HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

It's been sometime that I have driven alone on a long journey. After I retired I promised myself that I would visit my Mom more often. Initially I thought taking the bus on a weekly basis was a good idea. I could sleep and let someone else worry about the traffic. And I can avoid the speed tickets as well.

After a few months of the weekly routine, my body cried for help and I had to change my schedule. A monthly week long trip instead of 3d/2n weekly affair may be kinder to this booty-not-so-licious. Mind over matter does not work when you reach a certain age with an unfit body to boot. 

And instead of attempting to reach the destination in the fastest time possible, I have decided to change the pace. And enjoy the drive and the view. I am not exactly a speed demon but I do enjoy the adrenaline rush from fast driving. It was almost an hour longer than the average driving time between KJ and BP. But I did not feel it. Its amazing what can be achieved once you set your mind to do something. I was never pressured to speed up or overtake. Even when I was going 40 km/hour while driving on the country road, behind a lorry loaded with a recently harvested bananas. I was happily trailing behind while munching on a packet of chips loaded with carbo. 

Oh. By the way, do you notice the myriad of colours in the middle of the highway?Sometimes I have to suppress the urge to stop and take a closer look and a closer shot of the beautiful flowers. Especially on a bright and sunny day like today, the blooms look so cheerful against the blue sky. Makes me feel so good and blessed to be alive and well. 

The slow drive has also given me time to fill my head with all kind of thoughts. Its the perfect time to let my thoughts wander and wonder. I am one of those who prefer the peace and quiet during my solo drive. Come to think of it, that is something new too. I used to need a chirpy song to accompany my driving, even better a sing-along tune which just may turn out of tune. It would help to keep me awake. Surprisingly, I was not sleepy at all today. May be the tripple shot large latte did the trick! 

Anyway, somehow my thought today has pleasantly put me in a greater perspective of life and has put me at ease and made me feel happy inside. I am at peace with myself. There were times when I felt inadequate and a little helpless but the drive on the open highway with what seems to be the whole world spreading wide in front of my eyes has helped me to bring me back to my humble beginning. 

Alhamdulillah. Allah is the Greatest. 

And now all that I have to do is to brace myself for this week challenge! How not to eat too much of the oh-so-good food whenever I back in my hometown. 

Cheers! 

Travel tips 101 Part 1

I have finally gotten over the fatigue from my short vacation down under. Although it was just about  a week's  holiday, a lot of walking was involved which means tired legs and cramped muscle. A sure sign of an unfit me, I have to admit. Other than that it was a wonderful journey with memorable experience and great bonding time with my baby girl. Both my trips this year were in the same country albeit different cities and with the same travel companion. And I guess that completes my quota of travelling for the year. 

During my recent trip, I promised myself that I must share with my friends my own personal travel tips which I have garnered with my own personal experience. 

Most travel tips would focus more on the big ticket items like accomodation and weather check and plug points. And the usual advice would also be the right attire for the different countries and weather down to the list of toiletries to be included. My recommendation below may seems to be of lesser priority nevertheless just as important. 

1. First of all, top in my list would be a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Especially when there will be lots of walking which usually happen to me as I love to visit galleries, zoos and gardens. It would certainly damper the pleasure of seeing colourful flowers and exotic animals if your feet hurts too much to walk another step forward. In addition, it would also be handy to carry plasters or band aids for your heels and toes when they get chaffed even before the blisters occur. They would surely safe the days ahead.

2. Always pack foldable umbrella no matter what season of the year it is. It will be useful during summer showers and even freezing winter rain. A raincoat may be handy to have too in spring, summer and autumn.

3. I am also a person who never travel without a pouch of tablets for headaches, flu/cold and tummy ache. Nothing is worse than being sick during a holiday and prevention is definitely better than cure. So when you start to sniffle a quick action is need to snuffle it out! Before it gets any worse. On top of that I always have with me extra supplements and multivitamins to give my antibodies a boost.

I think I shall stop at 3 for now. I shall share more tips in another post perhaps. Insya-Allah.

A DAY AT THE ZOO

The zoo has always been our favourite place as a family. And we never miss a chance to visit one whenever the opportunity arises. And the visit also gives me plenty of opportunity to test out my photography skill. 

With a point and shoot camera there is not much skill required as long as we know the features that the camera has to offer. All it takes is to learn the technique and apply your talent in composition.

Take photos below for example. (A single photo would be much clearer but there are just too many that I love to share that I don't have the heart to leave them out)

         

Waiting for the right moment is the essence. Take as many shots as possible as it doesn't cost a thing. One may be just turn out to be your favourite photo. In the photos above, it was no use to wait for the lion to wake up and stand up so thats the best that I can do. But that picture, don't it just remind you of a movie and a song? My daughter almost burst out singing when she saw the lion on the rock. Hee...

Anyways, for the rest of the photos I had to wait patiently to get the animals to turn just right before I said "cheese"! And while using the zoom lens I had to make sure that the camera did not shake when I press the button. There are a few tricks to that. You pay the coffee and I shall divulge my secret.

The animals below were pretty much easier to photograph because they were pretty much static except for the bird. Having said that though, you just have to get lucky that they are facing you while "playing dead" like the koala bear for instance. They can stay in the same position for hours on end with their face hidden away.

        

My favourite photo from above is the baby hyppo. From far I could not tell if its awake but from the photo I realised later that it was. And it was in the right spot at the edge of the water for me to catch its relection. Its such a beauty. The baby hyppo I mean. You just feel like you want to hug that cute little thing. Well, the photo is too. Its one of my favourite shot. By the way, the mother was not too far away. There was another shot with the mother but thats another story. 

I also had fun taking photos of the flowers found along the track and around the zoo. I really must look up for the names of the flowers, weed or otherwise.

        

        

Aren't they just pretty?

All in all, it was a marvelous day yesterday. Although it started to be a little chilly and wet, the day turned bright and sunny later on in the afternoon. 

We ended the day with a walk in the park before heading to the skydeck to watch the sunset. After a short rest that is. 

 

 

Alhamdulillah. It has been brief but filled with new memories. I had fun testing out my new camera, renewing my experience in Melbourne and spent quality time with my baby girl. Priceless moments.

See you back in PJ! Insya - Allah.

OH WHAT A JOY!

As promised I am sharing some photos which I am rather pleased with, with what the camera can do. So here are some photos taken with my new Sony compact camera and what features it has. 

First of all close up photos came up pretty awesome. Like the photo below. This feature is important to me as I love to take shots of the beautiful flowers found in the foreign lands. Don't ask me what'sthe name   of the flower below though. I have no clue whatsoever. They are probably weeds as they are found by the roadside. Colourful weeds are still pretty even though they can be a nuisance at times. (Much to the chagrin of my friend in Canada when I was busy taking shots of the yellow flowers on the grass. She was annoyed when I said that the weeds were pretty). 

And then there is the zoom or telephoto lens. Its darn good I tell you. Beats carrying a heavy telephoto lens with my DSLR. See how sharp the kookaburra in the the photo below on top of the tree. Honestly, no editing done at all. Pretty good, eh? Can you see me grinning with happiness?

And it also has the panaroma feature. Which is awesome to have when you have such splendour of a sight like below. 

The 3 photos below are a show off of what the zoom feature can do. How close it can get. Can you see the rocks underneath the water? Can you feel the cold water crashing on the rock? Super awesome! Are you jealous yet?

Well if you are not, the flipable viewing screen may be just the ticket. With everyone doing the selfie and wefie or whatever you call it, this is good to have when there is no one to help you to take your own photo. It comes with a timer so you can place it on the rock or bench, press the button and pose! Easy peasy!

The other feature that I mentioned is the wifi feature. The sole purpose is that it enable me to download or upload the photo to my phone or iPad anytime and post it to my instagram or send the pretty pictures to family and friends. You may say that you can easily do the same with your phone cameras. But are they as awesome as the photo above? Hee...

Seriously, the photos are sharper than the phone photos and of course better quality.   May be I am one of those who appreciate quality photos and often I am so jealous to see good photography features in instagram especially travel photos in foreign land. Now I get to do the same. And share the pictures of joy and happiness. 

Thats it for now. We are going to the zoo today. We never miss the zoo when we are on this side of the world.  Lets hope that they weather is good to us. InsyaAllah. 

See you.....

P.S. I just remembered something important. Another good feature in this camera is the pop-up viewfinder in addition to the on-screen display. This is really useful on a bright suny day when the screen is rendered useless with the bright light. Cheèrs!

AS LIFE GOES BY (Part 3)

One thing lead to another, I find myself sitting in the kitchen cum living room writing this post. My temporary abode for a week minus a few hours. Flinders Lane. Melbourne. Ahah! Finally! You may say. After much ado about not going anywhere as I so wished. (Read: Life goes by Part 1 and 2)

Yeah well. After considering a few options my baby girl decided that Melbourne will be the destination for recuperation. He he. Recuperating from stressful final year. And I am more than happy to go on a trip at last. Even though I have been here a couple of times. I thought its a good destination too as at this time of year it will be warmer as its spring/summer time. But lo and behold, the sky was gloomy and downcast on our second day here and later on it rained almost the whole afternoon. Albeit its not the kind of rain like back home. The kind of rain where we can get drenched even after only one minute under the downpour. The rain here is soft and gentle. But mean. What do I mean by mean? (No pun intended). Because its chilly. And its suppose to be summer. And I had to retrieve my fluffy jacket out of my backpack. And the umbrella too. Oh well. No point in ranting and raving. Thank goodness I came prepared. Foldable warm jacket and foldable umbrella. Never go out without them. No matter how sunny the day was to begin with. 

Anyways, today looks kind of promising earlier but now the sky looks kind of suspicious to me. We have made plans where we want to go and what we want to do today and for the rest of the days. But the holiday is an easygoing kind of holiday. So we are not rushing anywhere. We certainly do not want to take a few days off after we are back from a holiday with hectic iteranary and long flight. My kind of holiday, the free and easy and go as you please. 

I shall share some photos later on. Insya-Allah. Oh! Talking about photos. I got myself a new compact camera just as I wanted. With wifi feature and flippable viewing screen. Awesome possum! A good opportunity for me to test out the camera during this journey eh? 

Okie dokie. Will catch you later....

A testimony of the kind of grey sky it was yesterday. The picture would be perfect with a blue sky. And a puffy cloud or two. On a happy note, here is the bokeh effect that the camera can do :^)

COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS

Driving through the haze one day last week made me realize how much we have taken our life for granted.  We have been blessed with living in a country with wonderful temperate weather. We have blue sky and sunny days with temperature  of about 30 degrees C on average with the occasional showers. We have the odd hot season and dry spell a couple months in a year and of course the monsoon season at the end the year. Both bringing calamities at times. But other than that we do not suffer major catastrophe like earthquakes or typhoons.  

And now we have been experiencing bad haze for the past few years and it has worsen each year. This year has been especially bad. Such that schools have to be closed for many days. Some countries have snow storm alert where they declare schools to be closed and now in Malaysia we have the haze alert. The air has become hazardous especially to those with respiratory problems. 

Having said that, there are many other things that we have taken for granted. Our health. Our family. Our friends. Our job. Etc. etc. Some simply forgot to count our blessing and say our thanks to the Almighty. Until its been taken away from us. 

Some of us did not realise or completely forgotten that hardship and calamities are not the only "test" from Allah but being rich and powerful is also a test. To me its a much bigger test as more often than not human being tends to forget when they are riding high. We forget to be thankful and forget to play our role in helping others.

As I am approaching closer to my "appointed time" and since I have retired, I have plenty of time to reflect. I am thankful that I have been given the time to make amends. To increase the weight of the scale on the right. To enrich the content of the "book" on my right hand.

But that doesn't mean that I sit on the prayer mat all the time. I spend time to watch my favourite Korean drama (a new pass time since I retire *grin*) and I go out as much as I can to chat with friends over coffee or lunch and even dinner. The drama gives me plenty of room to reflect such as, everything happens for a reason, among other thing. While the chat over coffee strengthen my relationships with family and friends ,which everyone knows is very much demanded in Islam. 

I believe in quality over quantity. I believe that God has created many things on earth for us to utilise and make use of. Everything on earth are for our takings, of course within limits. As long as we don't abuse or misuse. As long as we don't get greedy and mean. As long we remember who we are and where we come from. (Read Surah Al Kahfi 18: 32-42)

Well, you get my gist. I think I have been rambling a bit too much. My sudden urge to write is rather overwhelming this week end. Let's  call it a night. 

Till then, have a good week ahead! 

 

FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Fix your heart,

and your heart will fix your mind,

and your mind will fix your action,

and your action will fix your life, 

and your life will fix your Akhirah. 

I had mentioned in a previous post that its ok to follow your heart as long as there is no greed, hatred or jealousy hidden in the corner. Now the tricky part is to keep one's heart absolutely free from greed, hatred and jealousy. By all means its not an easy feat. But if one can achieve that it will be the ultimate key to happiness in this life and the hereafter. I can bet my life on that. 

And you know what? I also believe that its not quantity but quality that brings us closer to our dreams to be in Jannah. How deeply passionate we are in doing what we are obligated to do, how heartfelt sincerely we feel when we are doing the good deeds. 

Our life on earth is a continuous battle against the evil to stay on the right path and fix our heart to be "pure" and it will continue to be a battle right until we die. Sounds daunting, doesn't it? 

The good news is that as long as we totally believe in Allah and no one but Allah, and continuously  strive to fix our hearts and stay on the right path, (by the way this is also a form of Jihad), insya-Allah we will gain Blessings (Rahmah)  from Him. His Blessings is all that we need. The reward that we seek. The "password" for our happiness in life on earth and the hereafter. 

Shall I share with you a secret? If we read the Quran, there are many hints on how to gain Allah's blessing and all that we need is to just do them. But of course, its not plain sailing as we also have you -know-who (yup. Just like he-who-shall-not-be-name in Harry Porter) who will also strive to keep us astray.

Personally, there are days when I feel that I am ready to leave this world for the hereafter and then there are days when I fear that I will surely be thrown into the Fire. 

May Allah accepts all our good deeds and heartfelt repentance and be among the chosen ones to be given His Blessings and Mercy.

Aameen.

     

The Law of Physics

The sketch below made me smile. I am not sure how the "purity" is measured but its amusing anyhow, 

even though I am not a practising Physicist. My Mathematician friends would be grinning from ear to ear. 

But as I mentioned in my last post, I would have taken up Social Science if I had known better. Even if its at the bottom of the "food chain". 😝

I learnt about Social Science from a class that I attended last week. In fact I got the piece below from the Social Science class. The two weeks training was on the Technique of Translation. And there are technical streams for us to master apart from the general text; Science and Technology, Law, Social Science, Mass Communication as well as Creative Writing. I find that law is the most difficult as it has a specific jargon to adhere to but the rest are fairly straight forward to translate as long as you have a good command of the languange that you are translating to. But thats where the problem lies. To choose the correct words that gives an accurate message.  

And thats how I was introduced to Social Science. 

Someone told me that its not too late to take up a degree even at my age. Funny thing is that's exactly what I told my girls. Its never too late to learn or start something new. Like learning how to play the piano or roller blading. But they are in their twenties while I am in my late fifties. Even though it not something impossible, doing a second degree in Social Science will be right at the bottom of my to-do list. 

Top of the list now is to get my assignment done and submitted before the due date. This translation course is tougher than the Coaching course. The exam especially. 

The result will be in a month's time. So lets see how well or how badly I have done.

Untill then... See you in the next post!

NORCAT Reunion 2015

Lately the subject of my major in Physics kept coming up in discussions for some reasons or other. 

Truth be told, I was never an ambitious person even from school. I had no burning desire to be anything in particular like some friends who had dreams to be nothing but doctors or architects etc etc. When I was offered a scholarship to further my study in England I applied for the course in Engineering on my father's advise but was finally offered to do Physics since my MCE result showed that I was good in that. And I  took the offer without a second thought.

Last week I was introduced to a subject called Social Science. It suddenly dawned on me that this would be the subject that I would go for if I have known what I know today. Its a subject that would be closer to my heart. Something that I can be passionate about. Physics in school to me was very fundamental and came naturally to me hence I was able to do my exam well but it was never a passion like some of my college friends who are now Professors in some local universities. Most of them are doing pretty well, I am proud to say.

But whatever it is, Allah has mapped my path as such and I am grateful for how much I have achieved. I was not even ambitious while I was working. I carried out my job the best that I could without eyeing any particular position but I was given the opportunity to lead a few strategic divisions and even a couple of subsidiaries. Alhamdulillah.

Anyways, talking about the overseas study, I did my A levels in Norfolk College of Arts and Technology, as it was called then, with 14 others and last Sunday we had a reunion, a few meeting up for the first time.  We had fun reminiscing. Its heartwarming to see everyone with families as old as we were when we first met. 

Till we meet again, meanwhile stay healthy and continue to be great! insya-Allah.

And salam maal hijrah everyone. May the new year brings greater success in this world and the hereafter. Aameen. 

      

AS LIFE GOES BY (Part 2)

October. Before you know it, it will be December. So, what have I done worthy of mention? Mmmm....

For sure the event of the year was my daughter's engagement in August. And maybe my impromptu trip to Perth in April is worth a mention since I had a wonderful time despite it all. And also the first Abdul Jalil family reunion. And my school batch reunion. Strengthening the relationship with family and friends are definitely worth the time and effort. 

Other than that I must say that I have attended several training programs throughout the year such that I think the total number is more than the training courses that I attended the last 10 years when I was in the office. The wonderful thing about these programs is that not only I have gained knowledge but also new friends. Marvelous! 

For sure October is going to be a busy month. It would have been busier if not for the haze, since outdoor activities have to be avoided. 

Anyways, back to my post about a month ago (As Life Goes By), I have yet to make any headway in my traveling plan before the end of the year. A couple of destinations came to mind but somehow nothing is finalised as yet. My travelling buddy has limited number of leave and that limits us to short range destination. Still, I am pretty sure there will be light at the end of the tunnel soon. 

Meanwhile, I must browse the shops (and the internet) for a good compact camera with wifi function. Its really a must have feature now. I am green with envy whenever I see a great snapshot from someone else's instagram. Definitely cannot afford to upgrade my DSLR yet for now though. Anyway, I need a lighter camera for ease of travelling. Which would also enable me to even carry it around in my cycling rounds when the weather is no longer hazardous. (I am also missing my coffee time on the deck at home! Sigh...)

Before I call it a night, just want to wish my friends in the office, GOOD LUCK! with the year end events to chase the numbers! The last 3 months of the year is surely going to be hectic months with not just making ends meet for the current year but also struggling with business plan for the following year. Wooooooo.......! 

Hang tough my friends! Just give me a holler when you need to 'let off steam' and I shall buy you a cup of coffee or two. I promise! InsyaAllah.

Good nite. Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bug bite. 

         

I BELIEVE

I never believe in luck. And I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in fate. And I believe in Allah. 

Ever since the demise of my husband, most of the time I will just go with the flow. Whenever I feel strongly about something, I will take the shot without giving too much thought. Like that time when I decided to call it quit from work. Even though I didnt have any concrete plan of what I am going to do next. Since then I continue to carry on doing what my heart tells me. What ever and whenever I feel its the right thing to do. Whatever I feel strongly about. So far I have not gotten into any trouble yet. 😁

Anyways, to cut a long story short, one of those situation occurred and I found myself in a 3 days character building program, a Leadership Training. Yeah ok. I don't need anymore training you may say. But I was interested to learn more about ESQ (Emotional Spiritual quotient). And I am really glad that I did. 

Its all about realignment of our focus and priority. Correcting our ethics and integrity. Working our ways towards a successful journey of life in this world as well as the hereafter at the same time. 

I totally agree what the trainer said that we lack the spiritual strength to be a better person more so to be good leaders. In most training that I have personally attended in 30 years of my working life the focus were more to developed our technical or emotional skill. Hence its so refreshing to be in a program that emphasise on the spiritual aspect in life before everything else. And I honestly feel that this type of program should be introduced in school. Of course to be customised to the younger mind. Definitely better to start them at the tender age and get them in the right footing straight away. 

(Later on I found that there are existing programs for primary schoolers as well as teenagers.  I am so going to recommend this to family and friends.) 

Personally, the program has strengthen my believe in fate and faith. Afterall every success that we achieved can only happen with the blessing of our Creator. Hence He should always come first.  

And also, the fact that it's ok to follow your heart as long as there is no greed, hatred or jealousy hidden in the corner. There is an abundance of wealth to go round for everyone! And the hereafter is the ultimate goal anyway. 

May Allah grant us the success and happiness that we seek in this world and the hereafter. 

Aameen. 

P.S. If anyone interested to know more please look up about the program www.actconsulting.com.my

AS LIFE GOES BY (Part 1)

Its been more than a year since I left the office and I guess its high time that I have to seriously plan what to do for the rest of my life. Apart from drinking coffee on the deck or the balcony, I mean. 

Some friends warned me that I will start to feel bored after a year of doing nothing and I must say that I am  starting to feel restless. But truth be told, I am not quite restless enough to find a job though. I kind of enjoy the luxury of having the leisure of doing anything I like at anytime I want. Whats getting me antsy is that I am not travelling as much as I like to. 

In one of my earlier post I have listed down places that I would like to go and I have not been to anyone of them at all. Japan was in the schedule in this year's trip but my travelling buddies have changed jobs and unable to take long leave. The sakura blossom has to be postponed to another year.

Then there is an opportunity to go to Ireland in October. But with the currency going crazy England is not a good choice of destination for the time being. Strike 2.

And if the currency doesn't get any better next year, my plan trip to Canada and US with some friends may also have to be canceled. Strike 3. Sigh...

So I am thinking very hard of a destination that is safe to travel alone. Or take a tour package. Mmmm... Maybe I should check out Matta Fair tomorrow.

Anyways, while watching LI or Life Inspired channel last few days, I am inspired to get back into photography. Actually travel and photography go very well hand in hand. So I guess I have to plan something closer to home to embark in a photography trip. An hour drive can take me to the waterfall in Ulu Langat. A two hours will take me to Melaka. 

Maybe I should join a photography club that organises trips in beautiful country site in the neighbouring countries. Like Mount Bromo in Surabaya for example. Mmmm.... I wonder... Is there an age limit to be a member? With a knee problem to boot. Do I climb a mountain trail or is there a bus to go up? Mmm... 

(To be continued)

FRIENDS FOR LIFE

I guess its a matter preference and/or priority.

I was asked by one of my girls how important are friends after one is married. Of course I said, Very important! Especially girlfriends. The kind who are with you during the rough times in your life. 

I am indeed fortunate to have friends for all occasions. Friends for coffee. Friends to complain to. Friends to go shopping with. Friends to share my grievances with. Friends for travelling. Friends for learning. Friends for all occasion and any occasion. Yup. I am indeed so very blessed. 

One of my girls was complaining that its difficult to see some of her friends once they are married. Well, newly weds need some adjustment in their time management. And they would have a different set or new priorities, I said. And its just too bad if your friend is married to someone who is not too fond of you. Ha ha..

Last weekend my baby girl went for an overnight trip with 5 of her girlfriends from school. All of them have gone their separate ways, studying in different universities in different states but they make sure that that they meet up during certain events and occasions and in addition they always plan a weekend getaway once a year. I told her that it would be good if they could continue the friendship even after everyone are busy with work and family 10 or 20 years to come. 

And just recently, I met up with two of my former housemates. We remain long distance friends but hardly ever see each other nor heard of each other more than 10 years at times. But when we do, it's like we never parted and its like we get on where we left off. It's hilarious at times because everyone would talk at the same time, so anxious we are to tell and hear each others' stories.

Thats the kind of friends I hope my two girls will keep. Whatever the future holds, we need to maintain great relationships with both family/siblings and friends. Mind you, there may be occasions where friends may even overrides family. Like when you need help but need the family to be in the dark (until the time is right to break the news).

Anyways, I have gone through some pretty rough patch myself to know the importance of having good and fast friends. So its not just on hearsay. 

I am brain tired. Lets call it a night. Good night! Zzzz...

SHE IS ENGAGED!

It's the last day of Shawal. My guess is there will be many open houses today which will create a phenomena of heavy traffic during the week end every year in Shawal since the last few years. But you know what? I bet there will still be open houses tomorrow! 😁

Shawal this year has brought about some pretty precious moments in my life. And one of them,  which I would say is the event of the year for me and my little family. Yeah. You may have guessed it. One of my precious girls got enagaged! I believe that every parents would awaits for this event no matter how much you love our children and even wish that they don't grow up so fast. That mix feeling blessedness and woe when the time comes for their children to leave for a new journey of their life. Memories of their growing up years filled with poignant yet proud moments flashed accross our mind. 

Anyhow, we had planned for a simple event and alhamdulillah, in the presence of our immediate family and close relatives, the momentous event took place in our humble home. Thanks to the help of members of the family, the event went about smoothly. And even the weather was on our side. Praise to Allah. 

We are actually extremely fortunate that we have talented family members. The 3 most important part of any engagement event are the (engagement) dress, the "hantaran" and the F&B. The F&B was done by my sister and brother-in-law; husband and wife catering team, the beautuful dress was done by Hanna's cousin who has a boutique in Kota Damansara and the gorgeous hantaran were done by another talented and creative cousin (who is only doing this part time, by the way). 

Arent we the lucky ones....! ❤️

TQ Allah. 

And when will the wedding day be, you ask? InsyaAllah, it will a year from now. The actual date depends very much on when we get a hall booked. For a wedding, that is the most important part; to get a venue of the right size, location and price. Once thats confirmed, the rest will follow... 😉

All I wish for is that the union of the young and hopeful couple is given the blessings from Allah. 

Aameen.

Eids Mubarak 2015

I was sadden with a heartbreaking news this morning. A friend lost her only son at a tender age of 19. As a mother, I am pretty sure it will take sometime for her to get over the lost. And suddenly it reminded me of my own lost two years ago. Two years ago today we were still talking to him and the next day he was gone. Life goes on and we forget the pain and the feeling of lost but every now and then there will be reminders. Just like today. And the heart feels heavy again. 

But then again, losing a husband and losing a child are two different experience altogether. Mind you I am only guessing. The bond of a mother and a child is unbroken and thus the feeling of lost and sadness would not be so easy to overcome. May Allah bless her with an abundance of patience and acceptance. Aameen. 

So much sadness during the time of festivities. Actually, it has not been much of a celebration for me and my little family either. Not because we are mourning the absence of the head of the family, but because my wonder girl is stricken with chicken pox. Yup. You can say that again. So travelling plan was cancelled and we hold a close door policy to prevent visitors from getting infected. And the quarantine has left the chicken pox girl getting bored and listless. For someone who loves sports and the outdoor activites, this is really a trying time for her. So me and her little sister try our best to keep her occupied and as comfortable as possible.

So, there is no raya family photo this year. And we decided to keep the raya dresses for another special occasion. And definitely by then there will be pictures of our happy little family. InsyaAllah. 

Anyways, I hope that everyone else has a marvellous time with their loved ones during Eids. Please do drive safely on your way back to the city. 

            

Family Special

Ramadhan Kareem

Its almost half way down the road of ramadhan. Ramadhan is the month for me to reflect and ponder. How to be a better person in the eye of our Creator. How to reach the ultimate goal of getting that special place in jannah. And how to lead and live a better life until then. 

I often wonder how much time I have left in this world... And at times I kind of look forward to the afterlife, looking at how the world can be so unkind at times and there are so much suffering in some places. But then again there will be much severe suffering for some in the hereafter too. So lets just focus in earning as much good deeds in this life for a better life in the hereafter, shall we? I am sure that there are lessons to be learnt in everthing that happens in this world right now. Allah knows best. Yes, He does.

Ramadhan now also hold a special reminder to me. The demise of a loved one. Mind you that its not a sad reminder. Nor a happy one. Just a reminder.  Thats all. Life goes on. But the memory lingers on, I have to admit.

On a happy note, this year my baby girl celebrated her birthday during ramadhan. We didnt get to have  a proper dinner celebration until she completed her exam. She is now officially a young adult. Her internship which is part of the university requirement is also to me, a step into the working life. Yup. She needs to be working on to be a responsible young adult. InsyaAllah.

At the same time my wonder girl is also getting along nicely. Happily adjusted to the working life while taking time out to spend on her favourite things. Mainly keeping up with fitness and health activities as well as making someone pretty. Or prettier. 😊

(Why I call her my wonder girl? Being the older of the two, she worries about her baby sister, she feels responsible over me since the demise of her father, and she is someone who makes sound decision at such a tender age! She has inherited her father's analytical mind.)

Well then, there is still many days left of Ramadhan. Lets strive to do as much good deeds as possible and pray that our deeds are accepted and earn us a place in jannah. Aameen.

Sight and Places to remember

As promised you will find some of my favorite photos taken during my adventure to Perth. My second girl who happened to be on her term break for a week went along with me and became my body guard, tour guide (as planning the  itinerary for each day)as well as my model for my photography (to make the photos more "alive"). A scenery photos no matter how beautifully captured will be just another pretty postcard pic without a "subject".

Anyhow, the photos below are arranged accordingly to the places that we went while we were in Perth. Most of the places of interest that we went to were decided upon by Syaza after her intense google search prior to our departure. Right up to how to get there. And back. of course. Fortunately Perth offered a good transport system and we were able to get by with not much of problem. It helped tremendously too that the locals are more than happy to extend a helping hand. All the bus drivers and train officers (or whatever you call them) that we encountered were ever so very friendly

The first destination was Fremantle. The day was forecasted to be wet on occasion so we were ready with umbrellas and jackets. We were on the look out for the Market and the famous fish and chip shop.

The next day was decided to be an indoor destination as it forecasted to rain. We went to Hillary Harbour where there is an aquarium. Creatures of the sea are always a joy to "be with". 

           

   

On Monday a friend who works in Perth offered to show us around Perth and took us to Kings Park. It was a bright sunny day, just the right day day to spend in a park.

Later on we had enough time to visit the Zoo. We came back on the ferry back to town and pass by the Bell Tower. From the ferry we get a good view of the city skyline (picture below)

The next day was the much awaited trip to Caversham Wild life Park. This is the place that tourist must go if you want to be up close and personal with the local animals namely the Koalas and Kangaroos. But don't forget the wombats too.

The next 3 days, we had the golden opportunity to go for a short trip to the south of Perth to the town named Busselton. My host and former classmate took the trouble to stop along the way to capture the sight and view. It was such a memorable trip. There are so many wonderful photos from this journey that I shall have a specila feature on its own later on. 

We were back in Perth on Friday in time for the wedding reception the following day. It was a beautiful day for a garden wedding and it was a beautiful wedding in deed. And we even had some time in the afternoon for a last stroll in Perth city as well as a little last minute shopping. 

All in all, it was a tremendously enjoyable trip, a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

Would certainly like to be back for more adventure some day.  InsyaAllah

Oh! Happy Day!

Its was months of preparation for our school batch reunion and family day. It was just an overnight affair with a formal dinner and some family fun the next morning. But it is not as simple as one may think to get it done. 

But the day finally came and went. It was a relief that it went pretty well with a good weather on our side. The BBQ nite was not hindered by rain and the telematch was so much fun on the beach with the cool sea breeze. 

Alhamdulillah. Allah has given us his  blessings. Indeed. 

It was an extra happy day for me as it was also my birthday. Its sure was fun to celebrate one's birthday with your friends and classmates from 40 years ago. And my two precious girls were with me too. 

And they also have my favourite flowers and cakes waiting for me when we reached home. 

Thank you Allah for all your blessings. May my heart stays true only to You, may I forever be a humble and loyal servant and may I be eternally gratefully for even the littlest things that You have bestowed upon me. Aameen. ❤️

P.S. Note on above: The official group photo taken in front of the Resort before dinner. A couple of our friends were late and their photos were added in magically. This is the original photo. Hee...

Memories made in Heaven

Pictures paint a thousand words they say. For me, beautiful photos or paintings are a real pleasure. Although I have to admit that there some scenery that are simply too difficult to be captured on paper. 

Nevertheless these are some photos that I take pleasure in seeing again and again from my trip to Canada and USA last year. (I promise to share photos from my recent trip to Perth soon). 

My first stopover was Winnipeg. It was a cold city and didnt feel like its spring time at all. Nevertheless I had a good time staying with an old school friend with her young family. Photos above are places that we went sightseeing. 

A week later I flew to Ottawa to stay with another old friend. We used to work for the same company and played a lot of tennis together. Ottawa was more colourful and a lot greener! What I love most was the tulips garden which I was lucky enough to see as it was on the last week of bloom. But the excitement of the week was the sighting of a wild bear with her baby in Gattenue Park. 

And on my third week I was in Dallas with yet another good friend. (Good friend are also made in heaven!). It certainly was a lot warmer in Dallas and I was fortunate that my host took me to the Aboretum. Beautiful and colourful flowers everywhere that I didnt want to leave the park. 

Anyway, I do hope you find pleasure in the photos above as much as I do. Nature at its best. Amazing creation by God Almighty. 

I hope that I will have the opportunity to travel to other beautiful countries in the future. Will share the sights when I do.  InsyaAllah.