Kantoi

Among our routine in the evenings now is, me and jack have to wait in the car for Sya while she finishes her memorising class. I would usually park the car conveniently at the mall nearest to Sya's class. This is the best place so I can have easy access to musolla and toilet and food in case Jack needs any.

So to not waste time, Jack would do his memorisation with me, while I listen and check. Usually I would use the IPad IQuran HD. Alhamdulillah for technology. We can play our favourite sheikh reading a certain verse and repeating it many times.

So we were there again this evening, him reciting, me errr chcking the IPad. When suddenly Jack asked me what am  I doing. Apparently he can see the reflection of the screen on the car window.

And Gosh it was FACEBOOK!

Kantoi!

Tight Space

I am beginning to love my new house. Its smaller but very cosy. It's easier to clean up as well (relative). But there are a few things that bug me initially.

Like for instance, my compound is right at the smack of the heart of traffic jam. AFter a few route run, I have found a reasonable route that I think is the fastest. This route, will force me to take Salwa Road which is actually a very long road, running from the central Doha up to Saudi. It's like an extended Jalan Tun Razak.



This road however has been on construction for ages and just recently managed to install a new traffic light set very near my house. And because the road is still under construction, it has a lot of diversion and winds about.

To get to my compound, I have to be careful that the car behind me is not trailing me too near because I have to make a quick swerve into my very tight compound entrance and pray to God that my car doesnt scratch the compound gate.

To top it, to actually get into my garage, I have to make another swerve into a tight corner and quickly get my car straight again to enter the garage.

The parking garage space is long. Yes, it can fit both our cars even though my lover prefers to park outside because to park both, it really is a bumper to bumper situation and I have to drive up close and personal to the wall and the other car have to get up close and personal to my car. Suffice to say, it's easier to park one car outside.

But that is no matter. The bigger matter is, it is a very loooonnng, narrow parking space.



To ensure easy exit out later, the getting in must be good. All eyes must be set to 360 degree so that the car doesn't rub onto anything. And to exit, will be another round of carefulness.

Now I am getting a hang of it.

Yeah I am. The moment I get onto Salwa Road and had to swerve left right at a speed and avoid slow cars and diversion and must finally maintain the middle lane to get a good spot later - I am already feeling like Stella Bridger (Charlize Theron) in "The Italian Job".

I am Stella Bridger with a Hijab

And when I swerve into my tight compound entrance, I am her again, swerving and making 90 degree turn into the metro line and making continuous calculative judgment and more tight corners. All eyes on the road. Sharp and quick!

And into the long garage with very little space to maneuver. There is no room for mistake! Do not even sweat!

And then halt!

Alhamdulillah safe and sound. And back into mummy's mode.

My Stella Bridger moment.

Nevermind my shortness, I have got a huge SUV instead of a mini cooper to compensate for it.

Pick Up Line

I hope I make you smile

Mostly I hope to be your righteous friend

And you, mine.















BIG PRINT : Not to be used on non mahram.

________________________

May we be bestowed with righteous friends of whom when they speak, they remind us of Allah. Their actions remind us of Allah and that you love each other for His sake.


May the companions rubbed off perfume on each other.

The Prophet ﷺ reminds us of the importance of good company in this hadith (record of the Prophet ﷺ):

“A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.” [Bukhari, Muslim]

Look at Our Food

I saw some food show or documentary (I can't remember) where the host is trying to show where food actually comes from. A chicken burger for example, comes from a chicken. The thighs and the breast pieces that they cut up nicely and sold in the food store actually comes from a chicken also. Slaughtered (or killed for them) and cut up to pieces. And if you have to start from scratch, there are wiggly yucky bits and stuff. Many were squirmish doing it. Some even look like they will vomit.

Like for real.

Anyway, I try my best to always point to the kids where their food comes from. Too bad I don't live in situation where there are much to be shown. I still try though to get them involved.

Like this is where you get buah cempedak, from a tree belakang rumah nenek, cut, mix with tepung and goreng and makan.
This is pokok tebu. It is Haziq's job to cut it into reasonable pices, peel off the skin (because makcik air tebu kata kalau tak buang kulit nanti mesin dia rosak) and send it to makcik air tebu.
This is coconut where you get the santan and i got to cook all the high cholesterol delicious food that you like.
This is daun kunyit.
This is kelapa muda petik rumah mak long. Tolong belah and ambik air dan isinya.
This is a cow. And this part where you get the rump. tenderloin. The ribs.

Haziq is also given a job to cut up the whole chicken to eatable pieces. Squirmish at first but getting a hang on it. Nak kena fine tune aje sikit insya Allah.

If you reflect on your food and go beyond the salivating part, you will come to realise how weak we are as human. None of us can produce our own food source even if you are the richest person in the world. You can buy food. You can buy ingredient but you have to get the source's ingredient from the earth.

The soil toiled. The sea fished. The fruits reaped. Can we produce any of these?

Sure there is some chemical "food" people produced, but those are not food. They are poison. And still they have to get the source from nature.

Reflect on your food, you will know that the One who creates you is Ar Rabb, the Provider and the Nurturer .  Food - we regard as an ordinary thing. Had Allah not provided the means for it, it was not in the power of man himself to have created the food on the earth in any way.

Allahu Akbar.

Abasa 80: 24-32

Then let man look at his food, (24)
We pour forth water in abundance, (25)
And We split the earth in clefts, (26)
And We cause therein the grain to grow, (27)
And grapes and clover plants (i.e. green fodder for the cattle), (28)
And olives and date-palms, (29)
And gardens, dense with many trees, (30)
And fruits and herbage. (31)
(To be) a provision and benefit for you and your cattle. (32)

Jim Mim 'Ain

We were discussing surah adiyat (me and my children) sometime ago. And we reached the 5th verse.
 فَوَسَطۡنَ بِهِۦ جَمۡعًا  Penetrating forthwith as one into the midst (of the foe)By the way it was a great discussion and I learned alot  of general knowledge concerning Arabian horses doing this surah. You  can read part of it here

Al Adiyat 100: 1 - Arabian Horses
Al Adiyat 100: 1
Al Adiyat 100: 2 - Horseshoes
Al Adiyat 100: 3-5

So we got to ayat 5 and I pointed out the word جَمۡعًا and I briefly mention the word comes from the three root letter which is جمع. Which in general means group or join or unite. And as most arabic words, they are derived from a three  root letter.  And they can then means similar but different. So from the letters jim mim 'ain, you can get the word 

jumuah (Malay) pronounce is Jumaat. جمعة 

Jamaah - as in solat jamaah  جمعة

Jamek - as in Masjid jamek. جامع

Majmuk - مجمع

Ijtima' (meeting or gathering) - اجتماع

Can you see, the changed word still have the root letter jim mim 'ain?

Then, suddenly Sya asked me, what would jima' mean? It is spelt like this جماع

:O

:|

It means having sex Sya.

Then Haziq roared and Sya went red on the face..and Jack laughed even though he did not fully understand what was happening.

_________________________________

The other day, I was casually talking to haziq about how some music videos are like porno especially the arabic ones particularly if they singers from Lban0n. 

Then Sya asked, is porno like jima'?

My Advice to My Children

My dear children,

Let me share you a tip to save yourself from the agony in your ears and at the threat of disrupting the stability of your growing rebellious hormone. You know, how I go berserk when someone left their uniform, for example, on the floor? And as the built in characteristics that I have within me, if I go berserk on one of you, it means an Armageddon will come up soon . One person got the ear, the rest most likely would get plenty of ears from me too.

So, my advice is, if you see anything not at the right place for example pencils strewn on the bed and floor, soiled undergarment peeking from under the bed, damp towel on the toilet floor, books here and there and not on the table or bookshelves, bed not done, telekung not folded and on the bed, help each other by reminding everyone to get the things in the proper place. This also mean placed nicely and not thrown into the cupboard because the secret is, I check.

Make an alliance against me this way. Cooperate. Collaborate. Strategise. Get your line of defense up. Build a fortress (keep it neat). Do all of those before my big hundred eyes catch hold of the lopsided duvet.

This way you can save the agony of day long attack of loud sound and thumping and most likely the stinging cubit. Those loud sound, thumbing and stinging cubit will also guarantee you no computer, IPad games and IPod chatting and whatever you find pleasurable.

So if you work together, and that I do see you work together, I will very likely close one eye, but leave 99 open if you know your maths, on certain things.

May Allah bless you my children.

Simpanan Hari Gemuk

My lover lost a lot of weight this Ramadhan. Actually he has been losing it even before Ramadhan by simply reducing the portion he takes (still more than mine) and perhaps the new habit of fasting each Monday and Thursday. Allah knows best.

So he went to get himself a new pair of jeans, one size down. He is also, with full confident, thinking of giving away all his "gemuk" jeans.

I, on the other hand, have put MANY clothes on the side because they have miraculously shrunk. In the hope that one day I'll get to wear it. This is what I call "simpanan untuk hari kurus".

So out of perhaps uhuk uhuk jealousy, I asked lover, eh why you want to give them away? Tak nak simpan ke dulu? Simpan for what, he asked.

Simpanan untuk hari gemuklah, I retorted. Pessimistic ke optimistic ni?

Allahuma Bareek to him.

Moving Out Today

So we are moving out today Insya Allah. The mover will be coming in sometime at four in the evening. Of course I hope it is earlier so we could finish early and retire early ready for tomorrow suhoor and all. I suppose they want to escape from the afternoon heat. I'll be in the house in the morning to clean up and all Insya Allah. I have hired a cleaner as well Alhamdulillah.

The current house looks like tongkang pecah. Can't wait to get it done and over with. :D

So I'll be off the internet for a while until probably when I got to Malaysia at my parent's house or any intermittent free wifi I find. I like to share this video with all of you about sincerity by Muhammad Mukhtar Ash Shinqitee. At times like this, I need reminders over and over again to calm my heart and to renew my intention.

I am afterall a weak human being and I ask Allah to bestow on me ikhlas only for His sake. And one of the tests for ikhlas is that, you do not remind yourselves on any of the help that you have given other people only to ask later why did they not come to help you when you are in need. When you are sincere, you don't go "janji di tepati, kini masa balas budi".

If you are sincere for Allah, the only reward that you are to expect is from Allah. And He is the One who gives the best of reward and He may reward you now in this world in ways that he sees fit or He may reserve a bigger reward in the everlasting Hereafter.

In my last post I quoted a verse from Surah Insan that I find most beautiful concerning ikhlas. Sincerity requires strength of eemaan and tawakkul. Hatta you feeding to your stray cats. *chuckles* refer to last post.

May we be granted this.







See you on the otherside.

Our Stray Cat

Since we came back from last summer, we are frequently visited by a stray cat. She was pregnant when she first came. We fed her leftovers. She was a relief to us because sometimes I do not know what else to do with some of our protein leftovers.

She gave birth. I never saw her kids. I only can see the tell tale sign that she has been breast feeding. Then a few months after she got pregnant again. I never saw any of the kittens. And then pregnant again! Such is the life of a female stray cat!

The kids love her and they get nervous when they hear her cries for food. Quick! Quick! feed her!

When I feed her with leftovers, I would feed her outside the house because usually what she would do, she would pick one chicken and eat it on the floor. And i don't like this. However if I feed her from can food, I would feed her within our compound (because she doesnt take it outside the bowl). The problem with feeding her outside is, there are other bigger and meaner male stray cats. They would hog her food because they are gangster that way. I had to guard her food sometimes. Even then, she would surrender her food and hide away. Pfftt.

Despite a year she has been coming over and we have been feeding her, I never get to pat her. She would run when you try. She makes so much noise when we are late feeding her but hisses when you approach her to give her food.

I would sometime bebel, wah wah wah, after a whole time of feeding you, this is what you give me? Taik di bougainvillea ku (I have solved this problem), hissed at me, no showing of gratitude? Enter my house lagi enjoying the aircond. Amboi amboi amboi. Sungguh amat melampau!

But then I am reminded of these verses from Surah Insan 76: 8-11

And they give food, inspite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to Miskin (the poor), the orphan, and the captive, (8) (Saying): "We feed you seeking Allâh's Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you. (9) "Verily, We fear from our Lord a Day, hard and distressful, that will make the faces look horrible (from extreme dislike to it)." (10) So Allâh saved them from the evil of that Day, and gave them Nadhrah (a light of beauty) and joy. (11)

Astaghfirullah. Why am I asking gratitude from this cat when I should expect reward from Allah? :( I am so weak.



I am feeling sad because I am leaving the house on Sunday and I cannot bring her because I cannot afford to keep cats in the house. And how am I suppose to catch her when she doesnt allow me near her. And I don't know where her kittens are and you should not separate a mum and her litter.

Allah is the one who provides. Allah will replace me with another rizq for her.

Rumah Impian

Some people exclaimed that THEY are sad that I had to leave this house. Undoubtedly this is a very nice house, masya Allah. It has every quality I need in a house and in fact even more. The landlord has been very good with its maintenance and in this country, this is rare unless you working with big companies particularly the one that hire loads of mat sallehs. People like us, have to succumb to shabby houses and non existent maintenance.

Am I sad? I suppose I am not that sad. It is inconvenient, yes. Especially I had to scout for a house and cannot find anything suitable with the budget I have.

The truth is I have always had this idea that this is temporary. When I first entered the house and got the furniture to fit in, I have always wondered, what if Allah takes this ni'mah away, will  I be sad? And I suppose I don't attach my heart to it greatly, Insya Allah. This is temporary in the dunya sense especially for me who is living in foreign land and job may be uncertain.

In a larger scale - nothing is permanent anyway.

Put your dunya in your hand and not to let into your heart.

I pray, though, that Allah does not test me on the loss of my beloved ones.

Somehow my mind is playing over and over again of the verse that Allah strikes the example of the example of the best woman - Asiyah wife of Firawn.

Tahrim 66: 11

 And Allâh has set forth an example for those who believe; the wife of Fir'aun (Pharaoh), when she said: "My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and his work, and save me from the people who are Zâlimûn (polytheists, wrong-doers and disbelievers in Allâh). (11)

This has nothing to do with my house episode. It's just that I was thinking, Asiyah had the best palace of her time. She was the queen of a powerful king. But that didn't stop her from recognising the truth. And all the wealth and palace didn't matter to her. And there she was, the Queen of Egypt, tortured for her eemaan. And she yearned for a palace in Jannah that will surely be better than the one she has in her life.

And this also remind me of my sisters in other part of the world - displaced from their homes, tortured and raped.

I ask Allah that their heart remain steadfast and that they are granted martyr upon their death. Otherwise May Allah grant the highest patience. Ya Rabb give them respite speedily.

The other life is better. It is nothing that the eyes have seen, ears have heard and mind can imagine.

All of that is nothing compared to the house I am leaving soon. This house can never be equal to the "Baitan fil jannah" that Asiyah asked from Allah.