GARDENING N REFLECTING....

Looking around my (so-called) garden got me thinking...
About life in general.
How we strive for something and arrive at the result. Sometimes we achieve more ,yet sometimes less than what we expect , regardless of our effort, though  the hardworking ones( or more accurately, those who work smart and disciplined ) will usually reap more.
At other times though, we do not get it at all.
But there are times that we  get what we do not make any effort whatsoever towards it and yet it brings smiles to our lips when it appears. We feel blessed, provided that we are the kind of people who never take things for granted, however small it is...

It boils down to how we are actually totally dependable on Almighty Allah.
We make effort as it is required of us ( and make do'a , of course)...but the end result is wholly HIS.
And HE wants to see how grateful we are to His bounty.
Verily those who are grateful will surely get more...

As I am so much into gardening now, I visit many gardening blogs, gawking at the colourful healthy-looking plants people post on their blogs. And read their notes, learning one or two new things everyday. And comparing them  with my unkempt wild-looking garden. I envy those neat-looking gardens with awesome produce.

 But then, I found many interesting things as well...

I found in my backyard many plants that other people have been tending well and yet are not satisfied with the result. I made a small effort of planting them long ago and they grew so well that now, they have become weeds!! Valuable weeds though, I must add. Alhamdulillah. They are everywhere, providing us with colours, smell and nutrients...
They are almost always there even if the gardener cut them close to ground at an interval. Very resilient indeed. One of them is this sawtooth coriander.

Then, there are those that  crop up just like that...weeds too, but very beneficial. No effort made whatsoever. MasyaAllah...

Bunga telang for nasi kerabu,ginseng leaves for ulam n added into soup,pepperomia for the salad bowl and ulam raja,the all time favourite

In my February posting I wrote about the plants that I started growing. Alhamdulillah, they grew well and were pleasantly  and proudly presented in our meals ( especially those salad leaves), except for one. The spinach. They just refused to flourish as as  well as others and before I knew it, they have started bolting. We didnt get to eat any of them...
But surprise,surprise....
A couple of days ago, I took a close look at some greens that have been growing at the spot where the Pakcik Gardener burns the odds cutting that are too big to go into our compost heap. And, Subhanallah, I found them spinach!!! Healthy green perfect spinach...

As for the compost heap,in the past  we have had tomato cherries and eggplants from it!!They all just grow from the kitchen scraps that we threw in.

But then,I almost never have success with chilli. I fussed and fussed over them. Picking up the bugs that just love to nestle under their leaves with my own bare hands...much to the amazement of Abah! Feed them plants with fertilizer and my home-made enzyme...to no use.
As much as all of us loves chilli in our food, the chilli just doesnt love our soil I guess. Its okay though. Alhamdulillah 'ala kullihaal.

But I will keep trying.

The inedible ornamental plants also behave much the same...
I got these pretty butterfly plants everywhere, after buying one small pot of it in a nursery looong time ago.

 Oxalis triangularis being the proper name.

And this pretty torenia that keeps cropping up  everywhere...

disguising amongst the salad leaves...

This one never fail to delight me...and others too. Toksu, C.Lah and Tok are always happy to receive them and they are good as food as well as in flower bowls.

Just last week we used two fully blossomed ones to decorate fruit basket for K.Long Syida's engagement do.

There are many other exciting plants in our front and backyard that I couldnt possibly upload all..but if you take a walk in my garden, you are sure to feel blessed...at least I DO!!

AT THE BOOK FAIR...

Two days ago, Adik and me found ourselves suffocated amongst people and books...

Yes, we were at the 2012 International Book Fair at PWTC. With a nod from Abah when asked whether we could buy just about anything we fancy, off we went high-spiritedly.

We were staying at Sunway Putra Hotel which is just across the road from where the fair is taking place. And  Abah has taken me the day before, so there's no wonder here why I was so brave as to go without him. Adik didnt join us on the first trip as she was having fun at the ice-skating rink with Kakak Rahil, Kak Iybah, Kak Maryam, Aqim and others. As for me, I didnt have chance to actually look at  'my kind of books' as I was following Abah on his medical books shopping spree! Yes, a spree it really was as he got to spend thousands and thousands of RM on his choice of books....Mind you, not one cent came out of his own pocket though. He was buying for HUSM library!!  Still, I was green with envy...All those serious books were on the 3rd floor and we spent almost the whole afternoon there. I fancied some books on nutrition while tagging Abah but as they were newly published books, there were no discount on them. Abah, on the other hand, didnt even have to look at the price tag!

Adik screamed when she heard that we went to book fair without her...Fret not Adik, I said...we are going again!!

So, there we were...Adik went quite crazy picking this and that books and Mama was quite cool as I have more or less made up my mind the day before of what to get.

Here are some photos for you to look in future Adik...and to show off to Abang, hehe.

Part of the catch of the day...all at heavily discounted prices.

Adik cant wait to bury her nose in books( as well as a box of cinnabon)

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....

Errr...EXCUSES?

Oh no, its the last day of February already!!!

I am SO going to write something today so as not to be accused of breaking my promise to Adik to at least post one entry in a month. She is already upset as it is, as she was expecting me to post something on her birthday few days ago.( Sorry Sayang, InsyaAllah next month ya, sekali dengan Abang's birthday.)

After dragging ever so slowly in the last month, February seems to come charging at me with a vengeance. To begin with, Alhamdulillah, the gym got a new trainer. A proper one this time. She comes with a degree in Sports Science and have worked with athletes in National Sports Council (MSN). Needless to say, I am being constantly 'tortured' three times a week now. For my own good that is...So, there goes three morning in a week, another morning goes to my work at the shelter home and the last day in the week is supposed to be spent  in discussion with my business partner. Then  come Fridays for majlis ilmu and Saturdays for letting our hair down at either Tok Ayahs' places. See, I have no free mornings that I can sit and write Adik. Please understand ya!

A brief rest after Zuhr and there I go braving the traffic across the town to fetch Adik from school. The journey to and fro takes one hour of my time, come back and busied myself cooking dinner. Okay, the dinner is always a quick one, nothing fancy, just something grilled, big bowl of salad and some kind of bread. But still...
Evenings are spent doing exercises on my Arabic lessons. I am now (proudly haha) able to make simple sentences. Before bedtimes, I teach Abah whatever I have learnt on that particular day . Strangely enough, Abah seems to be able to make longer sentences than me. His daily numerous text messaging to me now are all in  Arabic. It really is NOT fair! I guess his frequent trips to those universities in Makkah and Madinah for his Hajj research does help. He has more vocab than me...However, his nahw ( arabic grammar) are all down the drain ... Adik likens Abah's speaking Arabic to the Roald Dahl's  Big Friendly Giant's speaking English. And Abah was offended,hehe.. 
Anyway.

And my last alasan is these;

Green Parade Salad

Hawaiian Salad

Cucumber plants that seriously need staking (for Abah's attention!)

Bayam Hijau Daun Tajam

Newly sprouting Sawi Hong Kong

and all those came in this package...

See, I have successfully grown salad(amongst other veges)! Something I thought was only possible on highlands with colder temperature.  How ignorant I was ( and still am in many other areas!). I spend the early mornings after Abah and Adik leave the house right there in our backyard. It takes quite sometimes as I try to do organic gardening, meaning I have to resort to picking all those ulats with my own fingers!!

Thanks En Iskandar for sending many other free packets of seeds along with the ones that  I paid for.I am spoilt for choice when choosing which seeds to be planted first!

 It got me thinking the abundance of pahala he and others who practise this seeds sharing in the blogsphere would get. Just imagine, people grow the veges, eat them, and got the seed to be planted again and again. Its amal jariah for them, MasyaAllah.

Okay, got to go now...my meeting with my partner is cancelled today as she is attending a course, so off I am to the salon for the long overdue hair treatment...

p/s

 1. harap segala alasan2 Mama di terima seadanya ya Dik

 2. Thanks Adik... for creating new header and all...but I am now going to change my password as I have quite enough of different header and colour every so often. So, go play with your own blog ok, and leave mine alone!!

GLOOMY JANUARY

After the frenzy at the end of 2011, the beginning of 2012 seems to be sluggish for me. When Adik started schooling , I was overcome by a feeling of melancholy. After having her home constantly for  over a month, I felt the days stretched too long and I was wishing the school hours  that end at  2pm would end sooner. It somehow escaped my mind that the primary school she used to attend for 6 years ended at 4pm everyday except Thursday ! The weather doesnt help either...

Matter was made worse when my gym instructor, a sweet, friendly and  most helpful young girl, involved in a motor vehicle accident and died instantly. I was with her on Thursday and on Friday she was gone forever. I got the news at home and was very thankful that Abah was around as I needed a shoulder to cry on. Adik was attending the tamrin as a part of the school's orientation week program. When we picked her up later in the afternoon and conveyed the news to her, Adik too burst  into tears. Over the school holidays,Adik regularly accompanied me to the gym  and had  become close with the late Nik as she would  spent time while waiting for me, either on the net or chatting with the late Nik ( if nobody needed Nik's attention).

All of us, Adik and me, all my gym buddies and her co-workers are missing her a lot and we still talk about her from time to time. We kept reminiscing how she would go extra miles to make our sessions at the gym fun and beneficial for us. How she was always open to suggestion from us, the makciks. She was the only girl in her family and was engaged to be married soon. One could only imagine how hard the news affected her own family. I couldnt bear  going  near the building for more than two weeks.

Adik and me especially had a good long talk about her death and we mutually agreed that we should appreciate  everyone we know more, and be more forgiving to others even if they might have hurt us, as we never know when they or we are going to be called back to our Rabb.

In the following week, another young person that we have never actually met, but the family has a close relationship with us, also died tragically while fighting narcotic addiction. As the family related how hard the effort he made to change, and how the wardens actually witnessed him recited the shahadah before closing his eyes permanently, we gleaned another lesson here. We shouldnt be quick in judging others at all. And as we talked about it on the car later, I felt that I could relate to how addiction was so hard to fight. Even in our all sound faculties, its not easy for us to control, say, our  unhealthy eating habit,  let alone to fight something that has gotten grip of our whole being.

January progressed with more depressing news. A close friend of mine was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, another close associate faced another crisis in her life, a cousin trying to weather the storm that is brewing in her marriage and a shocking revelation from someone who confided in me how she is actually a hermaphrodite and asking for help...

These are all strong women who face the trial with redha and I learn priceless lessons from all of them.

Then, Abah got an attack of severe vertigo. He used to get it every few years, the first one while we were in the UK about 17 years ago. Initially,I was not alarmed as it usually last for a day and then he would get better and wont show up again for a few years. But this time, it recurred after two weeks. Abah was listening to the khutbah  Jumaat  when it hit again for the second time. (The first one was while he was waiting for iftar at home with me.) He managed to finish the prayer sitting down and vomited right after that. When Adik saw a car stopped and three people carrying a man into our house, she called me and said somebody's sick and came to see Abah. Then Adik got to see how sick Abah was...She was at the said tamrin when the first one occurred and was like 3 years old when the previous episode took place.

In this very last week , I finally gather enough strength to resume my normal activity. I have been to the gym and have been sprouting seeds for our edible garden. I bought the seeds from here. And teach myself Arabic. And started my class again at the shelter home (after a two-month hiatus as I need some respite). And read, a lot.Currently, I'm reading this.(InsyaAllah I'll be writing more about my salad growing and about the very beneficial book)

Adik is happier now. In the first two weeks, I have to deal with her mood swings as she was missing her friends from primary school. Most of them chose to be in full boarding school, so they couldnt even meet on weekends. She would cry for no reasons and all I can do is hug her....

There's some  uplifting news too, to be fair.

Ayah Long is a Dato' now, being knighted by the Agong and Ummi and Abi are grandparents as Achik produced a super cute baby girl.This technically made Abang and Adik, uncle and aunty as both of you suckled from Ummi, my most beloved oldest sister.

And funny news too. We discovered that the girl wedded to the famous TV3 presenter is actually one of the girls that showed us around Seoul when we were there.And we have photos of her sans hijab and Adik edited the photo here as she was asking for anyone who has photos of her on fb or blogs etc to please respect her new image...

So, that is a looong account of our  (mostly depressing) January. 

Anyway, we still have so much to be thankful of...

Here's hoping for a better month ahead...( and more cheerful entry!)

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.....

OUCH!! (part 2)

Just as everybody in this household is taking it for granted that I am all fit and healthy all year long, and they were all happily packing away to go for a short break, I decided to pull a quick one. Its a given anyway. I deserve extra attention once a year. And to get that, I must fell sick...(and err... I kind of promised myself to do this anyway)

I perched on the study table and stared and stared...halooo,look at me!!!! but they were so busy zipping and unzipping the bag again and again and didnt notice my staring at them with a crooked smile until the very last minute.

And Adik shrieked!!! Huh,at last I got your attention!.....Yes, my lower canine tooth was falling out okay...it was juuust hanging on and kind of pointing out to one side already, causing the crooked smile as I couldnt close my mouth properly by then. And Mama shrieked even louder when she saw it. They fussed and fussed about me and I loved every minute of it!! 

The BIG questions were, was I in pain? Should they go ahead and try to pull it out? Was any of them brave enough to do that?

No answer to any of those...

They wanted to consult Abah  who had  flown a day earlier to do some work, but decided against it as it was very late already. Abah must have gone to sleep. Mama then went online in search of advice and instructed Adik to look for signs of:

• Red, irritated appearance of the gums
• Bad breath
• Rotten appearance of teeth  

Alhamdulillah, none of it....From the net, Mama deduced that if a cat has teeth that are falling out, it can either be a completely normal process or one indicating that an underlying health condition exists.

They decided to deal with it tomorrow, kissed me goodnight and allowed me to sleep with them. YES!!!

I slept soundly but I know Mama didnt, because she had learned so much from the net just then and she was feeling guilty!!! The vet did check my teeth when we go for our yearly booster but he never said a thing about brushing teeth and Mama, ignorance in many things as she is, never seen anyone brushes cats' teeth in her life!!

Morning came and it was very chaotic. They had to catch their flight around noon but I was the priority here!! Matter was made worse when Abang called early in the morning asking Mama could she please send him a towel! He said he has been borrowing a friend's towel for the last few days...Mama was beyond shock!! ( biasa la mama kan, drama queen sokmo!) How could he leave towels behind? Personal hygiene ranks very high in Mama's list, so she didnt take it very well when Abang said to just bring the towel when they come to visit .(Abang said that after Mama exploded)

Well, in my opinion, Abang shouldnt be blamed. It was frantic the day he left. On the first day of  Eid-al-Adha we slaughtered 2 cows on our backyard , shared mostly with Abah and Mama's siblings. So, you can imagine the full house with cousins ( an occasion very much enjoyed by Abang and Adik of course) and the works that followed after. Abang helped out a lot. Yes, it was a yearly affair and Abang is quite adept at it by now but still, his room was a mess as it was used for male cousins to lepak, change and pray. He had tried to gather all his things but still...And his flight back to Penang was very early the next morning. 

So, Mama became very stressful and snapped at Adik at every single mistake she made...kesian adik. 

The vet was closed and so were the courier companies as it was the birthday of our beloved Sultan. Many calls were made and to cut the long story short, a back-door transaction(shhhh!) was finally made with a courier agent. A visit to the famous pet shop of Kubang Kerian and a chat with the ever friendly and knowledgeable owner saw Mama heaving a relief sigh . He calmly assured Mama that it is an entirely normal aging process.

Just before noon, I was  left with the neighbour who is as crazy about me as my own family with loads of premium wet food together with a  what-to-do/ watch-out  list.

They barely had time to catch the flight...and off the went to KUCHING, of all the places!!

I am very satisfied to know that they didnt really enjoy their time there as there were too many reminders of me...heheheh. Mama even updated her fb status with: In Kuching and missing our kucing!!

none of them is as cute as me tho...

Ok folks,I need my beauty sleep now...so long!!

Dr. M. Grey