickly. The reading hall is well, 'lush'. Large hall, wall to wall carpets of dark warm hues, exhibits of paintings, thick heavy books, solid book stands , nice chairs and tables, sockets for laptops, and the best part, the glass panes look out to the waters of the wide lake, so serene and calm.

Hajar loves the gardening books. I love it all, since books, lakes, greeneries, these are my favourite things. There is a cafe too, if we need to take a break from all the reading or studying.

Now I feel like going to the library everyday and lose myself in all the books and forget about all the cares in the world.....

New projects in the horizon

Hajar's green fingers are at work.  Not much at the moment, since they just turned green recently. But the few,  flowers are blooming  and the seeds are sprouting.

To keep this interest  (which is in me too) or small project  going and hopefully progress to another level, we bought a few big packs of earth and some black plastic earth bags (to save cost). We start small, you see.

Apparently, we find excitement and joy in watching plants grow, bear flowers and produce fruits. If we dare to dream, we would like to have a small farm.  At the moment, that sounds a bit far reached but nothing is impossible if we put our minds to it.

Adi has a project too in jb. All the best and good luck, Adi.

My project is to watch other people's projects.

Sembahyang awal waktu

NASA scientist said that the chilean earthquake had effected the earth's axes and resulted in shorter days. MasyaAllah, SubhanAllah, what do we do...shorter days? We are already not having enough time to finish our work  (whatever work) ...now shorter days?

If I were to write this, those who knows me will laugh at me, but I will write anyway.  First thing to do for shorter days is to sembahyang awal waktu.  This should hit me smack between the eyes because I always dilly dally when it comes to solat or procratinate my solat. I would like to blame it on low energy level but no?

So... let us all try harder ok? Especially the fish that likes to write. To pray early brings keredhaan Allah and keberkatan waktu. Lets set our priorities at times like this. Lahaulawalakuwataillabillahil 'aliyul'azim.

teori yang terbaik

Sabar itu satu anugerah Allah pada kita. Kalau Allah tak beri kita sabar, kita tidak akan punya daya tahan yang di perlukan.

Saya telah banyak juga membaca buku2 bagaimana nak betulkan hidup dan diri. Macam-macam approach, macam-macam teori. Ada yang mengatakan, jika kita benar-benar  fokus dalam minda kita, sesuatu yang kita mahu, benda itu akan dapat diperolehi. Ada yang kata sekiranya kita dapat tahu apakah kekuatan kita dan hidup dengan menggunakan kekuatan itu, kita akan berjaya. Ada yang betul, ada yang susah nak apply dan ada banyak yang tak sesuai dengan  prinsip agama kita kerana lebih pergantungan pada diri sendiri dan kurang pergantungan pada Allah swt.

Banyak teori yang berteraskan kekuatan diri. Bahaya nya ialah bila diri sudah berasa kuat dan perkasa, kuranglah pulak kita ingat akan agungnya Allah swt.

Contoh, kita menjadi orang berjaya dengan menggunakan salah satu teori yang ada di dalam buku di pasaran.  Tetapi,  bolehkan ia menjadikan kita orang yang lebih bertaqwa?  Jika dengan berjayanya kita, kita semakin kekurangan masa untuk beribadat,  maka, teori itu harus di buang. Jika kejayaan itu membuat kita hanyut dengan cara hidup yang serba mewah dan selesa sehingga kita hilang sifat ihsan dan prihatin  kepada orang yang kurang bernasib baik,maka teori itu juga harus di buang.

Jika kita berjaya di dunia dengan iman yang tidak berkurangan sedikit pun, semakin berjaya, semakin kuat beribadat, semakin sedar bertapa Allah menyayangi kita dengan limpahan rezkiNya, dengan pemeliharaanNya di atas diri kita, dengan keberkatanNya, maka, kita Alhamdulilah, menggunakan teori-teori yang betul.

Tetapi, positif thinking itu boleh di 'apply', kerana ia sama dengan 'husnu zhon' iaitu bersangka baik terhadap Allah dan insan. 

So, moral of the story, watch where we are going.

F.R.A.N.C.E

FRANCE. Friendship remains and never can end. In my school days, I wrote alot of that when I penned down words in my friends' autograph books. Sometimes I write it vertically, sometimes horizontally to add more impact on the page, emphasizing on how wonderful friendship is, or to fill up the empty spaces, making up for lack of ideas.  Many many years passed  and everyone had drifted away on their own paths,  except for the few that brought  truth to that abbreviation, F.R.A.N.C.E.

Being in many schools, and a new girl many times over, did not give friendship a chance to flourish for the long haul. But somehow with SIGS, the fraternity seemed to be strangly 'deep'. It must be in our school song or something Mrs Dawn Perry put in our heads.

The few that kept in touch are a great blessing to me. Bahiah and I practically grew old together as we had never parted. We went through the whole works of ups and downs, rain and shine. Conquered many trials we encountered along our way. After Adi, Gee, Muni and I got reunited about 10 years ago, they have been permanent fixtures that added immence value to my life. I do not see much of Muni but this women has a knack for calling me up when I need someone to talk to badly, so that makes up for her not being there in person. You cannot imagine how an old friend can take you out of your dark moments by being there for you. They restore your believe in yourself because they see you the way they saw you before, before the despair and damages life brought upon you.  Only an old friend can do this.

To my pet sister Fauziah Yaacob or pink panther (because she is pinkish white), surprise, surprise we are still sisters AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!

You are all what makes this world a better place  for me and I dedicate my most heartflelt  F.R.A.N.CE  to all of you again.

Masjid negeri sarawak

Alhamdulilah hirobil 'alamin, its a sunny morning in kuching. I have not written for a while for there had been some difficult times. hehe. Times that somewhat rocked my soul and needed some time to find the calm. I missed having something to write. But the words seemed to stall.

Yesterday we went to the masjid negeri for magrib and isyak prayers. Its been a long time since I went to a majlis ilmu and I really need some motivation to be a good servant of Allah swt. We need constant reminders. Out there are full of temptation and diversion, we can easily be led to indulge ourselves in all the entertainment around us instead of going to majlis ilmu. If we do not sit infront of the tele, we take a peek at our facebook, or continue the unfinished book, or poke fun at our loved ones exchanging cheerful banters. Or take a little snooze.

The well-lit mosque stood magnificently under the dark sky. As we drove into the huge drive way, we saw many parents dropping off their young ones for classes.  In the mosque,  about 15  small  classes or halaqahs were erected in the open  from white boards and low tables. These children would gather around their allocated ustaz and learn. Meanwhile, for the adults, there was an ustaz teaching on the other side of the mosque, where both men and the women, including us, who were behind the dividers, sat and listened. After the muazzin called for Isyak prayers and these cute young children had finished their lessons, we saw them all dispersing, in other words, running everywhere like swallows.

Since I love children, it puts a smile on my face to see them giving so much life to the mosque. I also saw concerned mothers sitting through their children's lessons while they take a dip from the well of knowledge themselves.

Hopefully these children will to be the ones that  will  'mengamarahkan masjid' when they grow up.