Resolutions? pfft

Bismillah, Assalamualaikum



I am still a teacher. and I'm terrified at the thought of my waning passion. I want it back even though some days can be gloomy. a class teacher and the teacher in charge of the Green Team for the school sports day, yay! not.


I still am trying to control my overeating problem. I should reduce intake of fatty foods but then I love to eat and eat and eat. I also love to travel and eat. I wanna be the host of Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan = eat + travel! I should eat oats or muesli or jus mate :p I reallyyy need to exercise more.


I wanna be more patient esp with my students. Actually I am already patient but the students always test the waters. Can I not get angry for a year? Please...is temper flaring inevitable even for 365 days? sheesh...


I gotta read more to feed my ramping spiritual soul~


and I wanna be more inspirational and inspiring so I need inspirations.


But above all;


Therefore stand firm (in the straight path) as thou art commanded― thou and those who with thee turn (unto Allah); and transgress not (from the Path): for He seeth well all that ye do.
Hud [11:112]

2009 in pictures!

Bismillah, Assalamualaikum

January

I remember that 2009 would be quite a year for me especially that even at the beginning of the year, some events were inevitable like finishing studies, posting and graduation but of course, there were always surprises even in small packages :)

My first Chinese New Year Celebration at Leann's Open House, thank you Leann ^_^

If I could give an example of a true 1Malaysian, then it would be Leann, my coursemate, she not only has complimentary attributes but she made quite an effort for us to enjoy eating and experiencing CNY at her home, and it help that some of her relatives are Muslim who had done the cooking for us Malays and that all the cutlery were brand new, aaaawww shucks <3

February

Nothing much happened in this month maybe because I was still busy studying and completing my project paper. I remembered that it was one hectic semester! Nonetheless, we coursemates had ample time to breakaway from the stress and so I organized Paintball which was cool and I wish to play again but dunno when.

March

Again, March was studying and studying and more of studying esp that exam was around the corner but in between burning the midnight oil, I was involved in 2 cool sports event! Can you guess?

April

And so the studying was over with Finals meaning that my course studies of 6 years were also done, phew~

Wow! What 6 years! It had been amazing! and it was also enuff. Time for a new beginning :D

May

I remembered touring the whole Perlis state, eating Perlis food and going to Padang Besar bedazzled by the cheap girly things like brooches and jewelry. Next time would be Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak no?

With the exams finally over, my coursemates and I were rope in to do works for our lecturers, and I dunno about the rest of my friends but I had loved being an editor! You'll see me again in major newspapers and magazines this time, count on it!

and last but not least, was my coursemates grand exit from our institution of higher learning, our Storytelling Concert!

June

and so GOODBYE degree, GOODBYE coursemates of TESL IPSAH-UPSI 2003-2009, till we meet again! of course, 2010 holds much better days for both you and me, InsyaAllah :)

My beloved parents rewarded me with an escapade to see Mai Sis! Whee!!

(Alhamdulillah :)

London


Leicestershire

Paris

and I miss all these places sooooo much!! I wanna go again soooooo much!!


So right here, right now, I wanna write down my dreams:

I wish I may, I wish I might, to go further my studies specifically in England, InsyaAllah, Ameen =))

and I thought 2009 was the year for me~

Bismillah, Assalamualaikum

July

It was a great start for July as a dazzling event happened ;-*

I also had my first experience staying at a Homestay with my parents. I have to say that it wasn't much fun sharing toilets with others and not that comfortable like in a hotel but it was still cool enlivened the fresh air of the village, the BBQ, the fishing and the things that you don't really get in a city.

I also got the opportunity to babysit my favourite cousins and this is Aqila insisting she gets to hold Alia who was born on February and a baby I couldn't get enuff of!

And last but not least, I was posted to Pahang, or more precisely KEMAYAN, nearby Bera Lake, the largest natural freshwater swamp in Peninsular Malaysia. It is categorized rural and sorta a cowboy town but it doesn't mean that I have to ride a boat or raft or something to get to my school. Some people can be soooo, I dunno, just because I say I'm in somewhere rustic, you don't hafta imagine me living in such a despair and giving me sympathetic ooo's and aaa's but if you must, then imagine the boredom I get because I can't do much in a place like that. At least, if I do hafta ride a boat, I might go fishing or crocodile hunting huh :D

August

I graduated with Honours, Alhamdulillah *_*

and it was also the last time (for God knows when that time will be again) that I met up with all of my coursemates of 6 years! Of course I do hope to meet them again soon and soon would be my impending ehem ehem :p

Me Birthday! One cake, Kaswina surprise me with and another big fat one I surprise my family with because this month was also the month I receive my first paycheck! Another thing about working was that it was also the first time I had to stay in a rented home because I had never done so when I was studying. So basically, I'm learning to stay at a home faraway from home and managing my finances all on my own :-s

What a big girl I am now, tee hee :p

September

I traded in my 12 year old Wira to a Myvi similar to this colour because Wira just couldn't make it anymore down the Karak Road because I go back home every weekend, yes, pls don't look so shock, its only a 3 hour drive and if I speed, I would make it home less than 3 hours plus I carpool with Kaswina alternately every week so we save cost and fuel, smart huh ;>

Eid Mubarak! These are all my little most adorable cousins all eagerly lighting that fire crackers with adult supervision of course and that would be me :p

October

This month was my BFFJ, Nadiah's wedding, considered as the wedding of the year for me! I was there to witness practically everything except the sparks leading to the marriage, that one, you have to read NuttyNad's blog and be going aaaaawwww because it was sho shweet!

November

When I got posted to Pahang, altho I didn't like the thought of it and still dread going back everytime, I stayed +ve ^_^

I guess I have always been a +ve person and I did embrace Pahang starting with the place I got posted to and I went to Pekan, Teluk Cempedak and Tanjong Lumpur (the best seafood, highly recommended!!)

Pekan, the place of birth of our now Prime Minister. Located on the banks of the Pahang River 50 km south of Kuantan, Pekan is the royal town of the Malaysian state of Pahang Darul Makmur. Its name comes from a flower, the Bunga Pekan. Pekan is also the name of the district the town is situated in, and a parliamentary constituency in its own right. It is the home of the state's royal family and it may seem like a cowboy town to many but it has its sophistication in some parts of the town!

Teluk Cempedak, beautiful and attractive! I dunno if you can really swim swim because I noticed a red flag but some people were just stupidly brave.

The state mosque is stunning and this Asma Ul Husna silver metallic 'tree' was emblazoned in front of the mosque and it was magnifique plus hot under the scorching sun!

My school had an end of year ceremony with BBQ and me winning 1st prize in the ping pong match done earlier on in the day. This is some of the teachers in my school and did I mention that the best part of my school was my colleagues, well, yes, if it weren't for them, I don't think I would have survived!

Singapore was a brilliant trip thanks to Zahrah <3

Next year InsyaAllah there will be more and more and wait a minute, perhaps not that much but still, there will be, hehe ;)

December

This month has not ended yet so perhaps there will be other pictures but in the meantime, when my parents went to UAE, I had a slumber party with my BESTEST coursemates, Wani, Nani and Milah.

Coming up! 2010 resolution...or not :p


[I wish I got the date Friday, 1.1.2010 sigghhh~]

So does that mean I can get marry now?

Bismillah, Assalamualaikum


So what did I learn from my pre-marital course?


1. It's good if you have a friend to accompany you because I didn't so I got a bit lonely. plus, there was no one to giggle with at all the hilarious jokes the ustaz kept cracking!


2. JAIS is okay. In front of the Masjid Shah Alam and before section 9 Concorde Hotel. Register at least a week before only by giving your name and IC via phone. it's on weekends at 8am until 5pm. Fee RM80 including meals and a file and inside the file, there are books on marriage and doa2 and a notebook and pen :D


3. Practically all couples came in..couples! I did feel a twinge of jealousy watching em all being lovey dovey with the girl having the guy on their arm and the guy waiting for the girl to finish so they can go together but hey, they're not married so I shouldn't be feeling this way and better save my green-eyed monster to come out when I do see other halal couples. I messaged Zahrah to keep myself from feeling drowsy and she gave me brilliant words - Dare to be Different! Thanks Zahrah, it actually made me swell up in pride because I knew then that I was doing something that was not different in the eyes of God, Alhamdulillah :)


4. A lot of ustaz were comical and crack really uproarious jokes that some of those anecdotes made me in stitches and I couldn't stop the tears welling up from all those laughing. I really liked it that these ustaz were not only entertaining but also readily shared their experiences and enlightened me on their work concerning muslim marriages. However, I also realized that these ustaz perhaps needed to come up with these kinds of funny stories as today's generation don't prefer much to listen on serious matters. Are we too preoccupied with what we do that if these courses were not made compulsory then we would not even think to attend? and some of us only wanted to go to get that green light to marry? and the girl next to me said that if there was any form of recitation of Quran then she wouldn't have come at all! so is that it? that's why all the ustaz have to be equipped with charms and charisma to attract us all? and what if some ustaz go overboard with the jokes and talk less on what really matters? then my generation would not even be bothered to get to know about talak, fasakh and nusyuz and such. and then all those domestic conflicts happen and that's why there's news that Terengganu has the highest divorce rates and all and whatnot, hmm...


5. Honeymoon is a must! but only for those married couples who can afford it. hehe, I just had to put this statement :p


6. I didn't learn this in pre-marital course but rather from the news but it does seem interesting to insert this - Starting Jan 1 next year, the "mas kahwin" or dowry rate in Selangor will be fixed at RM300. I don't know what to make of this because I thought that RM80 was already a good deal. I hope my future husband would not be burden by this and that I would not allow myself to be swept away by other people's perception on the dowry and the money gift. The dowry can be a part of the "duit hantaran" or money gift but then again, people in Shah Alam have a tendency to want to outbid each other in this era of modernisation and I strongly blame Malaysians' artists and the wealthy rich for this plus it doesn't help that the media publisized the amount.


So what are the requirements in an Islamic Marriage Contract?

1. Groom (check :p)
2. Bride (can't wait :p)
3. Wali (Abah)
4. Ijab Qabul
5. 2 witnesses


and Mama said that I need to brush up on my cooking skills so she wants to add that to an informal list she made for me, tee hee :p

Uniquely Singapore Trip!

Bismillah, Assalamualaikum

Before Eidul Adha and on the start of the school holidays, Zahrah called me and exclaimed that she has some work in Singapore and that it would be ok if I were to join. I was excited because the opportunity was just too good to let go especially that it wouldn't burn a hole in my pocket as I had been saving for another getaway at the end of the year (unfortunately AirAsia cancelled all flights going there because of the snow storm, sob!).


Since everything was last minute, I let my homie organized my mode of transportation which is by a posh coach, Aeroline, from Sunway Pyramid to Singapore. Aeroline was okay as there was breakfast from Subway, movies and headphones plus soft comfortable cushion pillows but I learnt that I rather spend less for other brands of buses just as long as I arrived to Singapore. But, after this, I think I would want to take Firefly since I haven't done so anyway.

I stayed in a COOL apartment because the apartment that Zahrah's company has provided was INSIDE A SHOPPING MALL!! No kidding!! and not only that, the apartment in the shopping mall was SMACK in the middle of OCHARD ROAD, Singapore shopping heaven!! Imagine staying INSIDE The Gardens and then going downstairs to The Gardens and next door is MidValley MegaMall, how cool is that!! It was like every morning, I went out of the apartment and there was lots of restaurants and I took the escalator downstairs to the exit and there were Subway, Guardian, Cold Storage and McD and then when we came back at night, only McD was open coz they open 24/7 and we had to trudged back to our apartment whereby all the escalators were not operating anymore and the experience was FANTASTIC!!

The best part about Singapore for me, was the architecture of almost every building in that country and the cleanliness and if there's ONE thing the Malaysians hafta learn from the Singaporeans is their spotless environment except that the pollution was just as bad, huhu.

Travelling not only involves long and tiring destinations as Zahrah and I have experienced as we maximise our time in a foreign country but also seeking knowledge and looking for Islam in all the high and low places that we went. This in turn would encompasses the journey of our minds as we open our eyes, heart and soul to analyze everything that we gain.


From England to Paris and Singapore, I concluded that I hardly saw my religion in Singapore and that what I saw the most was material wealth and people caught in the rat race. There were too many impressive landmarks and Orchard Road was unbelievable as it was one shopping mall after another. It was like Bukit Raja and next door is Bukit Tinggi and then OU, MidValley MegaMall and beside it is LowYatt and then The Curve, yeah, well you get what I mean. I actually managed to finished circulating the WHOLE of Orchard Road and it was like the same thing over and over again!


It made me think that perhaps God didn't made me so rich back then so that I would not be blinded by the materialism surrounding this grand place as I looked all around and secretly wishing to go to that boutique and splurging! It didn't help that I was staying in the middle of shopping malls but then again, it also made me pensive of this Hadith:


“Barangsiapa yang menjadikan Akhirat sebagai obsesinya (keutamaan), pasti Allah akan menjadikan hatinya rasa cukup, melancarkan segala urusannya, dan dunia akan datang kepadanya dalam keadaan tunduk. Dan barangsiapa yang menjadikan Dunia sebagai obsesinya, Allah akan menjadikan rasa tidak cukup itu di antara kedua matanya, menunggang-terbalik segala urusannya, dan tidak akan ada baginya daripada dunia melainkan sekadar apa yang ditakdirkan“.
(Riwayat At-Tirmizi)

Sentosa is a must-go at Singapore because it was splendid and beautiful but there were too many poeple, well, what did I expect huh!

I played at Sentosa like a kid and reminded me of how I went to every single game at Disneyland, so Zahrah and I can't wait for Universal Studios to open, wuu!! and I wanna play that crazy-looking roller coaster before I am pregnant or something, hehe :p

Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay. I just can't believe that I didn't notice that Reverse Bungee! I would have spent on that, would I really?! I'm all for it but the looks of it makes my stomach churn!

You can't say you visited Singapore without going to the Merlion Park near the One Fullerton.

All in all, I had another wonderfully magnificent escapade with travel mate 2009 (and counting!) and I can't wait for more because travelling and sightseeing has become a thirst for me like Edward craves for Bella's blood, haha, okayyy, New Moon is out for those of you who live under a rock :p