i am not afraid to stand alone~~if Allah is by my side

Friday, February 29, 2008

L I F E = 3 DAYS / 2 BREATHES

(jazakillah kak saedah mohd)

as interpreted by her royal highness :

Yesterday ~~~ a history made
Today ~~~ things we are trying to accomplish now
Tomorrow ~~~ a day of uncertainty

Evaluate the 1st day so that 2nd day will be better
For maybe death will come upon us on the 2nd day

LIFE ~~ 2 Breathes
INHALE
EXHALE

Appreciate breath which we inhale for the air that we breath is God’s gift,
FREE OF CHARGE
Seek upon Him his blessings while using it
REPENT while you are exhaling your 2nd breath
For that might be the last breath that leaves your body together with the life and soul……a final departure from the temporary world

LIFE ~~ 2 OPTIONS
To last in HELL
To last in PARADISE

Remember punishments in Hell are terrifying and we are only left with our FAITH (IMAN)
There are 6 pillars of FAITH (IMAN)
When one is lost, the faith is void

Sweetness and good tidings of Paradise are magnanimous
It is beyond the imagination of our limited minds
To attain Paradise,
Translate our 5 pillars of Islam
the most peak of it all is PRAYER (SOLAT)

it is unbelievable for someone who desires Paradise but does not perform PRAYERS
is like someone who boards a plane without a boarding pass

and someone who abandons prayers on purpose
is like mailing a letter without a stamp
when asked how the letter will reach its destination…..so the person says postage will be sent soon after
only 2 scenarios will follow

person will be fined
or
the mail will be rejected into the garbage bin

shouldn’t we be grateful for all the privileges which Allah bestows upon us
the very least Allah has given us air, free for all for us to zikir and remember HIM every time and second
till we return to HIM in peace and sweet surrender
and in Paradise we shall be with hearts so pure and Allah is pleased with us

May we be in peace always
In this world and akhirat
With blessing from The Bountiful
Our Sustenance

AMIN

Friday, February 29, 2008

the gentlest reminder

(jazakillah kak saedah mohd)

sesungguhnya peringatan tu baik serta berguna bagi org yg beriman

orang yang bijak ialah mereka yang banyak mengingati hari pertemuannya dengan Rabbul Jalil

kita semua sama ada suka atau tak, pasti akan menempuh pintu gerbang KEMATIAN

- fasa pertama ke alam yang kekal abadi

bukan kematian yang patut ditakuti

tetapi selepas kematian yang perlu kita fikirkan nasib untung kita...

mudah-mudahan Allah merahmati kita dengan mengampuni segala dosa-dosa kita

allahumma hisaban yasiro

amin ya rabbal alamin

A very good reminder to all of us inclusive myself

Ingatlah bila ada kawan yang masih mahu memberi ingatan,

bermakna ada kawan yang sayangkan kita dan ingin menyelamatkan kita dari siksaan api neraka..

jangan marah, jangan upset..jangan fikir kita dah cukup tahu semua bende..

kekadang kita perlu kepada PERINGATAN.

jadi selalu-selalulah kita ingat-mengingatkan perkara2 yg kita selalu rasa memang dah tau dari kita kecik2 lagi

Wallahu alam
Wassalam

Friday, February 29, 2008

oh what a week it has been

let me recap;

monday

attended tahlil @ my late uncle's house in Ang Mo Kio

tuesday

ngaji in the evening

had surprise visitors

so,

i recited surah al-araf under the attentive ears and watchful eyes of the beloved biras,

mdm olive ashburn while her other half, mr camel attended to the gentlemen whom by the way were his royal highness and his cousin anwari

cousin yati brought packed dinner which we enjoyed immensely.....

sodap! terima kaseh daun keladi

lain kali sponsor lagi

ahak ahak...

wednesday

drove the kiddos to kumon

had brief dinner with his royal highness @ kfc

applied henna on toes

thursday

practised 10 words with heiress for her spelling test on friday

had henna fun time with heiress

this time - her toes

friday

no halaqah today

;( ;( ;( ;( ;(

Friday, February 29, 2008

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Al-Fateha

my last standing paternal uncle received a final invitation by His Creator last night

Al-Fateha

May his soul rests in peace and be amongst those who are guided

Amin

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Thursday, February 21, 2008

shaoshing (wine) or xiaoxin (be careful)?

another controversial story in the news lately

this time in the entertainment world

no, i'm not turning into a gossip columnist....don't want to

just saying my 2cents worth here

tak suker takper, tak pakser

this time is about my beloved renowned Chef Wan and his shaoshing wine

don't get me wrong

i have nothing against that man, no issues whatsoever

i like that man,

i've got 2 recipe books of his in my possession

and i've tried out many of his biscuits and bread recipes

so yeah, aren't all the above justify that i adore that man already?

lol

however, as much as i am a fan of his

his usage of shaoshing wine (rice wine) in his ketam batu seri wangi dish

(loosely translated : fragrant stone crab)

just did not chew down well with me

ok, he has explained the breaking down process of the wine

that whole thing about wine being vaporised during cooking and caramelisation takes place after that,

leaving no trace of alcohol in the process

but hey,

after admitting that shaoshing wine contains 18% alcoholic content,

can wan or anyone really, really be convinced without any shadow of doubt lingering after the effect

that there aren't any traces of wine left in the dish?

like my mak esah used to say.....takder belen belen ker??

our religion teaches us to practise moderation in everything thing that we do

honestly, i don't see what has shaoshing wine got to do with ketam batu seri wangi??

then i realised it's an int'l programme featured on discovery's travel and dining show

perhaps chef wan wanted to perk his recipe up one notch with an added oriental flavor

and who, at the end of the day had their last laugh?

your guess is as good as mine

why do we have to please them everytime?

do our lives depend on them?

aren't we supposed to be pleasing rasulullah our beloved prophet pbuh and our Sustenance subhana wa taala?

but then let's not get started on newater thingy.......

let's just start on personal choices first,

so do you want shaoshing or xiaoxin in your dish??

pssst : i wish subway food chain is halal. most subways in uk are halal certified tao!!

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

here's the lyrics....deep huh. make a guess.....lagu apakah ini?

there was a girl i used to know

she was oh so beautiful

but she's not here anymore

she had a college degree

smart as anyone could be

she had so much to live for

but she fell in love

with the wrong kinda man

he abused her love and treated her so bad

there was not enough education in her world

that could save the life of this little girl

how come, how long

it's not right, it's so wrong

do we let it just go on

turn our backs and carry on

wake up, for it's too late

right now, we can't wait

she won't have a second try

open up your hearts

as well as your eyes

she tried to give a cry for help

she even blamed things on herself

but no one came to her aid

nothing was wrong as far as we could tell

that's what we'd like to tell ourselves

but no, it wasn't that way

so she fell in love

with the wrong kinda man

and she paid with her life

for loving that man

so we cannot ignore

we must look for the signs

and maybe next time

we might save somebody's life

i on occasion met that guy

he stirred up bad feelings deep inside

something about him wasn't right

the way he proves himself a man

by beatin' his woman with his hands

oh i wish she'd seen the light

how can someone like that

call himself a man

in reality he's far more less than that

and we cannot ignore

whenever we see the signs

cause any kind of abuse

God knows is a crime

*****************

*********

******

".....and all i need is just close my eyes and soak in its music and lyrics...

and you would have caught me at my most vulnerable state of a being, like in trance gitu.....euwww teruknyerrr aku jik

mak mertua kat sebelah pun sumpah gue tak prasan!"

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

apo nak di kato?

i felt so disgusted after having read the news on straits times today

"EMPLOYER WHO DIDN'T PAY MAID FOR OVER 6 YEARS"

i'm sure most of you out there have already heard or read about it

but only today did i really understand the whole 'complexity' of the story or the lack of it rather

oh come on lah.....a maid has not been paid for over 6 years and yet have baseless self-defence story to back you up

oh wow, this is incredulity at its max

something is terribly wrong here

imagine if i work in a company that does not pay me for over 6 years

i would give myself 3 months

maybe 2

maybe 1

just after a day of not seeing the 4 figure on my atm screen before calling it quits and head straight to the MOM - ministry of manpower to lodge a complain

this i understand perfectly,

coming from a grounded education

and having been living in a cosmopolitan country

where we know the rules and our rights as an employee

furthermore this is our homeland

so we know we are protected

but do that to a less educated person,

a foreigner at it,

hailing from far-away land where life has already been hard enough for the poor lady

earning lesser than what we would have been paid an hour for a day back home??

that is downright despicable act

whatever reasons (ex) employer have or had

"husband supposed to pay salary, i pay levy"

"although i didn't pay her, i loved her very much, like my own daughter"

that still did not justify her actions

it certainly did not exonerate her from her wrongdoings

bottomline is,

UKUR BAJU DI BADAN SENDIRI

employ if you can afford a FDW (foreign domestic worker)

look for alternative if you can't

i do know someone who once faced the same problem though fault was not hers entirely

what i'm getting at exactly is that she managed the problem pretty well

it's all about planning carefully and

managing one's finances prudently

just don't forget to remind ourselves,

a maid is not just a maid

she is our AMANAH

a responsibility

an obligation

at the end of the day

she is also a human being like us

flesh and blood

and when we die

we are accountable for all our deeds

neither our husbands

nor our children

******************************

semoga Allah memberi hidayahNya ke atas hamba Allah yang melakukan kesilapan

sesungguhnya manusia tidak pernah lepas dari membuat dosa

kepadaNya kami mohon keampunan

kepadaNya kami kembali

Amin

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

taken from the book, Di Atas Sajadah Cinta by habiburrahman el-shirazy
in english translated by her true-self, me lah.

(pls highlight to me if there are errors in my translations, saya budak baru belajar.......)

amazing kalimah of Bismillah

BISMILLAHIR RAHMANIR RAHIM

one day abu hurairah r.a., one of companions to our beloved prophet Muhammad peace be upon him met a syaitan (devil) from a mukmin (a believer)

and a syaitan (devil) from a musyrik (non-believer)

syaitan from a non-believer appeared healthy, fresh, neat and well-clothed

in contrast comparison, syaitan from a mukmin appeared thin, scrawny, haggard and naked

syaitan from a non-believer who is fat and healthy asked the syaitan from a mukmin,

“why do you seem upset and in such a sorry state? why do you look extremely malnourished, unkempt and in a state of undress?”

the unkempt syaitan replied,

i am tasked to influence and seduce a mukmin who often recites the dzikir and always utter BISMILLAH, mentioning the name of Allah

whenever he eats and drinks he says BISMILLAH, mentioning the name of Allah

therefore i am always hungry and thirsty

when the mukmin applies oil on his hair he mentions the name of Allah,

thus i become unkempt

and when the mukmin puts on his clothings he too mentions the name of Allah!
hence i am naked still!!

the fat syaitan responded,

if such is the case, i am truly the one benefiting
i am with a non-believer who never mentions the name of Allah even once

during meals, he does not mention Allah’s name so i get to eat with him till i am full and satisfied

when drinking, he again does not mention the name of Allah,

so i get to drink with him till i am quenched of my thirst

when he applies oil on his hair and does not mention the name of Allah

i too apply the oil on him and on myself

thus i am always prim and proper

when he puts on his clothes, I too wear his clothes along with him for never once did he mention the name of Allah whilst doing the things he does

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

teringat waktu kuliah bonda tempohari kat al-mukminin,

"pahala diberikan bagi hambaNya yang menyebut ayat-ayat suci al-quran"

pahala diberikan ketika sebutan huruf ke huruf (every single huruf yang dibaca)

bukan kalimah ke kalimah (not by phrase)

cuba cubalah kita renungkan limpahan kurnia dan pahala yang Allah Ya Rabbi berikan

kan masyaAllah, masyaAllah, masyaAllah tu.......

that is why kita di suruh membaca BISMILLAH pada setiap perkara yang kita lakukan

fikirkan lah,

di dalam BISMILLAH sahaja mengandungi 21 huruf

ianya bersamaan dengan 21 pahala

cuba bayangkan kalau kita amalkan membaca BISMILLAH, 21 kali ketika hendak tidur

21 x 21 = 441

441 pahala telah tercatit pada diri kita,

just by lying still on our comfy bed and doing nothing

cannot say anything more, tak mampu........asal cakap jer airmata ni nak berderai,

dek terpukul oleh kekhilafan diri sendiri

astaghfirullahhal'adzim

allazi la ila ha illa

huwal hayyul qayyum wa a tu bu ilaik

setakat ini saja buat masa nie

mintak maaf kalau ada kesilapan

jazakillah khairan my loves

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Monday, February 18, 2008

jazakillah hu khairan, laila kassim

Di dalam hidup manusia,

yang penting ialah BERKAT

Bila hidup kita berkat, diri ini akan selamat

Apabila diri selamat, rumahtangga jadi sepakat

Apabila rumahtangga jadi sepakat, masyarakat jadi muafakat

Apabila masyarakat jadi muafakat negara kita menjadi kuat

Apabila negara menjadi kuat, negara luar jadi hormat

Apabila negara luar jadi hormat, permusuhan pun tersekat

Apabila permusuhan tersekat, pembangunan pun meningkat

Apabila pembangunan pun meningkat, kemajuan menjadi pesat

TETAPI AWAS,

apabila pembangunan meningkat,

kemajuan menjadi pesat,

kita lihat bangunan naik bertingkat-tingkat

Ditengah-tengah itu, tempat maksiat tumbuh macam kulat

Apabila tempat-tempat maksiat tumbuh macam kulat
KETIKA ITU manusia mula mengubah tabiat

Apabila manusia telah mengubah tabiat

ada yang jadi lalat ada yang jadi ulat

Apabila manusia dah jadi ulat, sembahyang makin hari makin liat

Apabila sembahyang jadi liat, orang baik ada yang bertukar jadi jahat

Apabila orang baik bertukar jahat, orang miskin pula nak kaya cepat

Apabila orang miskin nak kaya cepat, orang tua pula nak mati lambat

Apabila orang tua nak mati lambat, tak dapat minum madu telan jerla minyak gamat

Yang lelaki, budak budak muda pakai seluar ketat

Semua nak tunjuk kuat

Bila berjudi, percaya unsur kurafat

Tapi hidup pula yang melarat

Tali kasut dah tak berikat

Rambut pun jarang sikat

Yang perempuan, pakai mini sekerat

Suka pakai baju ketat

Suka sangat menunjukkan pusat

Hingga tak pedulikan lagi batasan aurat

Pakai pulak yang singkat-singkat

Kadang-kadang ternampak benda 'bulat'

Bila jadi macam ini, siapa lihat pasti tercegat

Silap gaya jadi gawat, bohsia bohjan lagi hebat

Duduk jauh berkirim surat ..

Bila berjumpa, tangan berjabat

Kemudian pakat lawan peluk siapa erat

Masa tu, nafas naik sampai tersekat-sekat

Usah peduli agama dan adat

Usah takut Allah dan malaikat

Yang penting apa kita nak buat?

Kita 'bukti' lah kita buat

Akhirnya perut kempis dah jadi bulat

Apabila perut kempis dah jadi bulat, maka lahirlah pula anak-anak yangt ak cukup sifat

Bila anak-anak tak cukup sifat, jam tu kita tengok bayi dibuang dimerata tempat

MAKNANYA KETIKA ITU, IBLIS MULA MELOMPAT

Dia kata apa? Habis manusia dah masuk jerat

Habis manusia telah tersesat

Inilah dia fenomena masyarakat

Oleh itu wahai saudaraku dan para sahabat,

Marilah kita pakat mengingat,

Bahawa dunia hari ini makin singkat

Esok atau lusa mungkin kiamat

Sampai masa kita semua akan berangkat!

Berangkat menuju ke negeri akhirat

Di sana kita akan ditanya apa yang kita buat

Masa tu, sindri mau ingat

Umur mu banyak mana mu buat ibadat...?

Zaman muda mu, apa yang telah mu buat...?

Harta benda anta, dari mana anta dapat...?

Ilmu anta, adakah anta manafaat...?

Semoga ianya dapat mengingatkan kita supaya segera meninggalkan maksiat

dan memperbanyakkan ibadat

Petikan ucapan Ustaz Hj. Akil Hayy Rawa.Sebarkanlah ini kepada ahli keluarga, saudara-mara, rakan-rakan dansahabat handai kita agar masyarakat kita akan menjadi sebuah masyarakatyang bukan sahaja maju dari segi duniawi malah ukhrawi.

Insya-Allah...Allahhuakbar! Allahhuakbar!Allahhuakbar!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Thursday, February 14, 2008

all things in life are free?

now that i discover what you mean to me

all things in life are reel

now that i discover who am i to You

it must have been cold there in my shadow

to never have sunlight on your face

you were contend to let me shine

that's your way

you always walk the step behind

so i was the one with all the glory

and you are the one with all the strain

a beautiful face without a name

a beautiful smile that hides the pain

did you ever know that you're my hero

you're everything i wish i could be

i could fly higher than an eagle

cos you are the wind beneath my wings

you ask me what i want

you ask me what i need

there's nothing you can buy

my love for you by greed

give me the gift of love

look me in the eyes

and say i'm the one you're dreaming of

that would be the best surprise

give me the gift of your sweet love

in the light of the day

in the dark of night

_bette midler_

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Sunday, February 10, 2008

February 8 2008, masjidil istighfar

ya nabi salam 'alaik

ya rasul salam 'alaik

ya habib salam 'alaik

salawatullah 'alaik

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Friday, February 08, 2008

syukur alhamdulillah

all praises to Allah

for allowing me to attend lectures by habib umar bin hafiz

lots of meaningful words and prayers

sungguh memberi pengajaran

dan menyedarkan

sungguh menginsafkan

subhanallah

tonight insyaallah will be his 5th series of lectures at masjid al-istighfar

mauduk for tonight is

"kecemerlangan ummah melalui apa?"

and tonight insyaallah i will make my way there

for yet another round of self-reflection

my dosage for the soul

sayang, jazakillah hu khairan for accompanying me to these gardens of knowledge

thanks for permitting me to attend these gardens of wisdom during times which you couldn't.

i love you dearly...for HIM.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Monday, February 04, 2008

haven't you heard already?

this coming holiday can't get any better than this, i tell you

apparently our get-together at mel mak diva's crib has been cancelled

sorry yer mel

mintak mahap

turns out we have more than we bargained for

this wednesday till saturday

Habib Umar bin Hafiz will be here

to conduct lectures at various mosques

and we are soooo looking forward to attend his lectures,

well all of his lectures if Allah wills them

insya allah

to be honest

i've never heard or attended any of his syarahan/lectures before in my life

but there's always a first start

and that has always been my life motto

and after getting to know Habib Umar's background

i am more than intrigued to get as close as i can get

to this masya allah being

while we were exchanging sms texts,

sis muna mentioned

".....just imagine when we sit face to face with our beloved imam, muhammad bin abdullah......"

i don't even dare to think that far

of course i would want to meet our beloved rasulullah saw

but in this life, the closest i can get to rasulullah is through

Habib Umar bin Hafiz

and that is just so amazing, amazing

masya allah

that is why,

this holiday simply can't get any better than this

believe me,

no, don't believe me

believe in yourself

believe in Allah

Monday, February 04, 2008

alex finally goes to school today

he woke up at 5.15am

and ready to leave by 6am as the school bus reaches the bus stop at 6.10am

but he stepped into the house again.....stomachache!!

or was it a nervous wreck in the making?

donno lah, wallahualam

end up, khai and him took a cab to school

alex said singapore school is such a bore....yikes!

toilet is dirty

mother tongue makes him dizzy

oh well

it's just his 1st day

he'll get used to it soon enough

he has 4 months to enjoy the s'pore school-sphere

lol

Monday, February 04, 2008