Sedikit Drama

You can tell from the picture of the house-to-be that this is an old house. the door worned out, the tiang greek is cracking. And if you see the whole place, you will agree with me that there are lots of work that needs to be done. To top it, the previous tenant, made some renovation to the house. Unfortunately the additional structure had problems so these extensions need to be removed.

I guess this will explain to you why I am still not moving even though we signed the contract to enter the house on the 20th May. Qadr Allah.

The thing is, they are also doing things s l o w l y. Too slow to my liking. In fact I went to visit the house last weekend, the progress was very minimal compared to the previous weekend. And that is after breaching the sacred 20th May date. Adoi. Allah Mustaan.

A few teething problem arises with this delay. Alhamdulillah at the moment it is solved amicably. The to be landlord, despite delivering the house late, manage to cash in the May rent. Alhamdulillah we got back the money. The current landlord seemingly allowed us to extend the contract without making a fuss to threaten with an extension of one-year-contract-or-else. Alhamdulillah. Allah has made it easy.

Cuma now we have to bear with the messiness. I have packed three quarter of my suff into boxes. So now we are walking between boxes like a maze. But still this is something I can bear with I suppose.

I don't know whether you knew this, but my current house is fully furnished. Well except for the TV because their TV broke down, and I bought a new one. The washing machine is mine because I do not know how to use a semi auto machine and the fridge is mine too because they just refuse to replace them after this incident.

So in anticipation that we are moving by the end of May, we bought a few stuff. We went scouring at the second hand souq and found some stuff at a very very very very reasonable price. *Happy*. But because the shops refuse to hold the stuff (they have to be fast in replenishing their inventories), so we stacked all of them in the house. At the moment in Haziq's room.

And then there was sales time in may, we bought some stuff too. They only can holdit for us up to the end of May otherwise a 5% charge of the product price will be imposed. So we put it also in haziq's room cum majlees.

But this is still okay. I can bear with it. FOR A WHILE!

The only thing is, I have also bought more second hand stuff. These are major stuff. Like masterbedroom set, single room set, sofa set, dining table. And at the moment we tumpang a friend's place. Also anticipating that it will only be sekejap. Alas there are some turn of event. And now my friend's place also look like a warehouse. In fact worse than mine because they have all the bulky stuff. *Malu*

But just to let you know, partly I am glad there is delay because otherwise I will be moving during my exam time. Dahlah tak study amenda. My husband suspected that I made dua' for it. I did make dua' but I didn't specify what. kan Allah knows best.

But teringat balik kat rumah kawan tu...*malu*.

I really hope the next time I am talking about the house would be something like this, "Okay we are moving house and will be off the internet for a bit. Will get back as soon as we are connected. Toodles."

House Hunting

I have been really busy for the past month, week and days. Last month I was mostly busy hunting for houses. We have to get out of this house. Subhanallah after staying for four and a half year, I think it is quite enough.

The mould we had for last umrah was getting worse. Now all the rooms are decorated with moulds on the ceiling and on the wall. And my room is always flooding. We must remember to turn off the main water pipe after taking a shower or using the toilet. And if you have been reading my blog in the past years, you will probably remember all the other problems I had with it. So Khalas! Confirm we are moving out.

And thus the need to hunt for a house.

We went out every night to view houses or hunt houses. We called any number we could find and met any prospect landlord (agents) we could. After sometime, we became expert in guessing what we will find in each houses and the general price of the house.

We have a few criterion for the house which are (by priority), cewaahh

1. Landed property
I prefer them landed.

2. Near to the masjid
I am living in a country which masajid are plentiful. They are everywhere. So why not take advantage of them. Though some masjids, seemingly near, we still have to take roundabouts or make u turn and all. This is a NO. If it is not a 5 minutes walk, it should be 3 minutes driving. Basically I want to hear the azan fresh from the muezzin's mouth. So SOME people have no excuses. Ahaks!

3. Location wise
Should be very accessible to the kids school and my school. Very important this one. I won't even bat my eyelashes for anything remotely far. Alhamdulillah after staying for nearly five years, I know most areas and can gauge the traffic of the area. Compared to when we first came here. My current house is far from the kid's school but very near to mine.

4. Ample number of rooms
Alaa logiclah kan? Minimum four rooms. And to top it, I like to have a store room to stash mostly our camping stuff and other things. I was also looking for a place with maid's house outside. That way I can use that as a store room.

And other bonus stuff we are looking for

5. Separate majlees
If I could have two separate majlees it woud be very nice. So when I do invite some people over, the men can sit separately from the ladies. I really do like this concept. The current house, I would put the man in Haziq's room and the ladies all over the house. This is ok too. So if the new house at least has one room extra I can use, it'll be very good.

6. A family room
So I can stash my tv, computer and baju tak lipat, tak gosok, threadmill, buku bersepah, bags, handbags and tudung baru pakai tadi malas nak simpan. Currently all are here in my living room cum dining room. Major rimas.

7. A halaman
With a little garden would be very nice. This has been an abandoned hobby for a long time. :(

8. Parking space for the car. So I don't have to park near people's house and getting warning notices from them.

9. And last but not least CHEAP!!!!
hahahahhahahahahahhaha.

Wey I am serious tau!

Anyway, we were quite tired after many days hunting. There are houses we like. Right price. Right size and everything, but they don't want us. Some we really like also, but someone got the house first. Some we really like also but TOO expensive (this one quite often). But still many houses that could be potential but there are just something I don't truly like.

One night we thought of checking out a place. It is slightly off the areas we were scouting. I was not hoping much though. We came and the house had no electricity. We had to use our hp lights to check out the house.

From the darkness, I thought I like the orientation of the house. It seemed nice. Went home made istikhorah. Of course the agent kept telling us, be quick madam, too much people seeing and liking this house. I said, I'll come back during the day.

Come the next day when there is light and I can see clearly. OMG! Pengsan! The house was messy and ALOT of work needs to be done. LIKE ALOT!! But somehow I felt the house was sweet. I said let me see the owner.

We talked. Or rather I talked to their staff : project managerlah, marketing executivelah, engineerlah. Beriya-iya aje rupa.

Then then then, a mixed feeling of finding the house sweet, afraid the sweet house is taken because too much people liking (i am speaking their english here), and also convinved with the company's other works elsewhere...we we we signed up. May Allah make it easy for us.

So itulah dia. We signed up a house and they promised to do rectification work of the house. ALOT of them.

Does this house fulfill the criterion we had? For most of it. Bi Iznillah we get to actually stay there, then All Praises to Allah. Otherwise, Allah knows best and He always wants the best for us, Alahmdulillah. But I ask Allah again and again to make it easy for us.

So sneak preview of the houselah. He he










Hahahhahaha. No lah. That's not the house.

Tafaddhaluu (silakan masuk) ila baiti jadid (to my new house). Or rsther to my house to be

AlWuqoofu bi Arafah

I am trying my best to study thearabic and also my quran lessons for the coming exam (next week). This time is hard because I am in the midst of packing and things are so messy. *Rimas*. Allah Musta'an.

Anyway in one of the Arabic lessons, we learned about going to umrah and hajj. So we learn vocabs like how to say I am going for umrah next month. Or I arrived at the meeqat place before sunrise. I made tawaf for 7 rounds around the kaabah. I made saei. I shaved off my head after that.

And also another set of vocabs for the hajj manasik.

Naturally thses remind me of my time of umrah and mostly of hajj. I remembered, I only started really reading the hajj rites two weeks before the trip. Mainly this is because I was only informed that I am going two weeks before the date.

In the panic of the two weeks, I thank Allah for the bounty to be chosen. As the days were getting nearer, I think more and more about the day of Arafah. They were emotional thoughts. I always find myself overwhelmed even till now when I see pictures of people raising their hands making dua' in their ihram with glistening eyes full of hope and love for Allah.

Prophet Muhammad sallahu alaihi wasalam said, "Hajj is Arafah". It is the pinnacle of the whole of hajj rituals.

Most of the spiritual preparation I had was focussing on Arafah. I wanted to be one of those that Allah praises in front of the angels and among those that Allah fulfills the dua'. Subhanallah!

The Book of Pilgrimage (Kitab Al-Hajj)
Muslim :: Book 7 : Hadith 3126

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There is no day when God sets free more servants from Hell than the Day of 'Arafa. He draws near, then praises them to the angels, saying: What do they want?

I had butterflies in the tummy and got nervous as the days were getting nearer. A day before leaving for Mina, I rested in the hotel and did not travel to Masjidil haram. For your info, those who come from the middle east area will be put in hotels at the outskirts of Makkah. I stayed near Jabal Noor. It is quite a distance. When days are nearing, the organisers did not provide transportation anymore. If you insist of going, you can take the public transport. But Makkah at that time will be crowded and public transports would be difficult not to mention, expensive. So I thought it is wiser that I save my energy for Hajj which will require more energy particularly on the 10th Dzul Hijjah itself.

I remembered the day we were assuming our ihram for hajj. The very morning before we leave for Mina, it was an emotional day for me. I asked Allah again and again that He makes things easy for me. That He envelops me with patience. That He gives me the strength to go all out in this ibadah.


Some people walking towards Arafah from Mina

Upon reaching arafah (we got there in the morning of 9th Dzul Hjjah), I rested and did a little bit of light reading in preparing for the much awaited hour, after dzuhur of the 9th Dzul Hijjah. I read through the dua' in the quran and read a bit more seerah. I go through the list of dua's that I had prepared and have divided according to categories : myself, husband, family, children, friends and so on.

The other pilgrims in my tents were also getting in high spirit I think. Once in a while, someone would stand up and gave inspiring lectures. From my little understanding it would be a seerah on how Prophet Muhammad sallalhu alaihi wasalam would make dua'. Then they would discuss on how high should the hand be raised. And not to waste any single moment during arafah. there should not be any idle talk. Ask. Beg! Implore! Beseech! Beg oh slaves of Allah to your Lord!

It was a nice cloudy day when I was there. As I climbed up the little hill, I felt that there is no one around me. I felt as though it was me alone there, even though my lover was next to me and there were many people there too. As I raise my hand to the sky, I said this is it! the day I was waiting for. Let there be no fatigue today (and the next day too)

Praise to Allah!

I raised my hand and begged him with all the energy I had.

Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers. Al Aaraf 7: 23.

I wrote something about this dua'. HERE.

Cucumber and Durians

Some background knowledge first.

In Qtar, it is a serious offence if your issued cheque is bounced. You may go to jail for it and a heavy fine will be imposed. And believe me, this has happened before. The same goes to if you are the one who authorised a company's cheque and the cheque is bounced, your head will be chopped first. Pun not intended.

So be very careful when you are issuing any cheque. make sure you have a sufficient fund in the bank.

Just to let you know also, to rent a house in Qtar, you usually have to give a post dated cheques to about 12 or 24 of them depending on the number of years your contract is. So if you rent a house for 2 years, you have to issue 24 post dated cheques in the name of the landlord.

This has been going on okay ever since I got here.

Except that just a few days ago (10th May 2010 to be exact), the smart people in this country has legislated a law that for any cheques that is banked in before the issued date will be paid on the date it is presented. Yaani if a bank is presented with a cheque which has been issued on a post dated dates, the holder of the cheque can cash it immediately and not abide by the dates of the cheque intended to be issued.

So imagine, if you rent a house with an average rental of QR12k per month for 2 years. You will have to issue 24 cheques in the total amount of QR288k.

And if the landlord has no mercy to the new tenant and just cash in the cheques, while the tenant do not have sufficient funds in the bank, the tenant is at risk of going to jail with big hefty fines and don't know what else imposed on him.

The banks, being the understanding capitalist that they are, advise their customers
1. to take up a loan to equivalent amount of the cheques issued to cover the cost of just in case. OR
2. to talk nicely to the landlord not to cash in the cheques all at a time.

I don't know whether to cry or laugh at these suggestions.

Everyone who is renting a house is at risk here in Qtar, for all of us have no choice but to present post dated cheques + deposit to secure a house.

We are moving out of the current house we are living in at the moment and just signed up a contract for a new house. We have also issued 24+1 cheques (plus deposit). We do not have sufficient funds in the bank in the case that the landlord intends to cash all of those cheques.

This is clearly a law that protects one side of the party. And the cucumber will continuously be shred to pieces by the durian all over him.

May Allah help us.

Students yang sangat over

I had a surprise prepared for my Level 3 K@fa students last weekend.

So with a smirk on my silly face, I walked into the class with my usual salam.

Upon entering the class, I was instead surprised. They all cheered me and clapped loudly. It was as if I had won something.

I was shocked at first because they were very loud. Is it my birthday today? But realising it was a jest, I played along with them and showed signs of someone who had actually won a medal. Hoyeh! Hoyeh! "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS MY FRIENDS!!""

After the cheering and clapping and laughs had died down. Thank you! Thank you!

And for that, I said to them, I have a surprise for you today.

WRITTEN TEST!

And they all went BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Hahahahahhahahahha!!

I love all my students and I ask Allah to keep all of them in the straight path. May they be leaders among the muttaqun.

------------------------------------------

Anyway the questions are so easy peasy. I tempel some of them here. Some aje not all for you to answer.

1. What happen if you do not say Bismillah before you start eating?
a. Nothing happen.
b. You’ll get stomach ache
c. You will go to hell
d. Shaytan will eat with you.

2. Why do we lick our fingers after eating?
a. Because Rasullulah does it and we want to reap as much barakah as we can in our food
b. Because it is finger licking good
c. I am too lazy to wash my hands
d. I have never licked them. Should I?

3. You are eating a muffin and a piece drops on the floor. What should you do about it?
a. Pick it up and throw it in the bin. Good child.
b. Just leave it to the ants.
c. Pick it up, brush the dirt and eat it.
d. Hide it before mama sees it.

4. The food tastes bad. What should we say?
a. Ewwwww
b. Mama! Why you cook this food???
c. Cry
d. Keep quiet and leave it.

5. How many times is Allahu Akbar mentioned in one adhan
a. 4
b. 6
c. 7
d. 9

The Book of Drinks (Kitab Al-Ashriba)

Muslim :: Book 23 : Hadith 5006

Jabir b. ‘Abdullah reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When a person enters his house and mentions the name of Allah at the time of entering it and while eating the food, Satan says (addressing himself: You have no place to spend the night and no evening meal; but when he enters without mentioning the name of Allah, the Satan says: You have found a place to spend the night, and when he does not mention the name of Allah while eating food, he (the Satan) says: You have found a place to spend the night and evening meal.

8. Who narrated this hadith?

9. Essentially what does the hadith tells you to do.

Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger
of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, "The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned but he does not supplicate for me.''
[At-Tirmidhi, Saheeh Al-Albani]

13. What does it mean by "supplicate" in this hadith above

Lagi Kisah Ngeri

Somehow, off late I have been thinking about our end of life. Good? Alhamdulillah. Bad? . I seek protection with Allah from it.

I use to know one couple. They were my neighbours. I was in my teens then. They were young and had no child.

I used to lepak at their house because their place was nice. Despite we were living in low-cost houses, they decorated their house in style. In my eyes, at that time, their house was like thouse houses in deco magazine.

Anyway they were beautiful couples. The wife pretty, the husband err tak ingat. Maybe that's why I like to be at their place because I was a teen looking for an examplary figure to emulate (?).

After sometime, the wife found a new interest in modeling. So she was often not in Muar. In KL for photo shoots and what not. So I rarely saw her. I saw her husband now and then.

Then there were stories about the wife enjoying too much time living the new lifestyle. New man. Wild parties and such. The husband, in the meantime, resorted to drinking. He was also trying to get her back or something to that effect. I don't know much because this was cerita-cerita orang tua.

But the wife remained living in the capital city and the husband got scruffier each day in the small town of Muar.

Fate has it, the husband after a binge of drinking met with a fatal accident. he died on the spot. I didn't see the wife after that.

This event gave a big impact on me when I was in my hormone-raged teen. Being the wild teen girl at that time befriending people who drink and take drugs, I was very afraid of drinking for the fear of death in that state.

His death brings me two fear, one : death in the state of sinning, and two :him being the husband died also in the state of anger to the wife. Either way makes me very afraid.

I ask Allah to keep me and all of us in the straight path and to give all of us good ending in life.

May Allah forgive them.

My first Kisah Ngeri Series HERE.

Traffic laws

Whoa! Do you know that the fine of those who was caught running over the red lights here is QR6000?!! A big solid QR6000. Enam ribu!! Wow! Along with a 7 demerit points. The maximum demerit points for a year is 14 (or was it 15?). And busting the demerit points may cost you suspension of your license or jailed or both.

So one must think twice before you want to ramp your accelerator when one sees the yellow light. What more if you ramp your accelerator and exceed the speed limit, usually 80km/h, that will cause another fine of minimum QR500. No demerit point though. And they will add a further QR100 for every 10km/h extra.

Double, triple and hudreds of thoughts before you (I) ramp the car on yellow lights or even the green light that has been there for sometime. Basically don't speed at traffic light.

And they have cameras that will get your candid picture in the act. And the new ones do not have flash (so what?) even and stil get good pictures at night (aperture baik punya ni).

I must say with all the new gadgets and laws they put for Qtar, traffic has somewhat reduce the madness on the road. Five years ago, road was hell except there were less cars.

But still you can see crazy drivers. And sometimes you see ruined car by the roadside crumpled with high possibility of death.

The downside is though, the law is stricter to the expats. Many locals may get away with it especially those with connections in their family name. Same old same old.

Self reminder especially to those who are not earning an income but depending on lover for the car instalment, car's fuel, car's maintenance and car washing services. Fine like this may come out of your own pocket. Cough! Cough!

I nearly run over the yellow light just now. Phew!

No play play ah you.