A Friend ....

A Friend........

A - Accepts you as you are

B -  Believes in 'you'

C - Calls you just to say 'hi'

D -Doesn't give up on you

E - Envisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)

F - Forgives your mistakes

G - Gives unconditionally

H - Helps you

I - Invites you over

J  - Just 'be' with you

K - Keeps you close at heart

L - Loves you for who you are

M - Makes a difference in your life

N - Never judge

O - Offer support

P -  Picks you up

Q - Quiets your fears

R  - Raises your spirits

S  - Says nice things about you

T  - Tells you the truth when you need to hear it

U  - Understands you

V  - Values you

W - Walks beside you

X  - X-plain things you don't understand

Y  - Yells when you won't listen, and

Z -  Zaps you back into reality

Trip Down Memory Lane.....

Raya Haji Holidays-as mentioned earlier I followed en. hubby to Kedah together with Inessa and Marissa. We left on Friday (after settle solat raya/salam-salam/makan-makan). Sampai Bandar Darulaman dah almost pukul 5 lebih. Traffic was not at all smooth and some parts hujan. Had late lunch/early dinner at Bandar Darulaman (en. hubby's friend's house). The makanan was nice, nasi/kari/ulam2/sambal belacan and some daging goreng kunyit. Thanks to Abg Rahman and wife, Nik for hosting us. About maghrib we checked-in at one of the chalet dekat Darulaman Golf and Country Club. Chalet tu namanya Ixora 3. Ok la - 2 rooms with all facilities minus internet access, overlooking the swimming pool (not that we swim lah). And the chalet mahal juga - it's RM250 a night. Malam we (minus en hubby - sebab dia keluar with friends) had dinner at the club house. Boleh tahan harga makanan kat situ. Club house la kata kan.... Balik tengok TV. TV channel pun cuma ada TV1, 2, 3, 7, 8 dan 9. Namapun raya korban, apa lagi program yang ada selain drama2 melayu yang berkonsepkan korban! macam2 la dikorbankan, korban cinta, korban nyawa. Ish, ish, betul ke tidak konsep korban tu tak tau la. Anyway, tengok la juga, no choice.

Next day, had late breakfast/early lunch at one kedai makan at Shahab Perdana. Gerai nasi campur (masak kampung), sedap and murah lagi. Four of us makan nasi with all the lauk was only RM14 and drinks was about RM5. Ok la daripada spend so much for food at the club house. En. hubby ada golf in the afternoon and we took the opportunity to drive out to town, ingat nak melawat Rumah Kelahiran Mahathir. Mind you, I am pure Kedahan, tak pernah pun pi rumah Mahathir ni. Maha Klinik tu dok pi la sebab kecik2 dulu kalau sakit, itu la klinik yang we all dok pi. Ada lagi sebab2 lain yang lebih nostalgic why we were always there. Never mind, nak tulis kat sini nanti jadi berjela pula. Unfortunately it's a public holiday and the rumah is closed. We took pictures from the outside sahaja. Panjat tembok and took pictures, ha, ha. Told Inessa/Marissa, we'll make another trip soon (had plans already in mind). Hopefully the plan will materialize.

After Rumah Mahathir we went to BTM (kedai baju kurung yang we always frequented when balik Kedah). Tak la beli baju kurung, cuma the girls beli some tudung and brooch. And off we balik to my mom's house in Sg. Korok. Before that singgah kubur arwah ayah - alfatihah. I missed him and I always do. Balik rumah mak, macam biasa. Nothing much to do, makan2, sembang2 with my sisters (cuma ada 2 of them there, Sharos and Ina) and mak. And I had fun time mengusik Nafiz and Pe'ah. Syok dapat usik budak-budak kecik ni. I had always missed my kampung (walau dah tak semeriah dulu). To be in the house where I grew up, the places I used to play. A lot of things I wanted to do, explore and bringing back all those childhood memories. Dulu-dulu I used to go to sawah padi (bendang orang Kedah panggil) pagi-pagi with my sister, Haiza. Berjalan atas 'batas baan' sambil nyanyi2 lagu2 BDB, lagu2 J Mizan, lagu2 Razis Ismail (those were the days!) . We were involved, tak tau la directly ke indirectly ke with all these bendang activities, daripada membajak, menyemai, menuai and all. As children we had fun getting ourselves involved, indirectly I supposed. Kalau orang-orang tua sekarang akan marah kata kita menyibuk. Tapi dulu tak pula kena marah. Dapat naik kerbau bajak lagi. Best tu. Kids now dah tak ada those kind of fun. I had fair share of those sweet and bitter memories of growing up. The kampung now dah banyak berubah. Nothing much dah sekeliling rumah. Rumah Tok Wan dah lama dirobohkan. Kawasan sekeliling dah jadi macam hutan pula. But no matter what, sometimes I do feel this is where my heart belongs.... maybe because I hold on to the past memories... maybe. But I missed arwah ayah, seeing him around the house, going out riding his motorbike, and busy himself when all the cucu balik kampung. I can still see the satisfaction and the happiness on his face doing things for all his cucu. Those are all the memories which will forever etched on my mind. Now mak, seeing how she aged after arwah left, sometimes makes us worry, scared - scared of losing her actually. Tapi itu semua ketentuan Allah. Kita hanya merancang, Allah yang menentukan But seeing mak - she is always happy bila dapat balik kampung - to the house which she shared closed to 50 years with arwah. It's her place, her friends, her surroundings. Nothing and no one can change that. Thanks to Sharos who always make time to bring mak home during school holidays. Susah for her to drive all the way from KL with her two children (one still a baby), tapi she still does that, her sacrifice for mak. Oppss, thanks to Ina for taking care of mak in KL and also to Imi (these are all mak's babies - she loved them to bits!). It's always good to see mak happy and contented with her familiar surroundings. Wishful thinking - we can keep the house for as long as we can. We pray for mak's happiness and good health, for whatever time is left. Mak, semoga Allah sentiasa beri mak kesihatan yang baik dan sentiasa di bawah rahmatNya.

Was there until almost maghrib. Had to leave coz en. hubby dah habis golf. Driving back, passing some sawah padi along the highway, made few stops for Marissa to snap some pictures, pictures of sawah padi, pictures of pokok kelapa (ni kes duduk KL all their life, tak pernah tengok sawah padi and pokok kelapa) and also the sunset. For me, I have always loved seeing and witnessing sunset and sunrise. That nice and soothing feelings.... hmmm, I am getting nostalgic again.

Malam, had maggi mee for dinner (all three of us). En. hubby keluar dinner with friends again. We just kirim food for later. As usual, tengok drama, again some malay drama berkonsepkan 'korban'. No choice, tengok la juga. Other half came back with french fries and spaghetti. Makan again, before retiring to bed.


After checking out on Sunday, we left for lunch in Alor Star, kedai ikan bakar opposite Maktab Mahmud. Food was quite ok. Before leaving Alor Star, we stopped at KSAH sebab budak2 pompuan ni nak bergambar & berposing sakan (maybe sebab all boys' school kot!). Girls being girls.... Dulu I was schooling in Sultanah Asma - maybe next time I will take them there (ni all girls' school, see if they want to bergambar there!) And after that we were off to KL. The driving back was bad. Traffic was not smooth at all. Dari Juru, then Kuala Kangsar, then Ipoh all the way jam and also hujan in some parts. Other half drove all the way. Nak tidor rasa guilty pula. Offered myself to drive dia tak bagi. We finally sampai Damansara Damai at 9.30 pm, singgah solat kat masjid DD.
Walau not much activities, and the 'not so smooth' traffic, the trip was an enjoyable and interesting one. We had fun, nonetheless. It was nice to be able to spend time together, even when doing nothing. The spending time together was great, alhamdulillah......

"To the world you might just be one person, but to one person you might just be the world"

Slow Down

Slow Down

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,

or listened to rain slapping the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight,

or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down,

don't dance so fast,

time is short, the music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly,

when you ask "How are you?",

do you hear the reply?

When your day is done, do you lie in your bed,

with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down,

don't dance so fast,

time is short, the music won't last.

Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow,

and in your haste, not seen his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die,

'cause you never had time time to call and say "hi"?

You beter slow down,

don't dance so fast,

time is short, the music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,

you miss half the fun of getting there,

When you worry and hurry through your day,

it is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is a not a race, so take it slower

hear the music before the music is over.

(-david l. weatherford-)

Have a blessed and enjoyable week, everyone.

Salam Eidul-Adha

Salam eidul-adha and happy holidays.

As for me I will be travelling to Kedah after solat raya as my other half will be playing golf at Darulaman. Kakak and adik will be following (they will definitely say they have no choice!). But I supposed they also like being with me, their beloved mom! Abang will be staying back la. As usual he and his own arrangement. Ada kereta, kira hidup la... So taking opportunity to balik kampung as my mom and sisters are there in Sg. Korok. Sg. Korok clan tak cukup quorum tapi ok la juga. More importantly I get to see mom and also visit ayah's grave (alfatihah for arwah ayah - I do miss him). Was not able to do that during raya puasa as we were on holiday in Phuket. Orang berhari raya, kita ke Phuket, ok juga tu. Something different this year. We have not had 'family' holidays in a longgggg time... Tengok next year, ada rezeki we'll do another outing. Or can I just go with my other half??? My girls will say .... "you sure don't have a life, do you?"....

Sarah, adik (marissa), welcome to blogging world. It's a good feelings to be able to pen down your thoughts, whatever crosses your mind. Mummy pun ikut bila senang saja update. Tu sebab blog tak meriah sangat pun. Nanti kita meriahkan k. Nanti kita link each other, plus kakak's blog.

Got to go now. Once again, happy holidays and "Salam Eidul-Adha".

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. - - Melody Beattie

Yes, talk about gratitude. Grateful to Allah for all favours upon us and how they surround us from above, from below and indeed, from every direction. Never ignore what life has to offer. We hold the key to happiness and many blessings, with Allah's will. Always contemplate and be grateful.

Personally, for me, I just wish for another blessed day. For I was down with flu and fever yesterday. It must be the weather, but alhamdulillah, back on my feet today. Had to be at work. Need to clear lots of things. Received sms from my dear sister who is in Mecca performing haj last night. Hopefully semua berjalan lancar dan segala ibadah dipermudahkan Allah. All our prayers for you, dear.

Got to get back to work.....

"And if you would count the graces of Allah, never could you be able to count them." (Quran 14:34)

Monday blues....

Monday Blues???....

Half of Monday gone. So far so good, no Monday blues syndrome. Alhamdulillah. It is just that I had been down with flu, cough and slight fever since late Sunday. Maybe due the weather, sekejap panas, sekejap hujan. Weekend had been very packed and tiring but interesting though. Saturday we had pool birthday party for my nephew and niece who had invited their friends over. Kids being kids, swimming, makan, swimming, makan and some games they played. Janji they had fun. To Edrie and Sarah, happy belated birthday. Love you all... Sunday we had dimsum for brunch. It's my bro-in-law's birthday celebration, organised by the wife. And after that we are off to UPM, sending kakak back for some 'kem' she has got to attend. It will be a whole week program , 2 days in UPM and the remaining 3 days in Malacca - some kind of teambuilding.

Missing someone??? Yup, yup.... no wonder I am feeling so emotional... I miss him.

I dream and wish for a lot of things in life. Reality is you are allowed to dream as high, as wide, as big, as extravagant, as impossible, as wacky, as silly, as bizarre, as unrealistic as you want. For heaven's sake, they're just dreams.... plans have to be realistic, dreams don't. And yes, wishes and dreams are all private affairs, no wish police, no dream doctors on rampage looking out for unrealistic demands. All these are a private thing between you and yourself.... that's it. Between you and no one else at all. Cuma kena la be careful of what you wish for, what you dream of, it might just come true. And where would you be then??? Scary, scary... Apapun, don't be afraid to dream.

Wish for a blessed week.

"So hold that which I have given you and be of the grateful" (Qur'an 7:144)

A fresh start

It's been a while since my last posting. Had been busy both at work and home. Busy yang dekat office, biasa lah - year end. Busy yang dekat rumah tu tak tau la sebab apa. Reaches home every night after 9.30 pm and bila dah sampai rumah, rasa macam so much house work yang nak di-buat dan tak terbuat! End up satu kerja pun tak siap. Biasa la kadang-kadang rasa macam superwoman, forgetting yang body and energy dah lama menurun. Anyway, that's life. That's the reason we have to make the best of what's given to us, be it time, energy, health, fun, youth, opportunities, chances. Jangan terlepas pandang semua tu. Life is too short to live the same day twice.

Kalau asyik dwell on the past, pejam celik-pejam celik, time flies, terlepas all opportunies, all chances. Whatever the past was, it's gone. Try to see past as a separate room from the one you live in now. You can go in but you don't live there anymore. Visiting is okay but it isn't home anymore. Home is here now. Tu la dia kita. Kadang-kadang suka with all these past attachments. Suka all these nostalgics things, emotional attachments. Anyway, kenangan-kenangan masa lampau adakalanya okay. Tapi yang tak okaynya, if we're revisiting the past because of regrets, because we can't go back and undo what's done. Kalau nak hang on to guilt, we're only damaging ourself.

The best way is to wake up everyday to a fresh start, make the best of the day, how we want it to be, how it should be, the best it could possibly be.

Talk about all the above, I hope I can also do the best with my life, pada sisa-sisa kehidupan yang tinggal. Apapun, sehingga kini syukur alhamdulillah apa yang telah dikurniakan Allah swt. Cuma harapan agar dapat dipertingkatkan segala amalan.

It's the end of working week.... looking forward to Saturday and Sunday. Boleh rest - body and mind, syukur alhamdulillah. Tapi kerja rumah menanti, oh my god, scary.....

Till next post, have a good weekend.