Criminals are everywhere. What’s our protection : CCTV? police? ..Surah Al-Falaq?

They say....."raya sebulan!"...

So I guess I'm not too late to say: Happy Aidilfitri to all :D

How was your raya this year? To me and husband, we are blessed with the presence of our new member in the family..our Yaya..she just turned to 9 months. Oh, I really love it when she wears that cute baju kurung. Anyways, thank you atok and nenet for the baju raya. Next year, yaya would want angpow pulak hehe...

Oh, raya in Malaysia must be so happening...

Thinking about Malaysia, it scares me a lot. We read from the news about people killed ruthlessly...we heard about all sorts of crimes that had never happened before...about how merciless people can be these days....


I am as scared as everybody else..

I remember one night we sit down together, discussing about what we need to do to protect ourselves: install alarm and cctv at home,.. and the list goes on.

Even with those precautions, I wonder if they are sufficient. I wonder if we are really safe and secured...

It was like a perfect time when last night we were discussing Surah Al-Falaq. Wanted to convey to me what this surah is telling us, my husband told me story about how a girl in New York was protected from the devil. Walking home alone late at night, she was passing by a large field when she noticed there was an evil looking man standing on her way. She was scared, but she just passed him by like nothing was about to happen. And nothing did happen!

But to her surprise, the next thing she knew was the news about another girl being raped at the same place where she saw that man, at the time a bit later than the time when she passed him by! So she went to the police station and gave description about the man she saw.

The question is, why was she not the victim when obviously she could have been? What had she done? What did she use?

Apparently, when she became suspicious of that guy, she prayed to Allah and sought for His protection from any possible bad intention of that guy. To us, it may sound like miracle. It is indeed magical and the magic actually lies in her strong believe in God, that He would protect her!

To me, that girl was one of a kind. If I were in that situation, I would be scared to death. I might not know what to do. and in no time I could be a victim. To play safe, I might not even walk alone at night in the first place.

But that girl is just another typical human being. She is no hero. But she sure understands what Surah Al-Falaq is all about. That is, in making sure that we are protected from any harm and bad intention of any ways:

(1) not only that we have to do the necessary precautions, but (2) also seek for Allah's protection.

We always think about no. (1) but very seldom that we really do no. (2).

Well this applies at least to me, myself. And this is what I am learning from Surah Al-Falaq...to guard myself from any danger by making sure I do all necessary precautions, but most importantly seek the protection from Allah with the strong believe that yes, He will protect me... that everything comes from Him, and to Him we seek refuge.

Alhamdulillah..I am at ease, at least a bit. Because danger is still out there, but at least now I know that I always have the ultimate protection. I just seek.

And my husband told me a good prayer for such purpose. That is:

Bismillahillazi la yadurru ma’asmihi syai’un fil ardi walaa fissama’ii, Wa huwassami ul ‘alim.

(Aku berlindung dengan nama Allah yang tidak memberi kemudaratan dengan namanya apa sahaja di bumi dan langit, Dan Dia Maha Mendengar dan Maha Mengetahui)

+ recite 3 quls + ayat kursi

May you find this useful. May Allah protect us all from any danger in any ways. Amin

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No, he’s not leaving!

It’s my 2nd Ramadhan in Christchurch. Last time, I was pregnant with Aliya...and so when I got really excited making this and that kueh (although tak berapa menjadi..biasala...first timer hihi)... people said that it was owing to my pregnancy. This time, surprisingly I got the same excitement. So I came to a (valid) conclusion that......no, I am just a cool, chef-wanna-be wife! (yet is limited edition: only during Ramadhan! hihi)

Talking about Ramadhan, I remembered being told that "the devils are all locked up during the holy month of Ramadhan"

Cool! No devils no evil!

Yet.....

Yet, my prayer is still not khusyuk...
Yet, I am still too lazy to get up and qiamullail
Yet, my heart is still full of sifat-sifat mazmumah
Yet, I can’t get away from sins!

I am so frustrated. I’m mad. To no one but myself. Myself who is no different during Ramadhan than at any other times.

I asked this little Siti Ujila: "why am I like this?"

and she replied: "Because your heart has so much 'dirt'..because you have done so many sins that even without the devils, you can be sinful. There are sins that have rather become your habit!"

Astaghfirullah...

Really..this has made me really sad. Sad and mad.

If the hidden 'dirt' in my heart could be seen from the outer, it must be really-really ugly, smelly, and faulty!

I pray to God, and I seek for His forgiveness.

Penghulu istighfar – I took its advantage of being the 'chief' of such a prayer, hoping that Allah would forgive me...

Ya, Allah Engkaulah Tuhanku, Tidak ada Tuhan selain Engkau, Engkaulah yang menjadikan aku. Sedang aku adalah hambaMu dan aku di dalam genggamanMu dan di dalam perjanjian setia ( beriman dan Taat ) kepadaMu sekuat mampuku. Aku berlindung kepadaMu dari kejahatan yang telah ku lakukan. Aku mengakui atas segala nikmat yang telah Engkau berikan kepada ku dan aku mengaku segala dosaku. Maka ampunilah aku. Sesungguhnya tidak ada yang dapat mengampuni segala dosa kecuali Engkau. Amin

and I told myself, I must change. I must!

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There's no 3rd world war. yet the war has long begun..

So last night we sat down together..looking at the beautiful surah of Allah, the very last An-nas.

The key point that has gotten into me lies in the word of "was-was" mentioned in the 4th verse. When we talked about "was-was", all I remembered from my learning in the past was....."was-was masa amik wuduk". That’s about it. Never had I thought that it has greater deeper meaning.

We were talking about "was-was" when my husband looked me in the eyes and asked..."in this life, what is the most dangerous threat to us?" The question sounded quite serious, so I chose to keep my mouth shut and let him tell me the answer.

It is not the physical threat. not emotional threat like the lost of someone we love.....It is such a threat that the eyes cannot see

Ghuzwatul Fikri – it is called. Serangan Pemikiran. The name itself is as terrifying as it is.

I know about it. I have heard it before. many times. But I have never taken it seriously. All the warnings, all the sign I had ignored before, not realizing it had gotten into me..without me realizing it. Yes, it is unseen by my eyes. Slowly it influences me...and the next thing I know is my inability to see whether something is right or wrong..not according to me, not based on the world’s norm, but in the view of our God.

Silent killer, Ghuzwatul Fikri is. It attacks us Muslims without us realizing it. It deviates our stand and leads us to see something as OK when it used to be NOT OK based on the teaching of the Prophet. It brings uncertainties in our mind.

Ghuzwatul Fikri -Yes...this is the new type of "was-was" in today’s world.

Suddenly my mind flashed back to something that happen about two years ago...we were planning on where to go for our honeymoon...I really wanted to go to New Zealand at that time, but since the cost was a lot we should instead go to Mecca for an umrah, my husband said. Then I argued, what’s so wrong with going to New Zealand and not Mecca? Aren’t all places in this world the same?

Now I understand why my husband got really mad at me for what I was saying. Because I didn’t see Mecca as a very special place...a holy place indeed. Because I didn’t see the significance of Mecca as compared to other places and perceive all places as similar, no particular difference in value. Because it’s Ghuzwatul Fikri!

Astaghfirullahal’azim. My value has been wronged, could be from my five years living in the States. It was only 5 years yet I didn’t realize to what extent it has wronged me..not physically...but in my paradigm, the way I see things, my priority...

And now I understand, why it is not OK for me to spend most of my time on my laptop, books, doing my research....leaving no time for learning the book of Allah, reading the many Islamic books or simply any non-academic materials for the sake of improving my faith. Yes, me being passionate and workaholic is good as a human, but no..my priority was wrong. I have been too much influenced by the competitive life surrounded me in the States. Yes it was sooo hectic and I was soo occupied with my study and work that I didn’t realize my passion and hard work had all been for my dunia, when I should have given my akhirat more priority.

Binggo! another Ghuzwatul Fikri!

So I tell myself. It doesn’t mean I shouldn’t study hard and publish many journals. That’s pessimist. But hey, when the time comes, close your book and perform your prayer....Make time for saham akhirat...read other books..go to usrah....I told myself.

From now onwards, I must “protect myself”..my unconscious mind....from this:

Min sharril was waasil khonnaas.
Dari kejahatan penyakit was-was (Ghuzwatul Fikri) yang sering datang dan pergi

Thanks to Allah for reminding me.

Thanks to surah An-nas.

It is beautiful indeed..

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My experience with Al-Quran - an introduction

It’s been ages since I last wrote. I just couldn’t bring myself to write any (a more polite way of saying I’m lazy! hihi). My apology..

Alhamdulillah at last Allah has given me a strength to make a come back and here I am! This time with better stories to share..

A secret to be revealed indeed!

All this while, I didn’t take advantage from the presence of a 'guru' readily available in front of me. Who is it? My husband! who else could it be hihi.

Well, to start with...I thought I’d let you know that he is quite an expert in the field of Al-Quran and Qiraat. yes he is an ustaz. and not only that, he has the ability to present his ceramah in a very interesting way. and I meant it.

It has occurred to me lately that I asked myself: Have I really learnt from my life manual? my life textbook? I am very poor at managing stress...I know it....but have I ever wanted to learn how to control it from the Quran? Do I even know what Al-Quran says..about how to live in this life according to the Allah’s code of conduct?

No!

Because all this while I only recite Al-Quran (once in a while!). It’s so funny..I don’t understand Arabic, yet I read it and just read it. How could I understand what it says when I don’t understand Arabic? Even if I refer to the tafsir, I don’t see how the meaning relates to myself, my life...I read the tafsir just for the sake of knowing what the ayats are saying..

that’s why my life is not an inch improved!

and so I’m thinking, why not I spend about an hour or two with him, everyday, specially dedicated to learn the love letters of Allah. If I can spend hours and hours for my research, my study, my kitchen...why can’t I do the same for Al-Quran?

Alhamdulillah, thanks to Allah for giving me this inspiration. Many many thanks.

yeah..lets have a date honey!

Oh by the way, I am not a stingy person (hihi) so I’m not going to keep it to myself alone. So I’ll post them here – the hidden secret of Al-Quran.

It is solely based on my own experience in interacting with Al-Quran, but it may be benefial to any body else...

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A day off is a long-lasting moment of happiness!

Yesterday I took a day off. I didn’t go to school. I just stayed at home and didn’t bother to open my books. I did it on purpose.

It was a sunny warm day. Too nice to be wasted at school. I can always go to school next time, I thought.

One of the doors in our house leads to a deck, simple yet nicely painted by the owner. When we first moved in, it was a lovely summer so the deck was our favorite lepak site. We had breakfast and tea time there. Sometimes it became my study place. From the deck, there is a nice view of Ilam field, a field five times as big a football field. Maybe six. We are only separated by an old self-made wooden fence, painted in the same color as that of the deck. There’s also row of almost perfectly aligned trees. The color is still green. Hasn’t turned to yellow. Or red. We put chairs on the deck. Antique ones. Like a home sweet home of a 60 years old lovely couple. I really really love the view of this area. Looking at it, I feel as if we were on holidays, spending few days in a nice old cottage on a desert island. Very refreshing. Inspiring!

Yet I don’t look at it often enough.

So yesterday I took the chance. I looked at it...beautiful! Then I closed my eyes. I can feel the air flowing over my face. and I can even hear its sound! The leaves were dancing happily, and some birds were singing together. At a time there was airplane hovering across the blue sky. And I saw some people on the field, slaking off from school just like me. Some people said leadership is a skill, but slaking off is an art. True. Oh yeah, there’s also a line of yaya’s cute clothes. My lil'l daughter...

I was mesmerized!

Aidh Al-Qarni in his book La Tahzan was right when he said that we have life, yet we never aware of!

This place is refreshing, but I didn’t look at it often enough. At times when life is tiring, I didn’t realize this view right next to my house is indeed energizing. We bother too much about things we do not have that we do not realize things that we do have (ayat belit2 but I really like it haha). The legs that we use to walk, run, or stand still are not just legs, they are nikmat from Allah. But we never realized it and be grateful until one day when we are old enough that we need a stick to walk with. So don’t wait. Look at things around us, they are not just there, they are priceless! Each of em. The air we breathe in, the table we put stuff on, the sleepiness with which we can have one good rest, the laugh and cry of our little babies....

~ life is good ~

It is a simple 2-pages lesson....yet it gives a long-lasting happiness!

Living in NZ for few years is a great gift from Allah. I had always wanted to come here for a holiday. A week traveling in this lovely green country would be nice I thought. I had even initially chosen it as our honeymoon destination, but we ended up going to a romantic island Bali. Never had I thought that I would be given the chance to be here, not just a week, but whole 3 years (maybe more hehe). But when I got here, I focused too much on my study that I forgot to enjoy what’s right in front of my eyes. Too sad.

So after Asar I put on one of my favorite dresses and off we went to Hagleys Park. I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.








Oh yes, by the way, my husband saw a poster about a cat show this coming Saturday (Tomorrow!) at the Horticultural Hall, Hagley Park. A cat show? Wow! It’s a must-go!

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Even birds are smarter!

I once read a book 'Getting a PhD'.

But I never thought it was gonna be a lot more challenging.

I remember those diffult days I had faced in my way to get a Bachelor and a Masters degree in the States. It's a hectic life. Everyone is competetive. It is a demanding society. I got the degrees but I failed to learn the wisdoms, one of which is that I should have improved myself on how to manage stress..

Yes, my problem is I don't know how to manage stress.

Everybody knows that a PhD is an independent work. To complete a small task requires knowledge in many many area, so even the small task would end up taking few days, or even weeks. Because everything is learnt by oneself. No classes. No teachers.

Sometimes it can be very stressful. Not because I hate doing what I am doing. In fact, I love doing research. I am stressful because of the expectation I put on myself. I always want things to get done in a fastest yet perfect way. Woa!..now I realize that these two words are themselves pain in the neck! Shouldn't we be doing the BEST, and the best is not necessarily FASTEST n PERFECT?

Yes, at the end of the day, I learn the knowledge that I ought to know. But I must ask myself, have I learnt the wisdom?

A PhD is not just about the degree and knowledge. More importantly it is about how well one manages to cope with the stress and handle the challenges in a positive way. A PhD can teach you to be humble, when you realize that there are many small things you do not know. But instead, many people end up being arrogant with the PhD degree that they finally got. Haven't they got the wisdom? Binggo!

This is in fact a reminder for me. I better start learning the wisdom as much as I learn the knowledge. Knowledge is IQ, but wisdom is EQ (emotional quotient) and SQ (spiritual quotient).

I am lucky I have a sifu in this matter - my very own husband. He is really good at this. He always sees things in positive ways, and he is always be grateful. I really admire this part of him. He may look serious on the outside, but he is really cool in the inside. I like that! Now, the question is, how did he become one of that kind? I saw him reading a lot. And when he reads, he doesn't just read. He adsorbs the wisdom. Same thing when he sees something. One time we were laying on the couch, looking outside through the big glass windows. There was a tree and we saw some birds, and he said "look at the birds. what can we learn from them?" then he continued "They birds don't have house. They go from one tree to another. Yet, they are happy and never get worried!"

It is when we see things in a poitive way that we would not create stress.

Time to read a book. And not just read!

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~ life is beautiful ~

Hari ini..dengan hati berbunga riang saya berjalan kaki ke sekolah. Saya tidak pergi ke office tempat biasa saya buat kerja, tp terus saya berjalan menuju satu library 11 tingkat utk menikmati view yg cantik..dengan harapan kerja hari ini '2D programming' menjadi lebih mudah..ye, saya sgt pening memahami code 2D ini.

Perjalanan yang jauh..

Terus saya naik ke tingkat ke 11. Cantik, saya kata dalam hati..melihat bumi NZ ciptaan Allah. Dengan semangat berkobar-kobar dan hati yang riang, saya mula memunggah beg sekolah.

seketika saya tergamam...

alahai.....bateri laptop tertinggal!

~ life is beautiful ~

I guess it's time for this:



Or this:

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yaya at 3 months old...

~ belajar mengiring & meniarap ~



~ belajar bermain ~



+ suke nak duduk & berdiri

+ suke tgk tibi

+ suke explore tgn die

+ suke buat mulut buih2

+ + + suke bercakap

+ pandai merajuk haha

paling best..bgn tido dgn ceria + byk ckp hihihi

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perfect weekends!

I had a forthnight meeting with my supervisor on Friday afternoon, and these words pop out from his mouth "siti, u have to take care of yourself!"

I know! must be my swollen and barely openned eyes. I hardly sleep at night these days. Aliya has started to sleep longer at night so I thought it is a perfect time for me to study. It is. But unfortunately with little sleep everyday my mind couldn't function well towards the end of the week that I even forgot to bring Aliya's book during visit to a clinic for her 3 months vaccination. I am thankful to my husband who has helped a lot. and I am thankful to my Aliya too..for making me happy despite the tiring day and pressure from study. It came to my mind that Allah gave me Aliya not to make it more difficult to study due to all the responsibilities that come along, but to make it easier by being happier! Thank you Allah.

~ Our happy little family ~


and the weekends came. PERFECT!!

I had a long good sleep! On Sunday morning after subuh prayer, my hubby asked "nak ikut tak gi tangkap ikan?".."Yeah, lets watch the sunrise"..I said. So off we went to the place, called kaiapoi. It was cold, but I managed to get few shots :D






Oh, anyway, On Thursday Aliya went to Plunket, a provider of child care in NZ. Aliya now weighs 6 kgs at 61 cm tall. We were treated well by the lady. At mid 40s, she is doing well with her job. I observe same thing whenever I go in this country - no matter what they work as, these people do great job. They are proud with their job. Be it a cleaner. Because a clean office provides good working environment for other people. This must be the reason.

Wouldn't it be great if we can be like em too!

I am a worker too. I teach. So I must teach well. Only then my students can do great job. See, great job makes another great job! (haha, I like that phrase!).

and here's Plunket's cutest baby of the day:

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Dear nenet...

Dear nenet,

Hi nenet. How are you nenet? How about atot? mak lam? mak long? pak long? kembang? (abes semua nak sebut)

Yaya is fine here. Yaya likes it here. Yaya sleeps well at nite. Everyday babah brings yaya out. Sometimes we go buy chicken. sometimes fruits. Mama goes to school but she comes back when yaya is thirsty. After school mama brings yaya out. We watch people play freebie.

But yaya misses nenet..and atot too..and mak lam too..everyone..oh Kembang too. Yaya loves sleeping with nenet. Yaya sorry nenet that sometimes yaya woke nenet up at night when yaya couldn't sleep. perot masok angin. hihi

nenet..happy birthday to you~~~~ Yaya prays to Allah may nenet always be in good health, always happy, always be my nenet. Thank you for taking care of yaya when yaya was in Maleisia (salah eja keke). Nenet don't worry..Yaya will be back. because yaya wants to eat nenek's chicken porridge! hihi.

See you again nenet. Till then, nenet and atot take care ok. Tata.

Sincerely yours,
yaya atau apo?

picture: me and my nenet :D

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A few little things that means BIG!

I didn't make any resolution on new year's eve this year. No particular reason.

Yesterday I read a book by Mohammad Fauzil Adhim, one of Indonesian best authors (esp in parenting). I am not a bookworm. I am very picky. But this book really really did attract me the first time I saw it. I skimmed through and read first few pages at the bookstore. He wrote it nicely at first glance...and the content seems perfect. It says "Saat berharga Untuk Anak kita" on the cover.



Indeed it is a perfect book. Just imagine, I was reading only the first few pages yesterday when I got so enlightened to become a great mother. So I grabbed a paper and colorful pens and wrote this:



My resolutions for this year! Belated.

I remember about 10 years ago I wrote on my wall at school, something like: "must get 9A1 in SPM insyaAllah" (back then the max subjects taken was 10 and I took only 9. I was gonna take an extra subject but I was demotivated by a 'friend' who said that it would be hard for me, and I mistakenly listened to her. I was surprised when my classmate could easily get an A1 for that extra subject I should have taken. Since then I never listen to those negators!). Know what happen the first time I sticked it on my wall? I was laughed at. She said she wouldn't write that, because the shame of not being able to accomplish that is unbearable. True. But, what happen at the end? I got 9A1 and she didn't. Conclusion: believe in yourself!

Well I know for many people those little things mean little. But considering my current condition as a student, a wife, and a mother of 2 months old baby who is fully dependent on her parents...those little things mean really BIG. In fact I have many many other things I want to do everyday. I want to be a writer. I consider it as my 2nd job in future. I don't want to be typical lecturer, doing and contributing nothing outside the academic world.

But there is only 24 hours in a day. Breastfeeding alone takes about 30 mins each time, and she is hungry every 2 hours on average,..how many hours do I have left for all other stuff minus breastfeeding? Do the math! AND there is also certain limit to the amount of energy we have. So I am going to be realistic, hence the short list.

Yes, it is indeed a good book. It tells me that no matter how busy, how tired I am, I must make time for my yaya (aside from changing nappies, bath, breastfeeding etc). I would come home early to first feed her, then take her for an evening walk. Seeing her big eyes looking at the flowers, all my headache from school goes away.

Because she would be a baby only once in her life!

As time goes by, she'll grow and become more and more independent that one day she'll do everything on her own. And when that time comes, what can I do for her? I'll be almost unneeded. Sad but true!

I AM busy with my study stuff, yet I don't want to regret it later that I didn't spend time for her. Some people think that we can start doing that later (say when the child is 4 years old) but hello, remember the word 'bonding'? It has to start since the time the baby arrives in this world!

It is really a good book. Go get one!

Anyways, today is our 2nd anniversary :D :D Yes, it is a perfect time for making a resolution hehe.

Dear my beloved hubby, happy 2nd anniversary. May God bless our family with happiness in good times and hard times...and all time. Amin. I love you. I love our family. you + me + yaya + more to come hehe!



Oh, look at her chearful smile :D

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wanted: part time superheroin

We are finally back in Christchurch, NZ. Not 2, but 3 of us..hehe. We are glad that Aliya seems to like her new place. Knowing my manja daughter who usually likes to be hold, I am so relieved that she got no problem seating on her own in her car seat. Good girl! (I guess I haven't known her enough)...It was funny when we first put her in the car seat...she didn't dare to move her hands an inch! Oh, I really really like the expression on her face when she and her babah sent me to school on Friday. Seating calmly in her car seat, with her 'all grown up' attitude...the look was like saying "OK mama, time to study..blajar rajin2" haha! Oh I really really love it!

It took us few days to settle down. We arrived in Christchurch on Monday but we were still busy cleaning up the house on Thursday. Well, the house wasn't that messy..but I guess the time has finally come to reveal the real me --> I am a part time superheroin! haha! I was gonna have a meeting with my supervisor on Friday morning, but until about 2 am I haven't had the chance to do some preparation I had in mind. I got so tired that I couldn't do any work related to my study, yet I couldn't sleep worrying and thinking too much about the meeting. Double losses for me!

"Mengaku kelemahan diri tapi jangan mengaku kalah pada kelemahan itu"...my husband told me, trying to make me felt better.

I really like that sentence (hence the entry) and he was right. 'Mengaku kelemahan diri' is acknowledging our limitation. I am not a superwoman. I can't work continuously for the whole day. Getting tired after such physical work is logical. By doing this ('mengaku kelemahan diri'), we could release the pressure of trying to do beyond our limitation. In my case, initially I was planning to get this 'she's doing a great job' look on my supervisor's face. I impatiently wanted him to know the research idea I have in mind. I was gonna have it written out nicely. But it stressed me out. Because I didn't have any energy left. But hubby said that I could just explain to him the idea and then say "I am sorry, actually I wanted to document this well but I didn't have the time yet since I just got back and was so busy cleaing up my house". Would he be mad? No. Was I still be able to impress him? Yes. See..by 'mengaku kelemahan diri'..I was still able to get his good impression on me despite not having to do the writing I initially planned. And I wasn't stressed out anymore after hubby taught me this. Double victories for me! hooreyy ~ tq abam

BUT

Beware of the misconception on this...hence the latter 'tapi jangan mengaku kalah pada kelemahan itu'. Some people use the limitation as an excuse, but in a wrong way, where it leads to not doing the best they could otherwise be doing. Saying like "apa nak buat, ni je yang boleh.." with that loser look...urgh! people do have limitation...but the question remains "have they done enough given their limitation and circumstances?" We must know our limitation, yet we should try our best with what we've got:

"Mengaku kelemahan diri tapi jangan mengaku kalah pada kelemahan itu".

lesson learnt.

Oh anyway yesterday we went to a lovely place called Mona Vale to get few shots of our lovely Yaya. Here's some pics:

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Dear my love...

Happy birthday to you..
Happy birthday to you..
Happy birthday to babah..
Happy birthday to you~~~~

:D Yesterday was babah's birthday (wanted to write this entry yesterday but was pretty occupied). Mama, yaya, nenek, atok, and all doakan semoga babah terus dianugerahi kesihatan yang baik, dan kebahagiaan dunia akhirat..May Allah always bless babah and may babah always be successful in everything you do. Mama and yaya want to thank babah for all babah has done..we love babah very very much..

Thank you for being my husband who has always guided me to the right path, taught me life and how to make life more meaningful...

Thank you for giving me your heart...

I love you I love you and I love you..

Here's a song especially dedicated to babah *wink*


oh anyways, it was yaya's 2 months birthday too! :D

Here's my two cinta hatiku ~


and this is me (tumpang sekaki :D)

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She read as early as 8 months old!!!

It was a lovely morning and we just got back from mandi sungai at ulu bendul. I can't believe it took only about 7 mins to reach there from PIL's place. Gonna be our 'must go' place when Aliya is big enough to play with the cold water. I think she's gonna love it! I could tell she enjoyed the sightseeing (although I don't know to what extend she could see hehe) Her eyes were big, full of curiosity. I just love it!

Oh anyways, I found this really really cool video! check it out, especially if you are parents like me!



The kid in that video started to learn to read as early as under 1 year old, and she already read news paper at 4 years old! Amazing, isn't it? I was browsing yesterday about kid development and found out that we can teach baby how to read as early as when s/he can start grabbing stuff (6 months old!). Of course, there are techniques and precautions..the do's and dont's...like: have to make it fun, don't pressure the kid, stop it before s/he gets bored etc...well I am not trying to restate the information here since you can find tremendous over the internet! I just want to share this excitement..lets do this you guys! Just thinking about my Aliya can read makes me really really happy and really really excited!

Some time ago I read book 'Catatan Hati Nik Nur Madihah'. You sure know her, don't you? She is a genius! well, I know she's not the only one who made records for their SPM results, but she is one of a kind..why? because she grew up from family yg susah, couldn't afford to go to tuition classes..she even copied dictionary because buying one is just impossible (I can't imagine how she could have done that! never ever in my life I had been such diligent). My God, my heart really moved as I read her stories. Well, what I really want to point out about her in here is..I believe one of the reasons for her unbelievable success is the motivation and lessons she learn from her parents, and to my surprise she has a father that, although is a fisherman, loves to read and he even reads stuff about engineering! That is, her father is not a typical fisherman. Her father is a fisherman who appreciates knowledge, and he could have been an engineer or a doctor if he has had the chance. I bet Nik Nur Madihah also loves reading. As for me, I started to love reading only after I met my husband. He is the person who has encouraged me to read, and he himself reads a lot of book..from politics to Islamic stuff, from marketing to psychology and many others...he reads whenever he has a chance..and he always brings a book with him whereever he goes!



We want to make reading as a habit in our family. We want our children to love reading too, and we would not mind buying as many books as they want. But we do bear in mind that, no matter how much we put our effort to educate our children, it is God who decides the final outcome..whether they are genius or not, that is not our concern..as long as we have tried our very best to educate them. Plus, it is not how many A's that matters...even if our children are doing so-so in study (after trying their best of course!) but they grow up as anak yang soleh and solehah..that is PERFECT! We could not be asking for more.

Friends...Lets together make our children love to read, may they grow up as people with knowledge. Lets share tips and experience in this matter, may the benefit can be spread to others. Isn't it great if we have lots and lots of Nik Nur Madihah? and isn’t it just really really great if among them are our own children?

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F.A.C.E.S

~ Aliya @ 2-months old ~

sopan...


cute!!!!


confuse?


nakal!


curious...


excited!


tired...


sleepy...


smiling ~


cemek...!


Last but not least...solehah~! :D


~ I just love em! ~

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I hit a jackpot!

This is AWESOME! I mean really really AWESOME!

What happen?

My first year at the University of Canterbury wasn't so good. Actually, was pretty bad. It was OK at the beginning. But then problems came one after another..you wouldn't believe it!

and I haven't accomplished anything for my study. Nothing.

and now my second year has hit its second month and is approaching the 3rd.

I was so worried that sometimes I cry.

But, who knew that it only took couples of second for this to change! Yes, it was a miracle. and it was Allah who has helped me when suddenly an idea for my research came across my mind. And I am telling you, it was a brilliant one. And If I am right about it, I totally hit a jackpot! My God, I am happier than ever.

When I thought about all this thing, about all the problems, difficulties, lost I had to face for the past few months, and how things are turned upside down in just few seconds..nothing came to my mind but how merciful Allah is...how beautiful life He has given us..and more importantly how great He is..with only a small favor of his, He has made it easy and washed away all the difficulties!

And who are we to oppose Him...and who are we to make fate better than He does...

Thank you Allah..

Lesson learned. Lets keep trying in this life. Things might be really hard at times, but don't let our guard down! For Allah can and will make it easy if He wishes so..

lets gambatte minna!

Oh by the way, I got my bubble tea!!! Hihihihihi. All thanks to my in laws who found the bubble tea stall and many many thanks for buying me some. How thoughtful you guys are! :D Now I can have bubble tea almost everyday (since it's waayyy cheaper here in Senawang than in KL, and wayyyy closeby)

what's more interesting than having bubble tea almost every day? (senyum sampai telinga heh heh heh)

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A cup of bubble tea will do

This saturday my Aliya will turn to one month old (time flies, yeah?!). I can't wait to end this confinement period. Have another 2 weeks or so to finally have my taste buds enjoy the soothing taste of bubble tea. It's my favorite drink since some time ago, when I was still in the States. Back then I bought 2 cups everyday (big size!)..I am so into it until now. It's not just a drink. It's a remedy. Whenever my world turns upside down..a cup of bubble tea will do...

Everyone's life is challenging in its own way..all we need is perseverance. I am trying to give my best to keep up with what is expected from me. It has been tough last year, lets hope that this new year will be better. Now that I have my Aliya I must take care of as a mother, I need to have strong self-discipline. Only then I can do well in my study. I have to be mentally prepared from now, before resuming my study in March (and progress report is due 3 months later uhuh!). May Allah help me through...Amin..

Lets try our best, for God never likes us to give up in life..

Gambatte Mama! Yosh!

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La La La It's Love \:D/

Oh I was sooooo happy last night. For the VERY first time (!), I was able to successfully 'dodoi' my Aliya until she fell asleep (another miracle haha). I have to give credit to myself for this :D because all this while whenever I hold her in my arms she would cry. My holding skill is not zero, but negative infinity! haha. My husband blames it on my mechanical eng background (and he's sooo right hehe...)

The feeling of being able to dodoi her is undescrible and priceless.

To all new mothers, especially those with no experience in baby care (like me :D)...GAMBAREEEE!!!! Lets put some more effort to become the best mother to our loved ones.

~ I love her more and more ~

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