RETROSPECT.....

We have been making so many trips to The Pearl of the Orient that we almost  know the east-west highway like the back of our hands.   Abah could point out  the exact location of which mosque in which locality. Mama knows where best to stop for toilet break. We even have a pet name for our favourite stop ( silly little private joke of Mama & Abah) . We marked the best goreng pisang stall ( at the junction of Panglima Bayu, from Jalan Rantau Panjang Lama onto highway) and a  shop  that sell  keropok lekor that taste as similar as the 'originals' in Losong. And yes,we also pay close attention to  those treacherous slopes too.......

We do not feel that the distance is that far anymore....how could we, when the apple of our eyes is there waiting for us!!

And I must mention how I am  yet to tire of drinking the greens of the hills and the blues of the rivers along the way. (Tasik Banding is just soo breathtakingly beautiful!). And Oh, it is SOOO refreshing. We always end up winding down the car windows and let the fresh cool air of the Banjaran Titiwangsa in.( We usually make our journey in the early hours) Abah likes it too, but not so much for the air, but  more for economic reason!! He could saves on petrol as no air-conditioning is in need, plus, it gives  the machine more power to climb those hills. Dont forget, we are an environmentally-conscious bunch of people!!

Lately,we took to bringing a picnic basket whenever we visit Abang. How satisfying it was to see Abang, Hassan, Tareeq and Amer relished every single morsel...they do miss home-cooked food though they never complain about the meals served by the school.

seen here, Abang,Tareeq, Amer and Hassan eating in harmony and penuh adab...

As for us visitors, delightful as they are, Penang foods generally are not very agreeable to us. We always go to Penang armed  with a supply of Loratadine  or risk disturbed sleep due to blocked nose. But of course it doesnt stop us from sampling the northen delicacies....

Abang ( as well as Hassan, Tareeq and Amer) are painfully thin and it worries me to no end. I would go on and on about it.....complaining,whining, crying ( typical of me!) and asking Abah to request from the management to allow us to bring some supplement for Abang. I know Abang misses having fresh milk  as it has always been his preferred drink and used to drink copious amount of it everyday at home. And honey too. The inhaler and nasal spray was not so much in need  when he  constantly took honey as is practised in our home. And I lament over the fact that as we are trying to eat more of organic products at home, Abang just has to make do with whatever given to him.

Abah would usually listen to me for a few minutes, than started his pep-talk. Abang is thin, so what. Most of the Holy Companions were thin. And they lived the life that we should modeled on. A simple lives free from ostentation and extravagance. A little hardship it is indeed....why making a mountain out of a molehill. Isnt it a common believe that hardship is more beneficial to the soul of man than are comfort and ease?

I was afraid that we are depriving him of certain live-style that he's used to or what I perceive he should be having...What live-style? On what do we based it on? The way accepted by common people? Do not confuse ourselves of what are the REAL needs of our children as opposed to those preached in the books of the kuffaar. Are we not telling ourselves every night in our ta'alem about it? Now is the time to put it into practise.

Astaghfirullaah hal 'Adzeem....

Sometimes I wonder at my own shallowness!!

Adik is far better than me. She accepts it whole-heartedly.She deals with her loneliness. Concerned aunties, uncles, cousins and neighbours keep asking if she's okay, knowing how close she is with Abang. She pacifies them all with a big bright smile and told them she has got another best-friend now named Mama and ,of course Grey too!.  No sooner than I uttered, "Oh, its so sad to see Abang...,she would take my hand and stared at my eyes fixedly and said," Mama!, Abang is okay, he's happy, stop worrying!". She even takes precaution. As we reached the gate of Abang's school, she would remind me, " Mama, no crying okay. If you do, Abang will too.... ". Abang himself tried to make me feel better by actually lifting me up by way of proving that he is STILL strong no matter how thin he gets. And I am a good 20 kg ( or more) heavier than him!!

Thanks Adik, you are a gem! And of course Abah too. Your pep-talks are always a soothing balm on my wretched heart...I love hearing them so much that sometimes I just "buat pe'el" to induce them!! Hehehe...jangan marah Bah!!

I know, I should be the one comforting them, not the other way around.........

So ,in this year of 2010, I intend to grow-up....I'll try to learn more, put into practise even more of  whatever little 'ilm that I have and be a better muslim as a whole, Insya Allah.... Kind souls who chance upon this page, pray for me please.....thank you.