ERRR...THE UPDATES??

So, here I am again,filling in,  for Mama just couldnt bring herself to string a few sentences to oblige her daughter's plead to update this pitiful blog of hers.

I am not so well myself, to tell the truth. I think age is finally catching up with me.   I got this dizzy spell quite regularly now, and it only happens post meals. When they, Mama and Adik , first saw me wobbled , has difficulty in righting myself and finally, fall over, they screamed and  then, cried. Typical! They grabbed me, called me baby and hugged me  so tight as if I was going to die there and then!!

After witnessing a few more episodes of my losing balances, though they are still very concern ,  they quit  screaming, but they continue making lots and lots of fuss over it . Really, I cant understand these two. They call me fatty, lazy bum,sleepyhead and all sorts of degrading names ( none of which describes me ), but at a sight of me being well...just dizzy, they totally lost it!

Mama of course, googled away my condition and came up with the diagnosis of Feline Geriatric Vestibular Syndrome. Mouthful huh?( I especially detest the word geriatric, I'm not that old okay!) At least, its better than being labelled epileptic as she first presumed!

Well, I tried to tell her that I am okay and I dont have other symptoms that cats with that awful syndrome have, but to no avail. Not until she read and read and read and observed and observed and observed . At   one point, she deduced that I eat too fast and scolded me, reminded me of eating ethic of an aristocat. Indeed, I only have these dizzy spell after having meals, never at other times. So, that rules out epilepsy, as well as that mouthful diagnosis! Adik is worse, she thought I am outrightly obese, my head is not in proportion with my body anymore, thus causing me to topple over during mealtimes sometimes!

Well, I'm lost for words to tell them that I just have vertigo like what Abah used to have. And it is far better than what  Abah had as I dont vomit and it lasts only less than a minute. Plus, I could run as fast as usual right after. So, I just let them worry and the result is, I got more pampering!!

Nowadays, I enjoy extra tender loving care and more frequent treats of my favourite cans  of  sardines and salmons. Hmmm...didnt I always tell you that there's a silver lining in every cloud?

Anywaysss...enough about me ( though I know all of you wants more and more of me,right? And oh, for those of you who wonders, rest assured that I still look as good and fluffy and cute as before).


As for Abang and Adik, they are well and doing fine with their respective studies. Abang is still in syahadah class and hoping to graduate by the end of this year. Adik is preparing for her PT3 which will take place soon...and she grumbles a lot about being made guinea pigs.
They went for umrah for the second time in late February as a long overdue promised gift for Abang for having successfully committed 30 juzuks of the holy Quran to memory. The journey was postponed before because of our late Moktok being sick. It was  a joyous and meaningful occasion for them both as they now understand deeper  of the spiritual sides of the journey compared to their first umrah. Abang got to fulfill his dream of reciting the whole of the Quran in front of the Kaabah while Adik said doing tahajjud infront of the Kaabah was priceless!!

Back from the holy lands, Abah, Mama and Adik went on to visit Cik Tie at her new abode in Patayya where they had wonderful holiday with Cik Lah's family. 
I cant be bothered to find their numerous photos there...

And I'm getting tired writing this...so I guess I'll just stop here.

Till then,so long....and  gear up for Ramadhan all of you,you hear me??



p/s I am never good at giving titles to anything,so...


 

SYAWWAL 1434

Syawwal is still here for another few days, so, it a perfect excuse for me to use it as  the title for this post, thus 'camouflaging' the fact that I just  have no better idea...

Anyway, Alhamdulillah, things have been looking up since my last morbid post.

Abang came home 3 days before Eid and things started to become hectic. The day he arrived was the only day he got to have iftaar at home. The next day, it had been pre-arranged  for all of Abahs siblings that have arrived home to have iftaar at Tok Ayah's. The event that unite Abang and Adik with cousins were as always, joyous occasion. And on the Eid's eve, we gathered at Moktok's, with another set of cousins.

At Moktok's we held our annual full Quran recitation as gifts to our ancestors who had gone to meet The Creator . And of course, this year, it was specially dedicated to my beloved father. Alhamdulillah, this year, all of Moktok's children, except C.Lah, were present. With so many of us, we managed to khatam the whole Quran quite fast with Abang alone read 4 juzuks.

Abang was quite the popular guy amongst the cousins this year. He arrived home looking better than usual, taller and broader. Turned out that he had been feeding well!! For almost the whole month he and  his friends that had been chosen to become  imams for taraweh prayers all around Penang were being feted by the respective  locals where they were 'stationed'. They would be fetched from madrasah by the locals around 6pm every day, have iftaar at the masjid, did the taraweh, had moreh, the locals then sent them back to the madrasah. On the way, they would stop at various food stalls to buy food for their friends back at the madrasah who were not as lucky as them! Abang said they usually arrived at the madrasah carrying loads of food packets! Looks like the uncles were full of understanding of the kids needs and the teachers were sporting enough to turn a blind eye towards that not-so-legal activity!

We were taken aback when we saw him at the airport, but quickly recovered as we saw his boyish smile was still there! On the drive home, he entertained us with the report of the above activity. And he nonchalantly told us that he was given a token in the form of some money in an envelope and the money was gone when he left it in the robe that he took out to go into the loo,at the airport that morning. We were all like , what??? How careless of you Abang!!  And he said, its okay, its not my rezeki, Allah has ordained it....

Everybody back home, yes, everybody, noticed and commented on Abang's appearance. In his whiter than whites robe and neat turban, and ermmm.. good looks, he kinds of stands out I would say. So much so that when the men went for Maghrib prayer, the imam was a bit late and when he arrived to see the congregation was quite ready , he just pushed Abang to the front to lead the prayer. And, as Tok Ayah's house is just next the mosque, all of us ladies at home, could hear Abang reciting in such a melodious tone. Subhanallah, it was beautiful! I was particularly surprised because prior to this, Abang's voice was kind of hoarse,croaking at intervals when he recited long surahs as he has this problem with excessive phlegm due to his allergic rhinitis. Alhamdulillah, looks like it is cured.

The next day, at Moktok's village, it just happened again...
And at both mosques, the elderlies, being intrigued by newcomers as usual, questioned Abang of his lineage, no less! When Abang amusedly  related it to us back home, Abang was being relentlessly teased that those men and ladies are targeting Abang for future son-in-law!!

Eid, as usual was much anticipated occasion for Abang n Adik, as it is about the only time all cousins are gathered. It is so heartwarming to see how  all of them are so fond of each other yet with religious upbringing, they know the limit set between boys and girls, Masya Allah...

First eid day with some of the cousins on both sides

On 4th Syawwal, Moktok's clan checked in at three dorms in Lata Tembakah, a waterfall resort for the planned family day. Needless to say, it was an indescribable happiness for all of us...We even managed to bring Moktok along despite her being quite feeble now. It was made even more enjoyable as we had  almost the whole resort to ourselves. When Ayah Ji gave the bayan after maghrib, the whole surau was occupied only by us. The next morning,the ladies,most are niqabis, got to swim too  as the other visitors were not allowed in until 10am.

Family day at Lata Tembakah

Eid celebration ended for us  when  Abang had to go back on  Syawwal 8th/August 15th. And it was not without drama either! Abang suddenly realised he didnt have the IC with him as we were standing in the queue at the check in counter, despite being repeatedly asked by me before we left for the airport. To make matter worse, we didnt bring any printout travel documents whatsoever! I was really mad at him...and I made them both recited the prayer Rabbi yassir wala tu 'assir  while waiting for Abang's turn. No talking at all was allowed!! Concentrate and really asked from Allah with all your heart...
Masya Allah, the prayer proved to be  potent and to cut the story short, Abang was allowed in..Then only everybody  was allowed to smile...hihihi.

So, thats about our eid this year.....and with that, I end this entry!

OF HAJJ AND MOTORBIKE......

October 2012 began with me getting one year older (and hopefully wiser...)
We were rejoicing over the fact that finally, my eldest brother ( your Ayah Long), is able to make the long-awaited spiritual journey to the holy land. It was a joy to all of us because it is the very wish of the late Tok Ayah. He used to fret and fret over the fact that Ayah Long is getting on in  years and being showered by so much wealth by Allah yet he still couldnt extricate himself from his busy schedule to  go and fulfill the 5th pillar. Yes, Tok Ayah couldnt witness it with his own eyes, but by Ramadhan, it was almost sure that Ayah Long and Cik Long are going and Tok Ayah was so happy...And he was made happier to see how Ayah Long has been trying to improve himself spiritually as a preparation for the journey.

Out of the blue, Abah  got a call that he was chosen too, and he was to go in less than two weeks time! Even earlier than Ayah Long himself. We were not really surprise though, knowing fully well about Abah's ongoing research project with the pilgrimages. It just that we were not prepared. Okay, it's me who was not prepared. I was supposed to feel thankful that Abah got to do haji again for the fourth time, but being weak as I am, I felt quite the contrary, astaghfirullah...

So, Abah went, and the rain started. Heavy rains as if the monsoon has decided to come earlier. And I was feeling doubly blues. No amount of whatsApp messages,viber calls or tango video calls from Abah could ease it. Yes, I was that mushy...

But, 20th of Oct arrived and brought Abang off the plane early in the morning. And I was cured!! And even the week long rain stopped too. It was shining ever so brightly on the day we made our qurban at Ayah Mat's. Adik was happy that Abang's home as she wouldnt have to walk to the main road to wait for her school bus every morning. Whenever Abah is around, Abah would send her on motor bike, and now Abang is  taking over.( It was just a short distance really) As for Abang, riding motorbike is a newly acquired skill, happened during the last Eid ul fitr holiday. He has been wanting to do that, seeing other younger boys, with  legs so short they cant even touch the ground when they are on the bike,riding around the kampung joyously. He didnt ask because he knows fully well our stand on this kind of things. But then, after seeing how tall and strong he has grown, and we could see he is now capable of handling it, Abah gave him a lesson, with not much success though, as I kept yelping nearby...(bad mama, I know)Then Aqim came and within a few minutes, Abang was confidently riding!

going for Asar...

So, he really looked forward to coming home this time around as he knew he would get plenty of chances to ride. To the mosque five times a day, send Adik to the bus stand, taking out thrash to the dustbin on the main road and go buying this and that for Mama. All these trips are of course done on small paved road away from the main busy road. That's a strict condition put by us that he has to go by. No main road until he got a license. He has to park the bike on one side of the road and walk across to buy something as most of shops are on the other side of the main road . Abang said he felt like a real grown up now!! And kept saying thank you's to Mama for giving him the chance... Thats just like Abang. It was me who should be thankful of you. Abang did a lot when he was home...and at Mak Tok's too. Both Abang and Adik vacuumed and mopped up Mak Tok's floor until it shone. MasyaAllah I was so proud of you two, Alhamdulillah...

It was one  satisfying, fulfilled week  when Abang was home. Managed to cook many of his favourite dishes too...Adik was so happy that Abang,during their evening cruises,  taught her to ride as well, without my knowledge of course, as I would never agree to it!! The highlight of the week was when  Abah told us to catch him on TV al Hijrah as he would be interviewed on a live program. As we dont have satellite tv, we hastily downloaded the 1MalaysiaTV apps and watched him on the tablet...here's Abah.

Thanks Kak Chik Illa for the picture...we forgot to screen capture any of it as all three of us were busy gazing longingly at Abah! When Abah called later, the first question Adik asked Abah was,why didnt they put make up on you!!!

Well, the rain has started again....and I'm signing off.

OUR BASHFUL BOY.....

Okay, I  do realise that its already July and I didnt deliver my monthly entry in June  as promised to my two beloved children. Sorry ya Abang and Adik...

So, here I am writing in early July and hopefully will write again at the end of this month to make up for last month's. (Children, I'm trying to set a good example here on fulfilling any promises made, if you cannot tell already).

Abang was home for a very short break of 4 days in June. And it was made to feel shorter as we immediately left home after he arrived to attend Tok Su's kenduri in Bangi. It was a wedding reception of Abang Faiq and Kak Min. Alhamdulillah, both Abang and Adik made us proud for the khidmat they both did at Tok Su's. We arrived home late Saturday night and on Sunday morning Abang caught the flight back to Penang. He didnt have enough time to enjoy the newly-fitted air conditioner unit in his bedroom!

There's a story behind this air-conditioner thingy...

When Abang was younger, he was, well...a bit too 'soft' for a boy. Yes, it was our fault, we must admit. Okay, okay, its MY fault! Satisfied Abah?

So, not to elaborate his manjaness  thus embarrassing him, suffice to say that we got worried when he was about 7 and still cried whenever he had a fight with Adik...Adik, on the other hand, rarely cried. You were a lot tougher when you were smaller Dik. Nowadays, everything seems to has undergone a  360 degree changes though!!

the playroom- while Abang was always a tad too prim and proper, the tough Adik would eat everything including flashcards and books.....

So, Abah and me had a discussion and somehow we came to decide that we have to start being more firm with Abang, in every aspect. You two were still sharing a bedroom at that time and we soon  decided for you to sleep separately. So we converted the playroom into Abang's new room and decided not to fit it with air-conditioning unit as one of our strategies to toughen Abang up hahaha...and no goose feather pillows for Abang too!

Alhamdulillah, I think it did work...at least when Abang first entered madrasah he didnt make any complain about the sleeping arrangement! 

And now, after nearly 3 years in the madrasah, Abang has become totally different from the boy who once would only eat mostly white-coloured food, very particular about what he was gonna wear  and cannot tolerate any stain on his clothing, amongst many other things. (hmm...writing these down somehow made sense of what Abah said...I was the one who influenced him in the first place, oh no!!!)

Anyway...

As Abang now travels the distance of nearly 400km between home and madrasah on his own  regularly, we are convinced that Abang is tough enough hehehe...Not to mention going to mosque in the dawn and dusk alone if Abah is not home and is always ready to lend his muscle in any situation. He is certainly  most helpful and very handy to have around when you need help MasyaAllah. And good influence on Adik too...Adik's degree of rajinness always climb a few notches higher when Abang's home...

When he's home, post ta'alim sessions , Abang would come and lepak either in our room or Adik's  and would reluctantly retired to his not so cool room at sleeping time. During hot season, it'll be worse as his room is on the west part, thus absorbing the full brunt of afternoon sun. 

So,we gave him a surprise this time around...I even put in a brand new bed cover to spruce things up. (  Abang is  very particular about having one on top of his bed sheet) . He arrived home by bus after Asr and stepped in his room. We were waiting to hear what he was going to say. If it was Adik, we would be sure of the reaction as she is one expressive girl, but Abang is totally on the opposite. So we heard nothing at all....and he came out to have dinner and Abah had to ask him! And he looked at us and gave a w-i-i-i-i-d-e smile with his big shining eyes that said a thousand words. And Abah, Adik and Mama have a BIIIIG laugh!!

That's our Abang, who very rarely ask for anything and always very appreciative when is given something. May Allah increases His rahmah on him, InsyaAllah...

SHE'S 13 AND HE'S 15...

 February 19th and March 5th this year, Adik and Abang became 13 and 15 respectively. The journey into challenging adolescence life thus began for both of you. Its not gonna be easy...a fact acknowledged by all parents worldwide but seems to elude the teenagers themselves. And Adik especially ( as she's living at home with me) could tell that how often I emphasize on this issue alone. Working with those teenagers with social problem at the shelter home, seeing them on the streets, watching them on the idiot box only reaffirm my fear. I never want you two to go through life the same way as most the teenagers today do. They seems to exist with  nary a care in the world  except for having the latest gadgets so that they have uninterrupted social life. And, its their interpretation of social life that worry me most....

I am constantly feeling grateful that Abang is in a madrassah. That alone has eliminated half of the challenges he might be facing outside. We as  parents, works the other half with lots and lots of do'a. I admit that I worry more on you Adik...being a girl and having to go through daily life as a student in a normal school environment. Regardless of it being an all girl school and a religious one to boot, I can easily  see that constant supervision from us is never to be dwindled.

Okay, I know that I have to be very grateful for so many things that  Allah has bestows upon you two. Abah , times and again, has reminded me to be more realistic, as  I tend to have a suspicious mind and it irritates  both Abah and Adik. I cant help it!!! Listening to those teenagers at the shelter home recount their life stories put me there!! I have seen and heard cases of all kinds. And how  it could happen to just about anybody. So, Adik and Abang, when you are reading this in future, maybe as parents yourself, you would understand my stance and would forgive me for giving you never-ending lectures at every single opportunity!

I do feel blessed that both of you are born healthy and are still in sound condition physically and emotionally. And I am grateful that both of you needed no prompting anymore in doing all the basic requirements of our religion, Alhamdulillah. As for Abang, MasyaAllah, he's doing lots more than the basics. And Adik too, is catching up. Academically too, I have not much to worry about. So, all in all, people could say that I have nothing to worry about...but, I do!

 Because I want you two to be better in the eyes of Allah....

Forward thinking is the way to go. We are not living our life just for this moment. Or our near future. We are living it for our final destination...And there's no other way of doing it except for sticking to sunnah way of life, really have to grip it as hard as we can. The lifestyle of today, on the contrary,  seems to pry us away and away from it...

So, Abang and Adik...in a nutshell, what exactly we are hoping from you are, for you two to live this life fully aware that you are answerable to every single thing you do. All your action will have effect on you and your surrounding.  Life is not supposed to be easy, it's a big test for all of us....

FAREWELL 2011, WELCOME 2012...

2012 is looming  and the auditor who keeps checking on this unworthy blog keeps harping on me to update...do you really have to? 

Its not that I dont want to update but December, as always, is a hectic month. To begin with, lots of walimahs  to attend, high on list was the one for both Mak Uda's daughters who got hitched on the same day and were feted in one big kenduri to save cost, hehe (as Mak Uda has so many children!!). Our beloved Kak Naheed and Kakchik Khadijah are now wives...Alhamdulillah. So, we were in KL for almost a week, then back to Kelantan for another round of walimahs of various friends and relatives. Then off to Penang to visit Abang of course. 

In between those times, we did nusrah for jamaats that came to our mosque. As it was raining almost everyday, we took the task of washing their clothes and the drier never stop spinning.

Then, came the preparation for Adik's new world in secondary school...Right after the UPSR result was announced, the application form for the much sought after school, namely Maahad Muhammadi (P) was promptly  filled up. Adik was then called up for an oral test followed by a written one. Alhamdulillah, with so much do'as from all of us, Adik got a place. There were 840 students competed  for 400 places allocated. A scramble for all spanking new school uniforms and fees to be deposited in school's account, amongst other things, followed. Then only could we relax a bit...

And to end 2011 on a good note, we went out for 3 days in Masturat Jamaat so that we could remind ourselves again and again on the importance of having constant worry on our imaan and amaal. Alhamdulillah, Adik picked up another good habit this time, which is reading 2 pages of the holy Qur'an upon finishing  every fardh solat. By Isya', she would have read 1 juz,MasyaAllah....May Allah gives Adik taufeeq to hold on to this good practice throughout her life...In the last khuruj she participated, Adik picked up the good habit of performing ablution before going to bed and it seems to stick, Alhamdulillah. May Allah choose all of us again and again to go out on the path of Allah to learn Deen , to correct ourselves, to restrain our nafs and to learn to live our lives according to the way of those who had been declared radhiallahu 'anhum .

So, in a few days time, we will have a change of our timetable. As Adik's new school is quite a distance away and a stay in school hostel  was ruled out,(for the house would be very lonely without you) we have to start early. No more dilly-dallying in the morning as you used to. It will take some times to get used to it and stronger willpower of course. For the whole 6 years of primary schooling, with the timing of a private school and the fact that the school is just in our vicinity,Adik could afford to iron her uniforms, finish up homeworks and even memorised few ayaahs from the holy book before setting off to school.No more of it ya Dik....

Its quite a task for Mama and Abah too... We have mapped out the shortest and least congested road though, with the help of google map no less haha!! InsyaAllah, we are quite sure you  could handle it well Adik...Abang was faced with harder challenge when he entered the madrasah and he adjusted really well and seems to flourish even more in stricter regime...

Lastly, we are praying that 2012 will be a better year for all of us...Abang aims to finish his hafadzan in 2012, Adik to learn more religious subjects in Arabic. It is actually the single most important reason why we choose MMP for Adik, not because it is arguably the best school in Kelantan or the fact that it has produced the best student who hold the record of 20As in SPM.

May Allah makes everything goes smoothly for both of you my beloved Abang and Adik.....

SYAWAL 1432H

Abang's coming home for Raya this year was uneventful, Alhamdulillah. He arrived around 11a.m, thus having ample time to drop at  Tok Ayah Wahab's on the way home from the airport. Next destination was to the mosque where Abah confined himself for i'tikaaf as he had been sending numerous text messages   reminding me to bring Abang to see him before going home. 

And with Abang home, as expected, all carefully planned healthy meals disappeared!! We were back on rice on that day itself as Abang said he dreamt of Mama's Nasi Lemak with Ayam Goreng Berempah the night before! And the dream happened to has a continuation with the list of food items  getting longer and longer. Adik, ever the cheeky one, tried to capitalize on it by asking Abang to think/dream of several other types of food not included in Abang's list!!

And oh, I must stated here  too,for the records ,that the last Ramadhan was the first Ramadhan I prayed Taraweeh with Abang as imam. Awesome!! ( a bit funny too as Abang didnt memorise the taraweeh du'a yet and he kept asking to make du'a and he and Adik amin-ed it)

With your presence too,Abang, the festive mood started to creep in. Before that, Adik was bent on studying for her UPSR, but now that you're home, all revisions considered done!!  All you two did were talking, playing, giggling, talking again...all day long! Okay,okay,  so you did help  vacuuming, dusting  and  wrapping the eid gifts for uncles and aunties, which Adik enjoyed so much. She wrote cute eid wishes and drew silly pictures and stuck them on the packages.Abang laughed and thought that his sister is the cleverest and funniest girl in the whole wide world!

We got many gifts too and the one that I like best is this;

This Nut Tray came all the way from Tehran...Thanks so much Kak Ni. Definitely the best gift for a nutcracker like me!!

On the eve of Eid, we gathered at Tok Ayah Mustafa's and recited the whole Qur'an as a gift to Mama's late grandfather. Tok Ayah Pa has more than 10 sons + grandchildren whom are huffaz but not all were present on that day. So, we divided the parts amongst us and Abang alone recited 3 juzuks ...Alhamdulillah. I hope this practise of giving will continue in our home forever, InsyaAllah.

We didnt hold our customary 3rd Syawal open house this year as all the clan of Hj Mustafa headed to Kuala Trengganu  on that day to celebrate your cousin's, Kak S, wedding.
This is one wedding I would like to remember and refer to when the time come for your turn. ( Adik naturally, screaming when I mused aloud about it...she went,'"Mama! but I'm only 12!" . And I went, "Its not wrong to plan early la Dik"!)

Ayah Yie and  Cik Ninie went to great length to ensure  that the nikah and walimah , which is a form of ibaadah, stay true to its meaning and serve the purpose, that is to close the door of those shayateen.

An 'aliim once said in his lecture, instead of closing the door to those doomed creatures, most people actually invite them to join their feast. How? By indulging in extravagance that lead to wastage, thus joining them together in a brotherhood ties... By mixing of non-mehrams during the feasts, by blaring music and by all those traditional practices so rampant in our society that has no basis whatsoever in Qur'an and Sunnah.Not to mention the exposure of auraah and being made-up by transvetite make-up artists.

They began with a simple invitation card printed on regular papers. Stick To Sunnah  was the theme, so it was keep-it- simple and no-waste all the way. I especially like the way they printed the card:

 Ayah Yie kept out his daughter's name as she is a strict niqaabi who started observing the niqaab as soon as she reached puberty.  Everything about her is considered a 'secret',so well-hidden, yet jodoh found her at the age of 18. An 'alimaah, she is an exemplary young muslimah both in ibaadah and akhlaaq. I always pointed it out to Adik that, she's the one to look up to, to imitate and to admire.

The banquet area was totally separated for male and female with no male attendant at all in female area. (What always happen everywhere are, the area may be separated but there's always male attendant refilling the dish, collecting the plates and glasses etc.) As many of the brides friends and students are strict niqaabis, they were able to eat and talked freely. Well, it might not be a big deal for most people, but it is for me...

They spent very little on dresses and made no fuss on hantaran thingy. Yet the bride shone...and nobody were too interested to look at those gifts (because no emphasise were put on those) or asking questions  as per usual in weddings everywhere.Alhamdulillah...lots of du'a for newlyweds were heard that day...I  now thought of it as a successful walimah and making azam to emulate it when the time comes....

Let us pray again for their good life together showered with mawaddat and rahmat from The Almighty,Amiin....

RAMADHAN 1432H

So, 20 blessed days of Ramadhan has passed by...leaving us another 10 more greater days for us to strive even harder to gain as much blessings  as possible. In keeping with the sunnah of our beloved Prophet, Abah will start his customary last 10 days i'tikaf tonight, InsyaAllah. May Allah accepts the effort and give Abah strength to do as much devotion as possible . Goes for us at home too. Adik has promised to do khidmat on whatever needs Abah might ask for during this i'tikaf...and now Mama, Adik and Grey are eagerly waiting for Abang who  will come home on the 28th by Firefly, InsyaAllah.  I cant thank Firefly enough for re-introducing  PEN - KB route. One big headache gone, Alhamdulillah.

This year marks a meaningful Ramadhan for both of you as this is the first Ramadhan that you go through as fully responsible adults according to syari'at. Alhamdulillah, I can vouch for Adik as I'm seeing a vast difference from last years effort. More discipline in tilawatil Qur'an, taraweeh prayers and generally more agreeable in all aspects. I am sure Abang is doing as good or even better as he is constantly in a more a'maal conducive environtment. As UPSR is looming, right after eid that is, Adik seems to be more attentive on her study too. As for Grey, she's doing not too bad at all...having her meals as we are having our suhoor and iftaar, sits and listens to our Qur'an recitations. You should see how she sits most respectfully with her two front legs put together, head cocks up and ears straining. She really is an amazing cat!!

In the 2nd week of Ramadhan, Tok Ayah Pa was warded for a few days for acute coronary syndrome . He has just got home a few days before Ramadhan after spending 40 days on the path of Allah with Alang. He has taken ill during the khuruj too. Alhamdulillah, Alang was with him and did lots of khidmat to Tok Ayah. Since last year, whenever Tok Ayah went on a khuruj fisabilillah, one of his sons or grandsons or nephews will go along with him. I wish one day Abang will also be able to accompany Tok Ayah on one of his journeys, InsyaAllah. I'm sure Tok Ayah will like it very much...

And oh, I must record here too how we try to do a rice-free diet starting a couple of weeks before Ramadhan. We were well into our 20 odd days of no rice when Mak Tok came to stay with us during Tok Ayah's hospitalisation. Mak Tok was horrified that we didnt eat rice during iftar. So, rice meals made a comeback to our table....Now that only Adik and me at home, we have pledged to go sans rice again...only to be broken when Abang arrives I guess. I must say that not eating rice-based meals proved to be easier on us. Upon iftar, there's no heavy feeling, thus make for more enthusiastic taraweeh...and of course made my life easier in the kitchen. We go for single-dish meals most of the time...I made a large batch of something that all three of us like ,eg lamb stew, and eat it with nan one day, freeze the rest in single portions and eat them again with wheat bran boule, couscous, baguette etc. And we eat lots of salads...

organic sprouts

pecal with veges from mama's garden

wholemeal organic spaghetti aglio e olio

grilled salmon

chick-pea salad

couscous with lamb stew

mashed sweet potato with grilled lamb

These are not meant to entice anybody ya...just for the records...and to appreciate Adik's effort on photographing every single dish I prepared!

As for raya cookies, I have no intention to make any as I have placed orders with your aunty Cik Ni and cousin Kak Intan. These two enterprising ladies produce awesome melt-in-the mouth cookies ( and all sort of cakes) using the best ingredients and we can rest assured of the  hallalan toyyiban status of their offerings. I may bake some cakes...(please notice the word 'may'...). Gotta rush now...Till then.

NOT A BOY, NOT YET A MAN......

Well, as you ( the 2 or 3 regular readers of this space) might have presumed, I am going to write about Abang. Its a given. Everytime he came home for holiday, the story about him would  soon emerge here...After all, this blog is dedicated to them, Abang and Adik. ( feeble excuse really.....reality check: #1. I dont have anything interesting to write about . #2. I want to get Miss Auditor off my back...aiyaa, why do you have to check in here ever so regularly? and pressing me to update! I regret telling you about this blog...)

see, he had a cheeky smile on...

Anyway, Abang was home for just one week...and all of us couldnt get enough of him. This time around he arrived looking very relax, not tired or anxious as before. Looks like he's got used to long bus rides, Alhamdulillah.He said he slept all the way and ate well  at one of the stops, so he did not arrive famished as on previous bus journeys . He could even teased Mama upon seeing how excited Mama was when he arrived on our doorstep. Eyes twinkling,he quipped "Relax Ma..."

  We saw many changes in him indeed, not least the physical side. In the above pic, he stood on a step lower than Mama so that Mama could hug and kiss him comfortably.( As a matter of fact, my tall nieces/nephews/females cousins are all subjected to this kind of treatment from me when they want to bade farewell to me....)(hehe,sounds familiar kan cik auditor?)

And Abang has pimples now!! And kind of proud of them, much to my bewilderment...And he kept showing his biceps (haha)  and demonstrated to Adik what kind of exercises he does everyday to gain that. I wish Abang would grow a beard soon!!

Physical aspect asides, we are happy to notice that Abang's confidence level has raised quite a few notches up. Previously, only the three (or four if you count  the snotty cat in) of us are privy to his silly antics,even sillier jokes and ridiculous behaviour. Outsiders will only see a quiet, gentlemanly Mama's boy. He used to get tongue-tied when speaking to people and often reduced to silence when he couldnt find a proper answer to any questions.

Not anymore!!

Soon as he arrived, as usual Abah asked him to call Mak Tok, Ummi and other elders in our close-knitted family. Surprise, surprise!! We didnt need to coach him anymore! He asked the right questions, gave the right responses to enquiries....leaving Abah and Mama looking at each other with raised eye-brows and broad smiles....

The next agenda was  a visit to Tok Ayah Wahab's. Again, when we arrived, he needed no prompt from us to go directly to Tok Ayah. He even managed to ignore Aqim The Favourite Cousin !! Tok Ayah was as usual, sitting on his recliner. After the customary salaam and all, he proceeded to massage Tok Ayah's legs. We were like, WOW!!   When Tok Ayah asked him to recite a surah, he readily did it, attracting Mak and her children who were creating a ruckus in the living room to come gather and listened in.

Up until today Tok Ayah still talking about how good was Abang's recitation and keep saying Alhamdulillah. He even said that amongst his many grandkids, Abang and Abang Abdullah Zahid have the best voices. Hahaha...Yes,(soon-to-be-a-dentist) Abdullah Zahid has lovely voice indeed, having competed and won in many musabaqahs and nasheed in his school and college days. But the same cannot be said about Abang...He does recite beautifully, but good voice is not one of his attributes. Tok Ayah seems to forget that Hassan has a very good voice too.

When we next visit Tok Ayah Mustafa, the performance was repeated and got even better. When Tok Ayah asked him to recite, he asked Tok Ayah in what tarannum Tok Ayah wanted him to recite!! Adik went, "fuyyo, terernye Abang.....show off!!"

All in all, we were suitably impressed with Abang's more mature attitude.....

Then  came the Trengganu trip to visit Mama's siblings. First stop at Ummi's then to Cik Nini's and Ayah Ji's for he has just got a long-awaited son. The first one is in Jerteh and the latter in Kuala Trengganu and Kubang Bujuk. And what do we have in between? Yes, miles and miles  of inviting white sandy beach. 

And I got my boy again........

He has always loves sand. Everything else would cease to matter when he got his hands in the sand.

full concentration.....

 As for the little fashionista, she was more concerned  with her shawl.....Nowadays she spends a few more minutes more than usual in front of the mirror wrapping the shawl whenever we are going out. Now on the beach the wind was threatening to undo it ........

 Abah took a 40 winks...or maybe 100 is more accurate as I could hear a snore.

 Oh, what a relieve now that  I dont need to be right there under the sun anymore.....Ten years ago I would be sitting cross-leg covered with sand and drenched in perspiration
playing with you two...and mostly to make sure that Adik stayed out of water. Adik is always attracted to water as Abang is to sand.

                                    PEACE OUT.....

ADIK...

Adik's name began with the capital A followed by a D, thus makes hers the first in her class roll-call. Somehow, there's no one named Abdullah or Abdul something in her class. Not only that, she seems to be the oldest too, being born in February. Weird, no one was born in January in her class...Well, its not a big class to begin with, being a private school and all.

Anyway, it boils down to Adik becomes the first to own an IC  in her peer group. And  believe you me , THE CARD is a BIG deal for a bunch of  12-year-old....

So, exactly on her birthday, which fell on  a school day, Adik nagged us to take her to the JPN, telling us that her school allows parents to take their children out during school hours for that purpose. Abah said to wait for a few days, until he is free to bring Adik. But, as we know, Abah's free time is about next to never....

To cut the story short, it was Mama who finally braved the rain to go to the JPN during the weekend so as to avoid parking problem and the queues...Its a good thing that the JPN opens on the weekends albeit for the first half of the day only.

It was an interesting day at JPN....first of all, we were allowed to drive through the gate and parked in front of the  Federal Building  itself...the guards being friendly since it was raining cats and dogs I guess, and its Friday anyway, meaning  only a small staff were at work, so there were lots and lots of parking space for the take. The lady who took Adik's picture was even friendlier as in offering to take another shot after noticing that Adik has dimples when she chatted  with Adik. So Adik sat on the chair again and smiled 'deeply' so that the dimples showed, haha!! All in all, Adik ended up with a very nice IC photo, a very far cry from Mama's first black and white ( yes, I'm THAT ancient!)12-year-old  IC photo.

So Adik, you are now officially an adult...as well as a 'baligh' teenager. Thus said, I think there are  a lot of things that are not 'blogable' about you anymore. What with respecting your privacy and more importantly, being a muslim girl, its not proper for you to be too exposed to the world.(as if the world is reading this!!)

And in September you'll be sitting for UPSR which you think is the most important exam ever!! Please forgive us for always trying to play it down when you were so agitated about it. We just want you to take it easy...we do understand how you feel to see all your friends attending tuition classes everywhere and you are not. But, really, you DONT need them. Abang didnt attend any during his time because he didnt want to miss solat with jamaat and look how Allah elevates his status now. He has memorised  10 juzuks of the Holy Qur'an  beautifully in such a short time. 

We do understand though, being ambitious, how frustrated you are over the fact that your school doesnt have aggressive revision program that normal schools carry out to ensure that their kids get all 'A's.  And knowing how private schools like yours do traditionally gets marked down....

  Your school  has never been aggressive in achieving academic excellence , preferring a holistically well developed child instead, which is why we chose it in the first place.

So Adik, fret not..all 'A's or no 'A's,wouldnt change the way we look at you. We are just happy now that nowadays you are more mindful of your wudhu' and solats, reciting daily surahs and  doing other 'amals more consistently as well as readily attending weekly taa'lim without any fuss.
As for housework, I cant be any happier now. You made up the beds exactly or even better than I do, able to cook simple meals and tidying up the house is almost a second nature to you now. 
Alhamdulillahi llazii bini'matihii tatimmu ssolihaat....

And Adik, we love you soooo much!! 

WHEN WORDS DONT COME EASY...

Oh the chubbiness...

...just scanned some old photos and they came pouring in. Abang were 2+ and Adik were 3 months old...I had to bite my own hands on a daily basis to stop myself from biting you two...Seriously, both of you looked good enough I could eat you!!...and oh, the heavenly smell! I SOOO miss that. Abah swears that he could still detect some of those smell on you two even today...I somehow, fail to do that. (Told you, my olfactory system is super efficient especially in detecting bad odour....)

Perhentian Island 2003

To the beach, to the beach...
That was always the theme for our holidays of yesteryears. There were tons of our beach photos...but I just love this one best. We couldnt fish you two out of the water, so, the milk bottle had to go in to 'refuel' Adik....

My most favourite photo ever

Late Spring 2002. I just loved  the way the neighbours's nasturtium flowed over  to our side of  wooden fence.....

First bus ride

We just got back from Sydney and realised that you two have been on planes, trains , boats and every other single moving vehicle except bus! The perfect opportunity came when the Paediatric Department chose Trengganu as the location of that year's Family Day and a bus was made available for it. Abah followed on his car as  he guessed it correctly that both  of you wanted the car ride on the way back.

The must-do activity in hotel rooms

Jumping on beds....the highly sought-after activity that was totally banned at home. I figured out that most hotels have better, sturdy beds than ours, so I let you two jumps your heart out on them whenever we were in one. Okay, okay...I was a bad mother then, but this uncivilised manner was stopped when  you reach school age though.

Our months-old garden 

The making of a bully....

And it continues....

Abah was always trying to introduce traditional games to you...so when he found an 'upeh pinang' lying on a roadside, he took it home and showed you how to have fun on it...Adik enjoyed the ride (and bossing Abang around,as usual!) so much, and Abang , being Abang, obligingly and lovingly pulled and pulled...until the upeh torn.

The 'colgate' moment...

 I just realised that none of you has ever had 'rongak' days...your milk-teeth would only fall off when the permanent one was already in place ready to take over.Hemm, now does it not prove that I have done a good job taking care of your dental hygiene??  YES!!

Another favourite...

Read-aloud session

Abang began to take over the reading-aloud sessions as soon as he got the grasp on reading...oh, how relieved I was!! Adik couldnt get enough of  it and I couldnt cope...Thanks Abang!

Schools First Day

2004 Adik started at Kid's Excel and Abang started at SRI Al-Qari. Abah and me were not really keen on letting Adik start that early ( we still believe best early education starts at home), but Adik, you were very insistent...partly because you wanted to be like Abang, attending school. We were hoping you would be bored after a couple of months, but no such luck. You loved it to bits and still loves school until this very day.....


Oh for the memories....