"Tahun lepas masa kawan-kawan batch saya ramai ambil PTK3, saya masih sibuk dengan baby saya. Tak apa lah lambat sikit kak, rezeki kita lain-lain"
And I couldn't help agreeing with her.
So, I'm late in attending PTK3, hence late in getting my confirmation. So what?
Allah has provided my family and I with ample sustenance, alhamdulillah.
I might have earned less than colleagues from the same batch in terms of monthly salary - but in the past three years Allah has given my family enough to:
- assist FIL in paying his debts of quite a substantial amount;
- buy a Toyota Wish, a Sony Vaio laptop (and got Dell XPS as a gift), a Canon Digital Kiss camera
- save enough to pay for the car's freight, tax, and what nots without having to take a Bank Rakyat loan; and
- go travel/sightsee a little bit while we were in Japan.
I guess there is more to life than merely earning a lot. And I'm not even comparing myself to friends from the corporate world - it goes without saying that many of them are earning a lot more. Still, I believe in the concept of barakah and I always pray that Allah gives me and my family rezeki with barakah.
We might not earn as much as others do - but we find our earning enough. Our children are in good health, there is not much trouble with the car, nor much trouble with the house.
We might not earn as much as others do - but we do not find ourselves terribly burdened by debts. Apart from my housing loan, we do not have to pay for study loans or personal loans or even credit card debts. So, we spend according to our limited capability, but we don't feel belittled by the little that we earn.
"Sikit tapi mencukupi", alhamdulillah.
And to me, that is a sign of barakah, insya Allah...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
PTK 3
Dear Jue,
Thanks for your vote of confidence in me to excel in my PTK3.
To tell you the truth - I've felt a bit uncomfortable on the first day of the course since I could not detect even one familiar face from our batch. The participants were mostly from 2004 batch - and that somehow made me feel a bit old... (Later, I found out that the most senior among us was a guy from 1996 batch. He joked that while his friends had already sat for PTK4, he had taken PTK (1) 4 times) Anyway, me being the extrovert me, I've felt better and already made some new friends by the end of the first day.
Public speaking - as you had guessed - was not a big problem for me. I think I did okay in both BM and English sessions. Not great - just okay. But that's okay with me, given that I only woke up at 4 a.m. on the morning of the BM public speaking session day and 3 a.m. on the English public speaking session day to prepare my speech. FYI, I chose to talk about healthcare for pregnant mothers in BM, and homestay and strenghtening cultural identity was the topic for my English public speaking. Out of 10, I guess I would self-rate myself to be around 7 - 8. Not great, but not too bad, right?
I was among the few in my group to finish my individual presentation - on Malaysia's challenges and strategies to become a global halal hub - within the 10 minutes allocated for us. In fact, I was the first in my group to do that. I guess that explained why the panelist didn't complain too much about my simple slides - since one of them had just commented on how we should keep to the given 10 minutes not too long before I started mine. I would self-rate my presentation to be around 7 - 7.5. My slides were not wordy - I presented valid points, gave a lot of explanation, but my slides were not self-explanatory. And you know how some panelist prefer slides to be self-explanatory...
I think my group didn't do too bad for group presentation. And in a way, I'm glad that we were not bombarded with lots and lots of questions from the panelist. Some groups had to stand up for ages - to answer queries from the panelists until the panelists were satisfied with the answers given. What with my current state of fatness, I must admit that I could not afford to stand up for too long. (Good thing that the organizer took this into consideration and let the 3 preggie mommies to sit together with other panelist, penghulu and group leaders when we took the group photo).
It might sound like all okay - but Jue, I honestly think I did poorly for the exam. Yes, I managed to answer 5 questions in the exam, but I am not confident of making good marks in even one of the questions. It was THAT bad.
Still, I hope and I pray that I will pass the exam. It would be a hassle to sit for the exam again. Thanks for your vote of confidence in me anyway - and I hope your prayer that I will pass this PTK will come true, insya Allah
Thanks for your vote of confidence in me to excel in my PTK3.
To tell you the truth - I've felt a bit uncomfortable on the first day of the course since I could not detect even one familiar face from our batch. The participants were mostly from 2004 batch - and that somehow made me feel a bit old... (Later, I found out that the most senior among us was a guy from 1996 batch. He joked that while his friends had already sat for PTK4, he had taken PTK (1) 4 times) Anyway, me being the extrovert me, I've felt better and already made some new friends by the end of the first day.
Public speaking - as you had guessed - was not a big problem for me. I think I did okay in both BM and English sessions. Not great - just okay. But that's okay with me, given that I only woke up at 4 a.m. on the morning of the BM public speaking session day and 3 a.m. on the English public speaking session day to prepare my speech. FYI, I chose to talk about healthcare for pregnant mothers in BM, and homestay and strenghtening cultural identity was the topic for my English public speaking. Out of 10, I guess I would self-rate myself to be around 7 - 8. Not great, but not too bad, right?
I was among the few in my group to finish my individual presentation - on Malaysia's challenges and strategies to become a global halal hub - within the 10 minutes allocated for us. In fact, I was the first in my group to do that. I guess that explained why the panelist didn't complain too much about my simple slides - since one of them had just commented on how we should keep to the given 10 minutes not too long before I started mine. I would self-rate my presentation to be around 7 - 7.5. My slides were not wordy - I presented valid points, gave a lot of explanation, but my slides were not self-explanatory. And you know how some panelist prefer slides to be self-explanatory...
I think my group didn't do too bad for group presentation. And in a way, I'm glad that we were not bombarded with lots and lots of questions from the panelist. Some groups had to stand up for ages - to answer queries from the panelists until the panelists were satisfied with the answers given. What with my current state of fatness, I must admit that I could not afford to stand up for too long. (Good thing that the organizer took this into consideration and let the 3 preggie mommies to sit together with other panelist, penghulu and group leaders when we took the group photo).
It might sound like all okay - but Jue, I honestly think I did poorly for the exam. Yes, I managed to answer 5 questions in the exam, but I am not confident of making good marks in even one of the questions. It was THAT bad.
Still, I hope and I pray that I will pass the exam. It would be a hassle to sit for the exam again. Thanks for your vote of confidence in me anyway - and I hope your prayer that I will pass this PTK will come true, insya Allah
Do unto others...
"There are no longer any lauk but beef, and they cannot eat beef. Kesian...", Farizan noted as she sat down.
We were at PICC, attending PTK 3 course. By "they", Farizan was referring to Suresh, Subes and Kumar, three Hindu guys in our group. Compared to other groups, we were late in taking our lunch that day, which explained the lack of 'lauk' refill.
My head immediately turned to the main table reserved for the panelists. Seemed like they had finished their lunch, leaving just one of the organizer chatting to one of the panelists. I walked towards them and my hunch was right - there were still plenty of chicken and fish among the leftover lauk at the main table.
"There're not much lauk at the buffet line except for beef, and those guys over there cannot eat beef. Would it be okay if they help themselves with the chicken and fish here?"
"Oh, yes, sure!"
So I called out for the boys - Suresh, Subes and Kumar - who initially were malu-malu kucing to come to the main table, but came anyway, and seemed glad to have other lauk in their plate apart from some limp veggies.
"It's good to have someone from JPA in our group, after all", Farizan said when I returned to my seat. I smiled. Being from the same department with the organizer of the course had nothing to do with me trying to look for alternatives for the boys. I think being somewhat more senior than them - in terms of batch and age - somehow automatically put me in a "kakak" position, and it's a duty of an elder sister to look after the younger ones, right?
I guess, being part of the minority in Japan has taught me to be more sensitive and aware of the needs for minority. I had been touched by non Muslim friends who checked with me first on the suitability of a particular makan place before we go out together. I had been touched by Hien who took extra effort to prepare seafood based spring rolls especially for me when she prepared meat based ones for the rest of our Nihongo Ichi class. I had been touched by a zemi-mate who ordered sea food pizza just because she did not want to offend me since we were sitting opposite each other in the restaurant when most of the gang ordered steak.
The least I could do is to do unto others as what others have done unto me before.
We were at PICC, attending PTK 3 course. By "they", Farizan was referring to Suresh, Subes and Kumar, three Hindu guys in our group. Compared to other groups, we were late in taking our lunch that day, which explained the lack of 'lauk' refill.
My head immediately turned to the main table reserved for the panelists. Seemed like they had finished their lunch, leaving just one of the organizer chatting to one of the panelists. I walked towards them and my hunch was right - there were still plenty of chicken and fish among the leftover lauk at the main table.
"There're not much lauk at the buffet line except for beef, and those guys over there cannot eat beef. Would it be okay if they help themselves with the chicken and fish here?"
"Oh, yes, sure!"
So I called out for the boys - Suresh, Subes and Kumar - who initially were malu-malu kucing to come to the main table, but came anyway, and seemed glad to have other lauk in their plate apart from some limp veggies.
"It's good to have someone from JPA in our group, after all", Farizan said when I returned to my seat. I smiled. Being from the same department with the organizer of the course had nothing to do with me trying to look for alternatives for the boys. I think being somewhat more senior than them - in terms of batch and age - somehow automatically put me in a "kakak" position, and it's a duty of an elder sister to look after the younger ones, right?
I guess, being part of the minority in Japan has taught me to be more sensitive and aware of the needs for minority. I had been touched by non Muslim friends who checked with me first on the suitability of a particular makan place before we go out together. I had been touched by Hien who took extra effort to prepare seafood based spring rolls especially for me when she prepared meat based ones for the rest of our Nihongo Ichi class. I had been touched by a zemi-mate who ordered sea food pizza just because she did not want to offend me since we were sitting opposite each other in the restaurant when most of the gang ordered steak.
The least I could do is to do unto others as what others have done unto me before.
Fat
"So, when are you due?"
"February, insya Allah"
"Ooh... I thought you are already in your full term..."
I know, I know - this time around I've really put on lots and lots of weight. I've added more than 15kg, and still counting. Jue said that it could be a sign that it's going to be a girl. "You look different too," or so Jue claimed. Well, I guess I do look chubbier...
Two ultra sound scans since October, but the baby simply refused to disclose its gender to us. I am more than aware how strong the "male force" is in hubby's family (his eldest sister, second eldest sister, and younger brother, all had to wait for baby number 5 to get their first daughter), so I've learned not to put much hope on getting a girl. (But of course it would be nice to get a girl after two lasak boys)
Anyway, despite putting on lots of weight, some same old problems still recurred - the low count of hemoglobin in my blood for example. And the blood pressure being on the low side making it easy for me to feel tired (and almost fainted once).
I need to increase my calcium, iron, folic acid and fibre intake.
And lessen my sugar intake.
But why do I crave for sweets and ice cream more and more now?
"February, insya Allah"
"Ooh... I thought you are already in your full term..."
I know, I know - this time around I've really put on lots and lots of weight. I've added more than 15kg, and still counting. Jue said that it could be a sign that it's going to be a girl. "You look different too," or so Jue claimed. Well, I guess I do look chubbier...
Two ultra sound scans since October, but the baby simply refused to disclose its gender to us. I am more than aware how strong the "male force" is in hubby's family (his eldest sister, second eldest sister, and younger brother, all had to wait for baby number 5 to get their first daughter), so I've learned not to put much hope on getting a girl. (But of course it would be nice to get a girl after two lasak boys)
Anyway, despite putting on lots of weight, some same old problems still recurred - the low count of hemoglobin in my blood for example. And the blood pressure being on the low side making it easy for me to feel tired (and almost fainted once).
I need to increase my calcium, iron, folic acid and fibre intake.
And lessen my sugar intake.
But why do I crave for sweets and ice cream more and more now?
Selamat Tahun Baru?
In Turkey;
In Malaysia???
Personally, I think Malaysia should cancel big New Year celebration the way we did it in 2005, not long after the tsunami incident in South East Asia. Just to show support and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Palestine...
By the way, if you're thinking of donating for Palestinians, Aman Palestin can help you do so. Funds could be transferred to the following:
Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad
A/C No: 12029010047880; or
MayBank
A/C No: 562263010787
Istanbul cancels New Year party due to Israeli
attacksANKARA, Dec. 29 - Turkey on Monday canceled the planned New Year celebrations in its famous Taksim Square in the largest Turkish city of Istanbul amid the deadly Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, local newspaper Hurriyet reported. A statement issued by the Istanbul municipality said "The New Year celebrations program organized by Istanbul municipality in Taksim Square on Dec. 31, 2008 has been cancelled due to the latest developments in our region."
Turkey's leaders have been condemning Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, urging it to end its violence immediately. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has described the move was a crime against humanity.
Israel unleashed on Saturday a massive air campaign against Hamas targets in retaliation for ongoing rocket fire from its Gaza Strip stronghold, one of the most densely populated places on earth.
At least 51 civilians are among the victims of the Israeli blitz on Hamas-run Gaza that has so far killed more than 310 people, the United Nations said.
In Malaysia???
Personally, I think Malaysia should cancel big New Year celebration the way we did it in 2005, not long after the tsunami incident in South East Asia. Just to show support and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Palestine...
By the way, if you're thinking of donating for Palestinians, Aman Palestin can help you do so. Funds could be transferred to the following:
Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad
A/C No: 12029010047880; or
MayBank
A/C No: 562263010787
Thursday, December 11, 2008
4our things...
As tagged by Kit.
Four things about me that you may or may not know…..
Four jobs I have had in my life
1. Babysitter - for my cousins during balik kampung time, and for children of post-graduate students when I was an undergraduate...
2. Cleaner - part-time job as an undergraduate
3. Bakery assistant - another part time job during my days in Leeds (and later Manchester, a couple of months before returning to Malaysia. It was during recession period 1998, so Mak advised me to make as much money as possible even if it was just by doing 'kerja kilang')
4. Writer for a research company
Four movies/ TV series I could watch over and over
1. Star Wars
2. Bujang Lapok
3.While You Were Sleeping
4. Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (this is because I have no choice when Huzaifah insisted "nak Thomas")
Four places I've lived in
1. Kelang Lama, Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia
2. Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
3. Leeds, UK
4. Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan
Four places I have been to
1. Mount Kinabalu
2. Mount Fuji (although I didn't get to climb it)
3. Not far from Swiss Alps
4. Siem Reap
Four main sources of e-mail
1. Those on ex-schoolmate's mailing list
2. Geng usrah
3. Friendsters/FB's notifications
4. Air Asia on promotions
Four of my favourite food
1. Laksa, especially made by Mak Tam
2. Chicken rice
3. Cheesecake
4. Ice cream
Four places I would rather be right now
1. At home with hubby and the kids
2. At a nice beach with hubby and the kids
3. Enjoying a chit chat at a nice restaurant with close girl friends
3. Discussing good books with fellow book lover in a bookstore
Four people kena tag
1. Dakwanie
2. Faizly aka Sabah
3. Ahkak Zurr
4. Zarin
Four things about me that you may or may not know…..
Four jobs I have had in my life
1. Babysitter - for my cousins during balik kampung time, and for children of post-graduate students when I was an undergraduate...
2. Cleaner - part-time job as an undergraduate
3. Bakery assistant - another part time job during my days in Leeds (and later Manchester, a couple of months before returning to Malaysia. It was during recession period 1998, so Mak advised me to make as much money as possible even if it was just by doing 'kerja kilang')
4. Writer for a research company
Four movies/ TV series I could watch over and over
1. Star Wars
2. Bujang Lapok
3.While You Were Sleeping
4. Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (this is because I have no choice when Huzaifah insisted "nak Thomas")
Four places I've lived in
1. Kelang Lama, Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia
2. Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
3. Leeds, UK
4. Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan
Four places I have been to
1. Mount Kinabalu
2. Mount Fuji (although I didn't get to climb it)
3. Not far from Swiss Alps
4. Siem Reap
Four main sources of e-mail
1. Those on ex-schoolmate's mailing list
2. Geng usrah
3. Friendsters/FB's notifications
4. Air Asia on promotions
Four of my favourite food
1. Laksa, especially made by Mak Tam
2. Chicken rice
3. Cheesecake
4. Ice cream
Four places I would rather be right now
1. At home with hubby and the kids
2. At a nice beach with hubby and the kids
3. Enjoying a chit chat at a nice restaurant with close girl friends
3. Discussing good books with fellow book lover in a bookstore
Four people kena tag
1. Dakwanie
2. Faizly aka Sabah
3. Ahkak Zurr
4. Zarin
Friday, December 05, 2008
Selamat Hari Raya Korban
Wishing all Muslim readers, wherever you are, a happy and blessed Eidul Adha.
Here's praying that those on hajj will get haji mabrur,
while the rest of us will ponder upon the significance of Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice...
He was not merely asked to sacrifice his son, but his most beloved son - as noted in the way he addressed Prophet Ismail, "ya bunayya" (my beloved son) and not "ya ibni" (my son)...
#####
Hubby had been asked to lead the solat raya Eidul Adha in Seremban this year (after two consecutive years of being the imam in Tokyo). Hopefully Allah will guide him to produce (or at least edit) a khutbah that will give lasting impression on the jemaah this year...
#####
Note to Che Lee - our stuff (and the car) from Tokyo finally arrived at Port Klang yesterday, alhamdulillah. We've already gotten the AP - so if all goes as planned, we might get the stuff out from the port tomorrow and the car by next week or the week after. Please pray that everything will go smoothly and the tax bearable...
Note to Basya, Hiday, Emi and all who had left a message for me through FB - I have not been able to access FB lately, so feel free to email me; aezack.at.gmail.dot.com.
Here's praying that those on hajj will get haji mabrur,
while the rest of us will ponder upon the significance of Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice...
He was not merely asked to sacrifice his son, but his most beloved son - as noted in the way he addressed Prophet Ismail, "ya bunayya" (my beloved son) and not "ya ibni" (my son)...
#####
Hubby had been asked to lead the solat raya Eidul Adha in Seremban this year (after two consecutive years of being the imam in Tokyo). Hopefully Allah will guide him to produce (or at least edit) a khutbah that will give lasting impression on the jemaah this year...
#####
Note to Che Lee - our stuff (and the car) from Tokyo finally arrived at Port Klang yesterday, alhamdulillah. We've already gotten the AP - so if all goes as planned, we might get the stuff out from the port tomorrow and the car by next week or the week after. Please pray that everything will go smoothly and the tax bearable...
Note to Basya, Hiday, Emi and all who had left a message for me through FB - I have not been able to access FB lately, so feel free to email me; aezack.at.gmail.dot.com.
Semalam di Singapura - the photos
Some photos from our Singapore trip...
Ujai & Akif during breakfast at Syafiq's house
Syafiq & Ujai
With Syafiq & Syafiq's mom
Syafiq's house (painted blue with nice blue sky in the background)
Maqam Habib Noh
After breakfast at Abang Mouri's place
With Abang Mouri, Kak Bedah & two of their kids, just before we left for Fort Canning
Welcome to Sentosa
Sentosa Express monorail...
... the beach tram
... the bus
Who's afraid of shark? He he he...
Fascinated by the colourful sea creatures - subhanallah!
Ujai & Akif during breakfast at Syafiq's house
Syafiq & Ujai
With Syafiq & Syafiq's mom
Syafiq's house (painted blue with nice blue sky in the background)
Maqam Habib Noh 
After breakfast at Abang Mouri's place
With Abang Mouri, Kak Bedah & two of their kids, just before we left for Fort Canning
Welcome to Sentosa
Sentosa Express monorail...
... the beach tram
... the bus
Who's afraid of shark? He he he...
Fascinated by the colourful sea creatures - subhanallah!
The large oceanarium with the travelator
Akif refused to put his hand inside the interactive feeding pool
Palawan Beach - with the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia islet in the background
White sandy beach... happy! happy!
Ujai refusing to budge from the beach when the time came to go to Dolphin Lagoon
Akif refused to put his hand inside the interactive feeding pool
Palawan Beach - with the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia islet in the background
White sandy beach... happy! happy!
Ujai refusing to budge from the beach when the time came to go to Dolphin LagoonThursday, December 04, 2008
Semalam di Singapura
(The title should be read as 'one night in Singapore' rather than 'yesterday in Singapore')
Went to Singapore for the first time in my life recently.
Big thanks to Syafiq & his family in Bandar Baru Uda, JB for accepting us (our family, my BIL and hubby's Singaporean uncle, Pak Long Majid) as their guests for a night. The same goes to Abang Mouri, Kak Bedah and family for taking us in the next night.
Jazakumullahu khairan kathira and may Allah bless...
Saturday (22 Nov) - right after breakfast, left for Kampung Melayu Majidee. Allahyarham Ustaz Dato' Ali just passed away the day before, so hubby and BIL wanted to visit his family and made some doa for him at his house.
After that we made our way to Tuas, using the SecondLink expressway as advised by Pak Long Majid. Although Tambak Johor is nearer to Kampung Melayu Majidee, Pak Long anticipated a longer queue there, and since it was almost mid-day, it could be quite a torture for the kids to wait under the hot sun. The queue in Tuas area was not that long - I guess most users could possibly be turned off by the high rate of tolls charged for SecondLink users. The immigration and custom checks were not that long, but the immigration officer reminded me to change my and Humaidi's old-fashioned passports (issued by the Malaysian Embassy in Tokyo) to new ones with chips.
Pak Long Majid helped with the car registration, making Autopass card and all once we passed the immigration check in Singapore. Not a lengthy process if one brought along all the necessary documents - copies of geran kereta, proof of car insurance, and I'm glad that Pak Long Majid had advised us in advance.
Our first stop in Singapore was Makam Habib Noh. Just as hubby & Pak Long finished making doa for the reknown ulamak, the azan for Zohor was called out, so we prayed jama' Zohor and Asar there. The masjid is rather small, but its toilets were very clean and the telekongs provided in the ladies section were clean too, which is a lot more than I can say for many small masjids in Malaysia.
Next - makan time! Pak Long took us to near Arab Street/Masjid Sultan area, where we had our lunch at Sabar Menanti Nasi Padang restaurant. Pak Long Majid's treat because the rest of us - hubby, BIL and I - had not yet changed our money into Singapore dollar. When Pak Long ordered 'nasi tambah' for us and the girl who brought the rice to our place asked for "50 cent", we all looked at each other before BIL asked the girl to claim the payment from "Pak Aji" (Pak Long had his lunch at another table because ours were already full). It was an awkward moment - not that we did not have any money, but we did not have any in Singaporean currency yet, not even 50 cent. "50 sen Malaysia adalah. Nak RM1 pun boleh. Nak RM2 pun boleh, tapi 50 cent Singapore tak ada..."
Spent some moment relaxing around Istana Kampung Gelam after lunch - Huzaifah and Humaidi had fun chasing each other around the water fountain in front of the Istana despite me calling after them not to run there since it was rather slippery and I was afraid that they might fall and hurt themselves. Good thing we didn't spend very long there.
Next, Pak Long took us (or at least acted as a tourist guide of sort as it was BIL who drove the Myvi, since Singaporeans are prohibited from driving Malaysian-registered car in Singapore ) sightseeing around Marina area, Changi, Bedok and I don't know where else. One thing that amazed me was the realization that there are so many masjids/suraus in Singapore. My guess is - it's easier to find a masjid in Singapore than in KL. Seriously!
We then visited another family friend in Tempinis, but turned out Mak Rahmah was not in, so we were entertained by her daughter and grand-daughter instead. There was a cultural performance going on the next apartment block. Hubby went to sneak a peek and found out that there was a kuda kepang show going on right then. And it was viewed by all kind of races - not mainly Malays as is the norms in Malaysia. Hmm... interesting.
It was already Asar by then, so Pak Long Majid guided us to Masjid Kassim, where Abang Mouri waited for us. From there, using his bike, Abang Mouri guided us to his apartment not far from Hou Gang Mall.
It was my first time meeting up with Abang Mouri, Kak Bedah and their children, or at least the first time I'm aware of meeting them up. (They came to our kenduri in Seremban, but there were so many guests at the kenduri that I couldn't remember). Kak Bedah told me that they have first met hubby when he acted as their tourist guide in Egypt/Syria many years ago, back when he was still a student of Al-Azhar University and their kids were still small (Helwa, the eldest is already 20 this year, Mas'ud 19 and their youngest son is about 16 if I'm not mistaken). They seemed genuinely pleased to receive us as their guests - providing yummy dinner and breakfast and taking us out for the night to view the light show along Orchard Road. The christmas lights and decorations remind me of similar presentations in Leeds, but according to Kak Bedah and Abang Mouri, this year, the christmas lights and decorations are not that spectacular due to economic downturn in Singapore.
We passed by China town, the Esplanade, the Merlion, the Singapore Flyer (a ferris wheel not that much different from Eye on Malaysia), and Abang Mouri pointed out the up and coming project of a'la Las Vegas casino in the Marina area. There is another similar project going on in Sentosa area, developed by the Genting group, but according to Abang Mouri, the one in Marina area is going slower than projected due to some financial problem/bankcruptcy of their branch in Macau.
Kak Bedah wanted to take us to Mustafa Singapore, a shopping bazaar, but by then hubby was already snoring and both Huzaifah and Humaidi too had already dozed off, so we returned back to their apartment. "Mustafa is for Singaporean what Mydin is for Malaysian, or sort of," explained Kak Bedah. Except that it is open 24/7, and grander in term of variety of stocks and the shop itself. Still, it is a lot cheaper to shop there than elsewhere in Singapore, that is why Kak Bedah thought I might want to go there and check things out for myself. By then, we already had some Singaporean dollar in hand (changed the money after lunch in Arab Street area), but since hubby was already fast asleep, maybe next time...
###
Sunday (23 Nov) - Kak Bedah told me after subuh that we almost got fined for not displaying a parking ticket in the car last night. Abang Mouri wanted to buy one midnight parking ticket, but after we returned from makan angin the previous night he forgot all about it.
Their son, Mas'ud alerted them about the presence of some 'parking offence inspectors', as he saw them upon returning home (after his shift as part-time worker at Coffee Bean was over). "Kereta Abang Amin yang mana satu? Ada tiket tak?"
Abang Mouri quickly made use of some readily available parking tickets to cover a few hours parking. Once it's Sunday morning, the parking is free in that area. Alhamdulillah we were saved from getting fined... (Singapore indeed is a 'fine' city...)
After breakfast - all of us left the house, the Malaysian rombongan to explore Singapore a bit more while the host family wanted to visit a respected tok guru who had been admitted in Seremban Specialist Hospital. The drivers exchanged notes on how to get to their respective destinations.
First stop after we left Hou Gang was Fort Canning Park. Personally I think it's a far more interesting park compared to any public park found in KL (like Lake Garden or Titiwangsa), what with its educational signboards along the 14th Century walk. It's green, it's peaceful, kids and adults get to learn some interesting botanical and historical stuff along the walk. Oh - and there's a tomb right inside the park - said to belong to Raja Iskandar Syah, a Malay ruler who might or might not have been Parameswara, the 'founder' of Melaka.
Next - Sentosa!
We decided to "cross over" to Sentosa island by taking the Sentosa Express monorail, which is sort of a treat for Huzaifah who's been missing his 'densya' a lot since we returned to Malaysia. Parked the car at HarbourFront (previously known as World Trade Center), walked to VivoCity, currently the largest shopping mall in Singapore and boarded the monorail at the Sentosa station located on L3 of VivoCity.
Stopped at Beach Station - the whole train trip took less than 5 minutes - and then took a Blue Line bus to Underwater World. We had a quick brunch (our breakfast's left over plus some biscuits) before entering the oceanarium.
Our verdict of Underwater World?
Interesting in that it offered interactive feeding pool, interactive stingray pool and it has a travelator.
But it's waaaay too pricey.
We had to pay S$22.90 for entry to both the oceanarium and dolphin lagoon. But having been to Kamogawa Sea World, I can testify that the Underwater World was more 'indah khabar dari rupa'. (Sabah - if I'd said Hakkejima Sea Paradise was a let down - this one was a bigger let down) We finished touring the whole oceanarium in about an hour, and found ourselves asking "eh, ini je ke?". Kamogawa Sea World offers better and more variety of exhibits. Oh, and more sealife shows too.
We had to catch a Red Line bus to the Dolphin Lagoon, but we arrived there about an hour before the next show was scheduled to begin, so hubby took Huzaifah and Humaidi to play on Palawan beach right next to it. BIL walked further down, crossing a suspension bridge to a small islet said to be the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia (well, at least Malaysia has Tanjung Piai, the Southernmost Point of Mainland Asia).
It was obvious that both Huzaifah and Humaidi had fun playing at Palawan beach, even when I did not let them wet themselves. I guess there's something magical about white sandy beach and salty air, inviting all to frolic in the beach...
Next - the show in Dolphin Lagoon. The difference from the dolphin shows in Kamogawa and Hakkejima? The dolphins were pink and gray, rather than black and white or gray and white. The only pink dolphin show in the world, or so claimed the commentator at the show. I would rate the show as so-so, but it's kind of difference because it was held in a 'lagoon', not in a stadium. Oh, by the way, Huzaifah was busy paying more attention to the white sand in the lagoon than the dolphins.
We decided to snap some photos at the giant Merlion, so we boarded a beach tram to the Beach Station and took the monorail to Imbiah Station. There are several attractions near Imbiah Station, with additional fees, so we just took some photos and by then Huzaifah and Humaidi both had started to get cranky and I knew they needed their nap. Thus we headed back to VivoCity.
Just as we arrived in VivoCity, hubby realised that he had forgotten his glasses, back in Imbiah Station. So he returned to look for it while the rest of us had a rest in VivoCity. Hubby approached us emptyhanded, so Pak Long Majid took him to a Sentosa management office next to the monorail station, where hubby filled up a lost-and-found form. We were asked to wait for a while, but after waiting for about 30 minutes, the guy in charge came to us and informed that there was no glasses of hubby's description found near or in any of the gents in Imbiah Station. But they will let us know if anything came up.
By then it was raining and almost 6.00 p.m., so we decided to stop and pray jamak Zohor/Asar at Masjid Teluk Blangah, which is just a stone throw away from VivoCity. After praying, we started to head back to Tuas. We crossed over to Malaysia just after Maghrib - prayed jamak Maghrib/Isyak at Gelang Patah R&R and had a quick meal there. (By then I had problem with too much 'angin', which caused me to 'sendawa' non-stop)
Stopped by at Syafiq's place to retrieve my Swatch and then we started our journey to Kota Tinggi, to visit SIL, as we earlier promised. It was Pak Long Majid's first visit to SIL's house too. Pak Long Majid insisted on going back the very night since he has to send Mak Long to the airport the next day. He said it's okay if the rest of us want to spend the night at SIL's house while he returns to Seremban by bus. But MIL already gave a stern warning to both hubby and BIL - not to, in any circumstances, let Pak Long return to Seremban by bus. Even without MIL's warning, we did not have the heart to go separate way with Pak Long after all his help in Singapore, thus we returned to Seremban that very midnight (this time around, it was my turn falling asleep on the couch before we started our journey back).
We had a good time in Singapore, alhamdulillah. It would probably be better if I get to meet up with Lina, Rudy and their lovely kids. Unfortunately Lina didn't reply my email, so we could not make plan to see each other then. Maybe next time, insya Allah...
Went to Singapore for the first time in my life recently.
Big thanks to Syafiq & his family in Bandar Baru Uda, JB for accepting us (our family, my BIL and hubby's Singaporean uncle, Pak Long Majid) as their guests for a night. The same goes to Abang Mouri, Kak Bedah and family for taking us in the next night.
Jazakumullahu khairan kathira and may Allah bless...
#####
Friday/Saturday (21/22 Nov)- arrived at Syafiq's place at around midnight. Syafiq just went to visit us in Kampung Tunku a few days before, so it was a "kunjung balas" of sort, but Syafiq went a step further by providing us a place to spend the night. Initially we thought of spending the night in Kota Tinggi, at one SIL's place. Turned out, MIL and FIL also decided to spend the weekend visiting SIL, so we changed our plan and only visited SIL after we returned from Singapore. Syafiq bought "the best otak-otak in JB" especially for us, so we cleaned one plateful of otak-otak that midnight before we hit the sack. Or at least when most of us hit the sack - hubby and Syafiq chit-chatted until around 3.00 a.m.
###Saturday (22 Nov) - right after breakfast, left for Kampung Melayu Majidee. Allahyarham Ustaz Dato' Ali just passed away the day before, so hubby and BIL wanted to visit his family and made some doa for him at his house.
After that we made our way to Tuas, using the SecondLink expressway as advised by Pak Long Majid. Although Tambak Johor is nearer to Kampung Melayu Majidee, Pak Long anticipated a longer queue there, and since it was almost mid-day, it could be quite a torture for the kids to wait under the hot sun. The queue in Tuas area was not that long - I guess most users could possibly be turned off by the high rate of tolls charged for SecondLink users. The immigration and custom checks were not that long, but the immigration officer reminded me to change my and Humaidi's old-fashioned passports (issued by the Malaysian Embassy in Tokyo) to new ones with chips.
Pak Long Majid helped with the car registration, making Autopass card and all once we passed the immigration check in Singapore. Not a lengthy process if one brought along all the necessary documents - copies of geran kereta, proof of car insurance, and I'm glad that Pak Long Majid had advised us in advance.
Our first stop in Singapore was Makam Habib Noh. Just as hubby & Pak Long finished making doa for the reknown ulamak, the azan for Zohor was called out, so we prayed jama' Zohor and Asar there. The masjid is rather small, but its toilets were very clean and the telekongs provided in the ladies section were clean too, which is a lot more than I can say for many small masjids in Malaysia.
Next - makan time! Pak Long took us to near Arab Street/Masjid Sultan area, where we had our lunch at Sabar Menanti Nasi Padang restaurant. Pak Long Majid's treat because the rest of us - hubby, BIL and I - had not yet changed our money into Singapore dollar. When Pak Long ordered 'nasi tambah' for us and the girl who brought the rice to our place asked for "50 cent", we all looked at each other before BIL asked the girl to claim the payment from "Pak Aji" (Pak Long had his lunch at another table because ours were already full). It was an awkward moment - not that we did not have any money, but we did not have any in Singaporean currency yet, not even 50 cent. "50 sen Malaysia adalah. Nak RM1 pun boleh. Nak RM2 pun boleh, tapi 50 cent Singapore tak ada..."
Spent some moment relaxing around Istana Kampung Gelam after lunch - Huzaifah and Humaidi had fun chasing each other around the water fountain in front of the Istana despite me calling after them not to run there since it was rather slippery and I was afraid that they might fall and hurt themselves. Good thing we didn't spend very long there.
Next, Pak Long took us (or at least acted as a tourist guide of sort as it was BIL who drove the Myvi, since Singaporeans are prohibited from driving Malaysian-registered car in Singapore ) sightseeing around Marina area, Changi, Bedok and I don't know where else. One thing that amazed me was the realization that there are so many masjids/suraus in Singapore. My guess is - it's easier to find a masjid in Singapore than in KL. Seriously!
We then visited another family friend in Tempinis, but turned out Mak Rahmah was not in, so we were entertained by her daughter and grand-daughter instead. There was a cultural performance going on the next apartment block. Hubby went to sneak a peek and found out that there was a kuda kepang show going on right then. And it was viewed by all kind of races - not mainly Malays as is the norms in Malaysia. Hmm... interesting.
It was already Asar by then, so Pak Long Majid guided us to Masjid Kassim, where Abang Mouri waited for us. From there, using his bike, Abang Mouri guided us to his apartment not far from Hou Gang Mall.
It was my first time meeting up with Abang Mouri, Kak Bedah and their children, or at least the first time I'm aware of meeting them up. (They came to our kenduri in Seremban, but there were so many guests at the kenduri that I couldn't remember). Kak Bedah told me that they have first met hubby when he acted as their tourist guide in Egypt/Syria many years ago, back when he was still a student of Al-Azhar University and their kids were still small (Helwa, the eldest is already 20 this year, Mas'ud 19 and their youngest son is about 16 if I'm not mistaken). They seemed genuinely pleased to receive us as their guests - providing yummy dinner and breakfast and taking us out for the night to view the light show along Orchard Road. The christmas lights and decorations remind me of similar presentations in Leeds, but according to Kak Bedah and Abang Mouri, this year, the christmas lights and decorations are not that spectacular due to economic downturn in Singapore.
We passed by China town, the Esplanade, the Merlion, the Singapore Flyer (a ferris wheel not that much different from Eye on Malaysia), and Abang Mouri pointed out the up and coming project of a'la Las Vegas casino in the Marina area. There is another similar project going on in Sentosa area, developed by the Genting group, but according to Abang Mouri, the one in Marina area is going slower than projected due to some financial problem/bankcruptcy of their branch in Macau.
Kak Bedah wanted to take us to Mustafa Singapore, a shopping bazaar, but by then hubby was already snoring and both Huzaifah and Humaidi too had already dozed off, so we returned back to their apartment. "Mustafa is for Singaporean what Mydin is for Malaysian, or sort of," explained Kak Bedah. Except that it is open 24/7, and grander in term of variety of stocks and the shop itself. Still, it is a lot cheaper to shop there than elsewhere in Singapore, that is why Kak Bedah thought I might want to go there and check things out for myself. By then, we already had some Singaporean dollar in hand (changed the money after lunch in Arab Street area), but since hubby was already fast asleep, maybe next time...
###
Sunday (23 Nov) - Kak Bedah told me after subuh that we almost got fined for not displaying a parking ticket in the car last night. Abang Mouri wanted to buy one midnight parking ticket, but after we returned from makan angin the previous night he forgot all about it.
Their son, Mas'ud alerted them about the presence of some 'parking offence inspectors', as he saw them upon returning home (after his shift as part-time worker at Coffee Bean was over). "Kereta Abang Amin yang mana satu? Ada tiket tak?"
Abang Mouri quickly made use of some readily available parking tickets to cover a few hours parking. Once it's Sunday morning, the parking is free in that area. Alhamdulillah we were saved from getting fined... (Singapore indeed is a 'fine' city...)
After breakfast - all of us left the house, the Malaysian rombongan to explore Singapore a bit more while the host family wanted to visit a respected tok guru who had been admitted in Seremban Specialist Hospital. The drivers exchanged notes on how to get to their respective destinations.
First stop after we left Hou Gang was Fort Canning Park. Personally I think it's a far more interesting park compared to any public park found in KL (like Lake Garden or Titiwangsa), what with its educational signboards along the 14th Century walk. It's green, it's peaceful, kids and adults get to learn some interesting botanical and historical stuff along the walk. Oh - and there's a tomb right inside the park - said to belong to Raja Iskandar Syah, a Malay ruler who might or might not have been Parameswara, the 'founder' of Melaka.
Next - Sentosa!
We decided to "cross over" to Sentosa island by taking the Sentosa Express monorail, which is sort of a treat for Huzaifah who's been missing his 'densya' a lot since we returned to Malaysia. Parked the car at HarbourFront (previously known as World Trade Center), walked to VivoCity, currently the largest shopping mall in Singapore and boarded the monorail at the Sentosa station located on L3 of VivoCity.
Stopped at Beach Station - the whole train trip took less than 5 minutes - and then took a Blue Line bus to Underwater World. We had a quick brunch (our breakfast's left over plus some biscuits) before entering the oceanarium.
Our verdict of Underwater World?
Interesting in that it offered interactive feeding pool, interactive stingray pool and it has a travelator.
But it's waaaay too pricey.
We had to pay S$22.90 for entry to both the oceanarium and dolphin lagoon. But having been to Kamogawa Sea World, I can testify that the Underwater World was more 'indah khabar dari rupa'. (Sabah - if I'd said Hakkejima Sea Paradise was a let down - this one was a bigger let down) We finished touring the whole oceanarium in about an hour, and found ourselves asking "eh, ini je ke?". Kamogawa Sea World offers better and more variety of exhibits. Oh, and more sealife shows too.
We had to catch a Red Line bus to the Dolphin Lagoon, but we arrived there about an hour before the next show was scheduled to begin, so hubby took Huzaifah and Humaidi to play on Palawan beach right next to it. BIL walked further down, crossing a suspension bridge to a small islet said to be the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia (well, at least Malaysia has Tanjung Piai, the Southernmost Point of Mainland Asia).
It was obvious that both Huzaifah and Humaidi had fun playing at Palawan beach, even when I did not let them wet themselves. I guess there's something magical about white sandy beach and salty air, inviting all to frolic in the beach...
Next - the show in Dolphin Lagoon. The difference from the dolphin shows in Kamogawa and Hakkejima? The dolphins were pink and gray, rather than black and white or gray and white. The only pink dolphin show in the world, or so claimed the commentator at the show. I would rate the show as so-so, but it's kind of difference because it was held in a 'lagoon', not in a stadium. Oh, by the way, Huzaifah was busy paying more attention to the white sand in the lagoon than the dolphins.
We decided to snap some photos at the giant Merlion, so we boarded a beach tram to the Beach Station and took the monorail to Imbiah Station. There are several attractions near Imbiah Station, with additional fees, so we just took some photos and by then Huzaifah and Humaidi both had started to get cranky and I knew they needed their nap. Thus we headed back to VivoCity.
Just as we arrived in VivoCity, hubby realised that he had forgotten his glasses, back in Imbiah Station. So he returned to look for it while the rest of us had a rest in VivoCity. Hubby approached us emptyhanded, so Pak Long Majid took him to a Sentosa management office next to the monorail station, where hubby filled up a lost-and-found form. We were asked to wait for a while, but after waiting for about 30 minutes, the guy in charge came to us and informed that there was no glasses of hubby's description found near or in any of the gents in Imbiah Station. But they will let us know if anything came up.
By then it was raining and almost 6.00 p.m., so we decided to stop and pray jamak Zohor/Asar at Masjid Teluk Blangah, which is just a stone throw away from VivoCity. After praying, we started to head back to Tuas. We crossed over to Malaysia just after Maghrib - prayed jamak Maghrib/Isyak at Gelang Patah R&R and had a quick meal there. (By then I had problem with too much 'angin', which caused me to 'sendawa' non-stop)
Stopped by at Syafiq's place to retrieve my Swatch and then we started our journey to Kota Tinggi, to visit SIL, as we earlier promised. It was Pak Long Majid's first visit to SIL's house too. Pak Long Majid insisted on going back the very night since he has to send Mak Long to the airport the next day. He said it's okay if the rest of us want to spend the night at SIL's house while he returns to Seremban by bus. But MIL already gave a stern warning to both hubby and BIL - not to, in any circumstances, let Pak Long return to Seremban by bus. Even without MIL's warning, we did not have the heart to go separate way with Pak Long after all his help in Singapore, thus we returned to Seremban that very midnight (this time around, it was my turn falling asleep on the couch before we started our journey back).
We had a good time in Singapore, alhamdulillah. It would probably be better if I get to meet up with Lina, Rudy and their lovely kids. Unfortunately Lina didn't reply my email, so we could not make plan to see each other then. Maybe next time, insya Allah...
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Yon nen me no kinenbi
"I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you."
- Spike to Buffy, in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
This morning, after Subuh, I made sujud syukur.
Thanking Allah for blessing me with a good husband and beautiful children.
Thanking Allah for strenghtening the relationship and love between hubby and I.
I still remember Mak calling me while I was driving back home from Jalan TAR. It was near 6.00 p.m. and the majlis akad nikah was scheduled after Isyak that night. I had to go out and buy matching tudung and selendang for my wedding outfits as two of the pairs given by the tailor, the purple and the blue ones, did not really match the respective baju*
"Kak, where are you?"
"On the way, on the way..." I hadn't prayed Asar yet, but by then I was already in Section 16, PJ. Not that far from home
"It's almost 6.00 p.m."
"I know, I know..."
"Jangan sampai pengantin perempuan pula yang tak ada bila pengantin laki sampai..."
I smiled.
Allah willing, I would not turn my back on the solemn ceremony for no good reasons.
And I had no good reason to do so.
The truth? I was scared. I had doubts - mostly at myself. I've seen how Ummi failed at maintaining her marriages - both to Ayah and Pakcik. Other people told me that I should not worry too much - I could learn from Mak and Ayah. But no matter how close I am to Mak, it's Ummi's blood that flow in my vein, so the worry was (still is) there all along. I've said this before and I'm saying this again because for me it's true - children from broken homes try harder at making their marriages work because they have first hand experiences of the pain brought by failed marriages.
So I knew I must give it a try first. And pray for the best.
*****
"You have not known him for long - are you sure that you're not rushing things?," a concerned friend asked.
We were engaged a month after we first met. The wedding was less than three months after we were engaged. So yes, it might seemed like we were rushing things. But this thing called 'jodoh' works differently for different people. Some have known their partner for ages, but their marriage didn't last that long. Some took ages before marrying a person they've known all along to be their soul mates. And some, like us, didn't take that long before marrying each other.
Alhamdulillah, Allah has arranged it in such a way that we met when we were both ready to make commitment. We were both aware that by agreeing to marry each other, we were doing it to "complete our deen", to fufill a sunnah as Muslims, as there's a hadith which states clearly that marriage is part of the sunnah of Rasulullah and whoever turns away from the sunnah does not belong to him.
Despite initially not feeling all the "chemistry thingy" with hubby, I was also ready to love and fall in love with one man that deserves it all - my husband. I'm a bit traditional in that I've never said "I love you" to another guy. I'm sure I must have said words like "I care for", or "I like", or some words to that effect to those who had my affection before, but I've never said "I love you". I've been reserving the "three little words" all along for my husband, as I wished to whisper them not only into his ear, but also into his heart. And for the words to have meaning that deep, they have to come from the very bottom of my heart.
Oh, but I've also known all along that love does not mean everything is going to be fine all the time. We have had our shares of disagreements. We may not always get along all the time. We may not always share the same perspectives all the time. But we are also willing to apologize, to forgive, to compromise, to listen to each other, to make changes - all for the better, for ourselves, and for each other.
And so today I thank Allah, for uniting us as husband and wife, for blessing us with rahmah and mawaddah, and for making me feel comfortable with my beloved hubby, but still getting weak knees upon seeing him smiling at me from afar.
(Note: The guy in charge of my wedding outfits bad-mouthed me in the office when I returned a borrowed samping with a stain after the wedding. Hubby was unsure if the stain was there all along or if it was there after he used it. But whatever it was - I'm quite sure that the amount I paid the guy for the outfits was more than enough to cover for dry cleaning.
Besides;
* He never gave me a quotation of his service, otherwise I might have considered using other "andaman" service. I wanted to help him supplement his income as he was a support staff in the office. I kept asking for a quotation in advance, but he never gave me even an estimate and only when it was already fait accompli, he asked for the payment which, if I had used another andaman house, might cover not only the outfits, but also wedding photography and videography services.
* Apart from giving me two sets of tudung and selendang that did not match the wedding outfits, he 'lent' me some make-up stuff that screamed cheap and might passed their expiry dates, when he earlier promised to loan some good make-up kit for my wedding, as part of his service. I had to buy my own make-up, and borrowed some from my aunt, Nyah.
* Later on, when he was supposed to be in charge of a farewell party for me in the old office, he neither invited nor informed me of the party. Imagine - I was not even invited to a farewell party which was supposed to be held in my honor. His excuse was - I was in my late pregnancy stage and 'takut meletup kat ofis'. Shouldn't I be the one to decide whether or not to attend the party? It was held 3 days before I gave birth to Huzaifah, so I'm pretty sure if I'd been informed beforehand, I would make it a point to attend it.
* He collected some money from colleagues in the old office to buy a farewell gift for me before I gave birth to Huzaifah and went to Japan. The gift, if he even bought one, never reach me.)
- Spike to Buffy, in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
This morning, after Subuh, I made sujud syukur.
Thanking Allah for blessing me with a good husband and beautiful children.
Thanking Allah for strenghtening the relationship and love between hubby and I.
It has been four years.
1 plus 1 now equals 4 and a half.I still remember Mak calling me while I was driving back home from Jalan TAR. It was near 6.00 p.m. and the majlis akad nikah was scheduled after Isyak that night. I had to go out and buy matching tudung and selendang for my wedding outfits as two of the pairs given by the tailor, the purple and the blue ones, did not really match the respective baju*
"Kak, where are you?"
"On the way, on the way..." I hadn't prayed Asar yet, but by then I was already in Section 16, PJ. Not that far from home
"It's almost 6.00 p.m."
"I know, I know..."
"Jangan sampai pengantin perempuan pula yang tak ada bila pengantin laki sampai..."
I smiled.
Allah willing, I would not turn my back on the solemn ceremony for no good reasons.
And I had no good reason to do so.
The truth? I was scared. I had doubts - mostly at myself. I've seen how Ummi failed at maintaining her marriages - both to Ayah and Pakcik. Other people told me that I should not worry too much - I could learn from Mak and Ayah. But no matter how close I am to Mak, it's Ummi's blood that flow in my vein, so the worry was (still is) there all along. I've said this before and I'm saying this again because for me it's true - children from broken homes try harder at making their marriages work because they have first hand experiences of the pain brought by failed marriages.
So I knew I must give it a try first. And pray for the best.
*****
"You have not known him for long - are you sure that you're not rushing things?," a concerned friend asked.
We were engaged a month after we first met. The wedding was less than three months after we were engaged. So yes, it might seemed like we were rushing things. But this thing called 'jodoh' works differently for different people. Some have known their partner for ages, but their marriage didn't last that long. Some took ages before marrying a person they've known all along to be their soul mates. And some, like us, didn't take that long before marrying each other.
Alhamdulillah, Allah has arranged it in such a way that we met when we were both ready to make commitment. We were both aware that by agreeing to marry each other, we were doing it to "complete our deen", to fufill a sunnah as Muslims, as there's a hadith which states clearly that marriage is part of the sunnah of Rasulullah and whoever turns away from the sunnah does not belong to him.
Despite initially not feeling all the "chemistry thingy" with hubby, I was also ready to love and fall in love with one man that deserves it all - my husband. I'm a bit traditional in that I've never said "I love you" to another guy. I'm sure I must have said words like "I care for", or "I like", or some words to that effect to those who had my affection before, but I've never said "I love you". I've been reserving the "three little words" all along for my husband, as I wished to whisper them not only into his ear, but also into his heart. And for the words to have meaning that deep, they have to come from the very bottom of my heart.
Oh, but I've also known all along that love does not mean everything is going to be fine all the time. We have had our shares of disagreements. We may not always get along all the time. We may not always share the same perspectives all the time. But we are also willing to apologize, to forgive, to compromise, to listen to each other, to make changes - all for the better, for ourselves, and for each other.
And so today I thank Allah, for uniting us as husband and wife, for blessing us with rahmah and mawaddah, and for making me feel comfortable with my beloved hubby, but still getting weak knees upon seeing him smiling at me from afar.
During our kenduri in Kampung Tunku
4 years later (in an attempt to sorok my large perut, he he)
(Note: The guy in charge of my wedding outfits bad-mouthed me in the office when I returned a borrowed samping with a stain after the wedding. Hubby was unsure if the stain was there all along or if it was there after he used it. But whatever it was - I'm quite sure that the amount I paid the guy for the outfits was more than enough to cover for dry cleaning.
Besides;
* He never gave me a quotation of his service, otherwise I might have considered using other "andaman" service. I wanted to help him supplement his income as he was a support staff in the office. I kept asking for a quotation in advance, but he never gave me even an estimate and only when it was already fait accompli, he asked for the payment which, if I had used another andaman house, might cover not only the outfits, but also wedding photography and videography services.
* Apart from giving me two sets of tudung and selendang that did not match the wedding outfits, he 'lent' me some make-up stuff that screamed cheap and might passed their expiry dates, when he earlier promised to loan some good make-up kit for my wedding, as part of his service. I had to buy my own make-up, and borrowed some from my aunt, Nyah.
* Later on, when he was supposed to be in charge of a farewell party for me in the old office, he neither invited nor informed me of the party. Imagine - I was not even invited to a farewell party which was supposed to be held in my honor. His excuse was - I was in my late pregnancy stage and 'takut meletup kat ofis'. Shouldn't I be the one to decide whether or not to attend the party? It was held 3 days before I gave birth to Huzaifah, so I'm pretty sure if I'd been informed beforehand, I would make it a point to attend it.
* He collected some money from colleagues in the old office to buy a farewell gift for me before I gave birth to Huzaifah and went to Japan. The gift, if he even bought one, never reach me.)
Monday, December 01, 2008
I miss (interesting) Japanese TV shows
(Yet another entry on what I miss about Japan. Heh)
Reading Hanny's entry on Warratte Koraete made me kind of miss some Japanese TV shows.
When I first arrived in Tokyo, I found Japanese TV variety shows to be rather boring. "IQ-reducing stuff" was how Amy, my half-Japanese dorm-mate used to describe it. Lots of too plastic acting, slapstick jokes and too many shows seem to concentrate on food, food, food.
Still, after a while (and because we didn't have that many choice anyway with free-to-air TV showing almost 90 percent local content), I've grown accustomed to and begin to enjoy some interesting programs.
Compared to Malaysian TV which seems to be producing more 'new talents' through entertainment shows, Japanese TV more often made use of the available 'talents' (usually comedians - they have no shortage of these) in various game shows. IQ Sapuri, NepuLeague, Q sama and Hexagon came to mind - in which participants have to answer general knowledge questions, solve IQ puzzles and test their knowledge of kanji. Viewers get to laugh at some 'stupid answers' given by the (usually cute, or at least seen to answer with cute expression) participants while increasing general knowledge and sharpening own minds by attempting to simultaneously solve the IQ puzzles as it was shown on air.
Then, there are shows like "Terebi Champion", "The Best House 123" and "Nani Kore" - in which viewers get to learn about some amazing facts and figures in and outside Japan. "Terebi Champion" tries to crown one "King" of a particular ability by challenging short-listed competitors in an array of tasks. The episode on shinkansen (bullet train) for example, tested the participants on the speed, sound and feel of the seats (while blind-folded) in different kind of shinkansens. In "The Best House 123" guests introduce the best/worst 3 of a particular subject, such as the most spectacular sea creatures, strongest fibre, hottest place in the world, etc. Once, Malaysian program "Cabaran Teh Tarik" was featured as one of the 3 most interesting TV programs in the world. "Nani Kore" features strange and interesting sights from around Japan - stuff like a pony born in Hokkaido with a Hokkaido map on its body, or a shop selling ramen filled with shaved ice, or a monkey that works as a shop assistant, and the nearest convenience store to an operating rail line.
Also, there are shows like "Million Kazoku", hubby's all-time favorite. This show brings the traditional hide-and-seek game to a new height. Each week, two regular hosts plus one celebrity guest would try to search for 3 persons (from the same family - it could range from 80 year plus grandpa to a 4 year old daughter) in their house within 30 minutes. If at least one of the 3-persons team could stay hidden during these 30 minutes, then the family win 1 million yen. The families are encouraged to build up traps to make things more difficult for the seekers - in the past such traps include mazes from polystyrene, room filled with large boxes (which could be possible hiding place), room filled with air-filled balloons, a water-filled kiddy pool covered with empty PET bottles and all sort of balls falling down from all sort of places. Creative and innovative hiding places include a make-shift pillar attached to a room's wall, an old tv set, a large teddy bear, an aquarium, the bottom of an oven and inside a piano. No kidding.
(I won't discuss "AiNori" and Smap x Smap (aka as SmaSma) because I'd been partial to them right from the very beginning, when I thought of most Japanese TV shows being boring.)
Now, if only Malaysian viewers can learn more through Malaysian-produced variety shows...
Reading Hanny's entry on Warratte Koraete made me kind of miss some Japanese TV shows.
When I first arrived in Tokyo, I found Japanese TV variety shows to be rather boring. "IQ-reducing stuff" was how Amy, my half-Japanese dorm-mate used to describe it. Lots of too plastic acting, slapstick jokes and too many shows seem to concentrate on food, food, food.
Still, after a while (and because we didn't have that many choice anyway with free-to-air TV showing almost 90 percent local content), I've grown accustomed to and begin to enjoy some interesting programs.
Compared to Malaysian TV which seems to be producing more 'new talents' through entertainment shows, Japanese TV more often made use of the available 'talents' (usually comedians - they have no shortage of these) in various game shows. IQ Sapuri, NepuLeague, Q sama and Hexagon came to mind - in which participants have to answer general knowledge questions, solve IQ puzzles and test their knowledge of kanji. Viewers get to laugh at some 'stupid answers' given by the (usually cute, or at least seen to answer with cute expression) participants while increasing general knowledge and sharpening own minds by attempting to simultaneously solve the IQ puzzles as it was shown on air.
Then, there are shows like "Terebi Champion", "The Best House 123" and "Nani Kore" - in which viewers get to learn about some amazing facts and figures in and outside Japan. "Terebi Champion" tries to crown one "King" of a particular ability by challenging short-listed competitors in an array of tasks. The episode on shinkansen (bullet train) for example, tested the participants on the speed, sound and feel of the seats (while blind-folded) in different kind of shinkansens. In "The Best House 123" guests introduce the best/worst 3 of a particular subject, such as the most spectacular sea creatures, strongest fibre, hottest place in the world, etc. Once, Malaysian program "Cabaran Teh Tarik" was featured as one of the 3 most interesting TV programs in the world. "Nani Kore" features strange and interesting sights from around Japan - stuff like a pony born in Hokkaido with a Hokkaido map on its body, or a shop selling ramen filled with shaved ice, or a monkey that works as a shop assistant, and the nearest convenience store to an operating rail line.
Also, there are shows like "Million Kazoku", hubby's all-time favorite. This show brings the traditional hide-and-seek game to a new height. Each week, two regular hosts plus one celebrity guest would try to search for 3 persons (from the same family - it could range from 80 year plus grandpa to a 4 year old daughter) in their house within 30 minutes. If at least one of the 3-persons team could stay hidden during these 30 minutes, then the family win 1 million yen. The families are encouraged to build up traps to make things more difficult for the seekers - in the past such traps include mazes from polystyrene, room filled with large boxes (which could be possible hiding place), room filled with air-filled balloons, a water-filled kiddy pool covered with empty PET bottles and all sort of balls falling down from all sort of places. Creative and innovative hiding places include a make-shift pillar attached to a room's wall, an old tv set, a large teddy bear, an aquarium, the bottom of an oven and inside a piano. No kidding.
(I won't discuss "AiNori" and Smap x Smap (aka as SmaSma) because I'd been partial to them right from the very beginning, when I thought of most Japanese TV shows being boring.)
Now, if only Malaysian viewers can learn more through Malaysian-produced variety shows...
Fish head curry
"This fish head curry is really something. It's a loss not to eat it,"
Ayah tried to tempt me. Last time, it was always Ayah who cook the best curry in the house, but after almost 25 years of marriage, Mak has learned enough tips from Ayah and can now cook better curries than Ayah.
I could tell that it was good. Adik ate more than usual. Since he's been frequenting a gym nearby, he's been quite fussy with his meal, so a second helping was a good indicator that he just could not help himself.
I looked at my own plate - ikan goreng, sayur pucuk paku and pucuk labu masak lemak.
I looked back at the main dish, purposely put in the centre of the table - kari kepala ikan jenahak. Or was it ikan kerapu?
"Best ni kak..." Ayah said as Mak looked at him scrapping all the best part of the fish head. (It is funny how Mak would always let Ayah scrap all the good part and then complain right after it that Ayah "tak ingat bini". She could have easily told him to leave some of her favorite part (the eyeballs for example) while looking on...)
I have never been a big fan of curry, but I usually make some exception for Ayah's (or Mak's) fish head curry. Not this time though.
My gut feeling told me that I would not be able to stomach the curry.
Just like I could not eat mutton/lamb now.
The baby inside would reject it.
And I would have to pay for it.
Vomiting could not only be very messy but also cause one to be very exhausted...
"Takpelah Ayah, I'll pass. Next time, insya Allah"
Ayah tried to tempt me. Last time, it was always Ayah who cook the best curry in the house, but after almost 25 years of marriage, Mak has learned enough tips from Ayah and can now cook better curries than Ayah.
I could tell that it was good. Adik ate more than usual. Since he's been frequenting a gym nearby, he's been quite fussy with his meal, so a second helping was a good indicator that he just could not help himself.
I looked at my own plate - ikan goreng, sayur pucuk paku and pucuk labu masak lemak.
I looked back at the main dish, purposely put in the centre of the table - kari kepala ikan jenahak. Or was it ikan kerapu?
"Best ni kak..." Ayah said as Mak looked at him scrapping all the best part of the fish head. (It is funny how Mak would always let Ayah scrap all the good part and then complain right after it that Ayah "tak ingat bini". She could have easily told him to leave some of her favorite part (the eyeballs for example) while looking on...)
I have never been a big fan of curry, but I usually make some exception for Ayah's (or Mak's) fish head curry. Not this time though.
My gut feeling told me that I would not be able to stomach the curry.
Just like I could not eat mutton/lamb now.
The baby inside would reject it.
And I would have to pay for it.
Vomiting could not only be very messy but also cause one to be very exhausted...
"Takpelah Ayah, I'll pass. Next time, insya Allah"
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