Sing^Skip^Smile :)

The Music & The Dance

2011-05-03T09:27:00.002-07:00

You play the music,
A soft soothing one,
Then you take my hand,
and lead me to the dance floor.

The baby steps,
One at a time,
You hold me close,
and teach me to dance.

I love the music,
One of a kind,
That touches deep down,
I heart the dance,
That only we both could comprehend.

We move to the music,
As it plays sweetly on air,
Drifting into our little world,
Enjoying the music and the dance.

she's on cloud nine :)

2011-05-03T04:58:00.000-07:00

she sings,
she skips,
she smiles :)

she dances to the music,
from the chirping birds around.
she floats and she fidgets
when he stares into her eyes.
she's lost in the moment
and wishes that time will freeze.

every thing seems so sunny
every thing seems so gay
as she looks at the flowers
in the meadow they gently sway.

and again as she sings, she skips and she smiles,
that's when she knows that she's apparently on cloud nine :)

and i thank Thee

2011-02-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

For the health and the life that I'm living,
For every second of the breath that i'm breathing,
and I thank Thee.

For all the loving, caring and supportive families that i have,
For the ever understanding and wonderful companions to sail through live,
and I thank Thee.

when music does more than soothe the soul

2011-02-11T06:01:00.000-08:00

I'm currently listening to the scientist by coldplay. I know it's an old song, yet i love listening to it every time! I can even play and listen to it on repeat. The melody, the lyrics, perfect.

"Nobody said it was easy...no one said it would be this hard"

It just brings back memories, of life, of love.

Last words

2011-02-10T01:05:00.000-08:00

I feel like sharing this email with you, dearest readers. Yeah, as they say, sharing is caring :)

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

Last words of Prophet Mohammed Nabi Karim S.A.W.....

Suddenly, there was a person, he said salaam.

'May I come in?' he asked.

But Fatimah did not allow him enter the room.

'I'm sorry, my father is ill,' said Fatimah, turned her body back and closed the door.

She went back to her father who had opened his eyes and asked Fatimah, 'Who was he, my daughter?'

'I don't know, my father. It was the first time for me to see
him, 'Fatimah said gently.

Then, Rasulullah looked at his daughter with trembled look, as if he wanted to reminisce about every part of her daughter's face..

'Know one thing! He is who erases the temporary pleasure; he is who separates the companionship in the world.

He is the death angel,' said Rasulullah.

Fatimah bore the bomb of her cry. The death angel came toward him; But Rasulullah asked why Jibril did not come along with him. Then, Jibril was called. Jibril was ready in the sky to welcome the soul of Habibullah and the leader of the earth.

'O Jibril, explain me about my rights in front of ALLAH?' Rasulullah asked with a weakest voice.

'The doors of sky have opened; the angels are waiting for your soul.'

'All jannats open widely waiting for you,' Jibril said.

But, in fact, all this did not make Rasulullah relieved, his eyes were still full of worry..

'You are not happy to hear this news?' asked Jibril.

'Tell me about the destiny of my people in future?'

'Don't worry, O Rasul ALLAH. I heard ALLAH tell me: 'I make jannat haram for everyone, except the people of Muhammad who are inside it, 'Jibril said.

It became closer and closer, the time for Malaekat Izrail to do his work.

Slowly, Rasulullah's soul was pulled. It was seemed that the body of Rasulullah was full of sweat; the nerves of his neck became tight.

'Jibril, how painful this sakaratul maut is!'

Rasulullah uttered a groan slowly. Fatimah closed her eyes, Ali sat beside her bowed deeply and Jibril turned his face back.

'Am I repugnant to you that you turn your face back o Jibril? 'Rasulullah asked the Deliverer of Wahy.

'Who is the one who could see the Habibullah in his condition ofsakaratul maut,' Jibril said.

Not for a while, Rasulullah uttered a groan because of unbearable pain.

'O ALLAH, how great is this sakaratul maut. Give me all these pains; don't give it to my people.'

The body of Rasulullah became cold, his feet and chest did not move anymore.....

His lips vibrated as if he wanted to say something, Ali took his ear close to Rasulullah.

'Uushiikum bis shalati, wa maa malakat aimanuku - take care of the saalat and take care the weak people among you.'

Outside the room, there were cries shouted each other, sahabah held each other. Fatimah closed her face with her hands and, again, Ali took his ear close to Rasulullah's mouth which became bluish.

'Ummatii, ummatii, ummatii?' - 'My people, my people, my people. 'And the life of the noble man ended.

Could we love each other like him? Allahumma sholli 'ala Muhammad wa baarikwa salim 'alaihi. How deep is Rasulullah's love to us.

Note:
Send this to all your Muslim friends so that there is an awareness towards the love of ALLAH and His Rasul - because - truly – except this love, the other loves, are only fana (not everlasting) thing.

Lets exhibit this love with others and make a non Muslim become a lover of Islam and Muslim.

Ameen......
Don't worry if people hate you because there are many others who love and care you in the earth. But be worried if ALLAH hates you because there is no other who loves and cares you in akhirat.

May Almighty Allah guide all of us to the Right Path and give all of us the courage to accept the Truth in the light of Qur'an and Sunnah and to reject all things which are in contradiction to the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah.
(Ameen!)

a face in the crowd

2011-02-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

Living in a society with various beliefs and values is as complex as it may seem, especially if you're an outsider and that your own values contradict with a number of people within the society. As a result, you can never have a sense of belonging to that particular society, until you compromise your own values and live to the majority.

I think it's a shame when that happens because one shouldn't be ethnocentric and judge others from their own set of values. We should accept others as they are since every one has his/her own beliefs which he/she was brought up with hence making him/her unique. Yet, certain people tolerate zero 'nonsense' and strictly believe that if you are in Rome, you are obliged to live like the Romans. Thus being unique within a society is a punishment to that particular individual.

Frankly, I am no Santos, so i do tend to be judgemental at times. But a reminder, keep the nasty judging thoughts to yourself. Don't spurt it out because you may never know how detrimental it can be. If not to the society, think how it shall affect the unique individual.

Therefore, this is when empathy, tolerance and openness come into place. Try to put yourself in the person's shoes. Imagine you're in a society whose values vary greatly from yours. Would you like yourself to be judged just because your beliefs are not parallel with the majority? Of course the answer would be NO, right. So think twice before we speak our mind.

So, instead of punishing the poor unique individual for being different, why not have an open heart and try to get to know the person better? I can promise you that it'll bring you no harm. In fact, you'll have an additional person to add on to your list of friends! Isn't that wonderful?! No? Yes? Haha!

In sum, the unique individual is just another face in the crowd. Don't judge and don't say nasty things to him/her just because he/she is not like you. Accept him/her as he/she is. Then i can guarantee, no damage will be done :)

p/s: Is there any possibility that a person who is judgemental is actually a person who is insecure or threaten by others? Hmm..i think there is.

at times of difficult

2011-02-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

What would you do if you are in a pretty bad state, and have no comforting loved ones around to be the saviors and lend their shoulders for you to cry on? Here's a list of the things that i would normally retreat to. Please be reminded that the list is in no particular order.

On top of the list, escapism. Take time for yourself. Immerse in nature, marvel the beauty of God's creations. Behind every wonderfully created petals of the colourfully swaying flowers, there is the ultimate Creator. Constantly remind yourself that all things are fated, and that every cloud has its very own silver lining. Have strong faith in Allah the Almighty, the Lord who knows best. Pray and submit yourself to Him and then only you'll be contented.

Secondly, reach for the phone and text or call the people whom you rely on most; family or besties. Though i have a good and firm bonding with my family, i rarely tell them my problems coz i wouldn't want to trouble them and cause worries. Again, them, being our families, would worry regardless :p But frankly speaking, it soothes the pain a little even only by listening to my mama's or ayah's voice. So that justifies why as Muslims, we'll be rewarded with pahala only by looking at our dearest mother's or father's face. Lucky those who get to stay with their parents.

Now, the third point. Express yourself, let the emotions flow through writings. Write a journal, keep a diary or compose a poem. And that is what i am basically doing. Trying to contemplate through writings does work. At the same time, it allows you time to reflect and organize your own thoughts and life. Give it a try, it will do you good, if not much, at least a little.

Fourth, obviously, cry. I think crying heals at times. It's a natural way to express the wildly running emotions. And in my opinion, it is also the reason why God created us with tears. It's as if with every trickling tear drop, the problems just disappear.

If crying nor any of the above does no help AT ALL *notice the capitalization*, do not fret. People differ. Take some time to yourself. InsyaAllah, with time, things will heal.

p/s: Thank you for the inspiration and i am truly glad that i am able to inspire you to write :)

screw me :p

2011-02-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

okay, this is a confession.
i actually messed up with something today, resulting to something pretty ugly, i think *urgh*
my bad!!!

p/s: i can never be a good P.A. so those who are considering of hiring me, just completely get rid of the idea if you wouldn't want me to cause a haywire! Lol! ;p

the awesomest day

2011-02-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the awesomest (hyperbole) day ever for 2011, so far. We had a gathering at our house to celebrate Ilhan's birth and it was truly amazing to have relatives and friends there to share the joyous moment with us. The fact that i enjoy attending and being at kenduris makes it even more meaningful, i guess.

So basically we had a fabulous day though we were all restless. Owh ya, guess what sort of questions did my aunties and uncles asked?

*drum roll*

"Bila plak kenduri Na?"

Zzzzzz~

I wish upon a shining star...

2011-02-04T00:22:00.000-08:00

I wish everyday is as productive as today. And i wish everyday when i wake up, i'd be able to find my family there, all around me.. :(

Okay, no melancholy for this post, for goodness sake, Muna. Huhu. Emm..I'm really proud of myself today coz i actually woke up early this morning, had breakfast with mama, both my kakak, abg fairuz and my lil brothers, then went outside to clean the compound with mama. Chop down and trimmed the bamboo trees in front of the house and eventually ending up with blisters on my palm and fingers. Wuhuu~

I've also been mummy's good little girl (though too old to be called little any longer). I accompanied mama to the market today and we bought some meat, fish, chicken etc. Then i helped mama to prepare the dishes for lunch. We had soup tulang, friend fish and some ulam and sambal, which was superb!

It's been a while since the last time we ate together, so it was fun to gather as a family though still incomplete coz ayah is in Kota Bharu and abang and atul are in the UK and India. Yet, we enjoyed every bit. Owh, how i wish every day is like today...

ok, gtg. Madihah's been pulling my hand and claimed that she'll turn into the fiercest beast if i won't stop typing on her laptop! And i really wouldn't want to mess with my lil sister..Haha! :>

eeny meeny miny mo~

2011-02-03T04:17:00.000-08:00

Woot2~ I finally get to meet my lil baby nephew, Adam Ilhan for the first time since he was born last 7th January 2011! To explain my excitement and eagerness to meet our little love, i even dreamt of feeding and bathing baby Ilhan last night. Haha! Weirdo me :p

But today is certainly a sweet mark in my life since i got to change his nappy and feed him for the first time. Owh, blissful!

home sweet home

2011-02-03T04:13:00.000-08:00

Hey, i'm home! It is surely worth driving through the heavy traffic for approximately 8 hours and finally get to see mama, kakak, baby ilhan and the rest of the families. Home is always where i belong...

Music please!

2011-01-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

I love singing, those who know me would really understand my passion for singing though i'm not good at it :p But i think it's a shame that i've missed doing so for quite a long time! The last time i actually performed was...last year. Hold on, last year? It felt like ages! Haha!

But i do miss the times when i have my younger brother to play the guitar and me, singing to the rhythm. And also the times when Bobby or Shark would play the guitar or the piano and me singing again. Like the good old days in Plymouth. It was fun.

I wish i was determined enough to play the guitar back then. Sigh.

Monologue

2011-01-30T07:33:00.000-08:00

Is it normal for two complete strangers from out of space to be friends and have a conversation like they've known each other forever within just two days? I think that's kinda weird, yet interesting. Don't you think so? hehe :)

__________________________________________________________________________

Remember when our mums and dads used to remind us to not to talk to strangers when we were little? I remember. But is it still applicable now that we're grown ups? I mean from strangers then only you become friends right? Hehehe..something worth pondering, i would say :)

__________________________________________________________________________

Yeah, life is full of fancy surprises. I love surprises! (minus the not so cool ones) haha!

Orang kita

2011-01-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

Orang kita,

Yang susah dihina,
Yang berada ditaja.

Yang baik dicerca,
Yang jahat dipuja.

Yang elok dirahsia,
Yang busuk dijaja...

The battle

2011-01-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

The time is 3.56 am at the current moment, and me, instead of being in bed dozing off to lala-land, i'm actually sitting here in front of my laptop trying to make use of the time. I can't believe this! Tried hard to go back to sleep, but failed so i decided to post something here.

It's been a while (a very long one) since my last post, whic was wayyyy back in November 2010 if i'm not mistaken. I wanted to write about so many things for the past two months; the meet up with besties, welcoming the new year, baby Ilhan's birth etc but it didn't just happened. I guess i'm never a well disciplined blogger after all (can i even call myself a blogger?) :p

Hey, January 2011 is already coming to an end. How quickly time flies. Quite a few dates to remember, kakak's birthday, baby Ilhan's birth, and also, my first year anniversary as a TEACHER! Awesome right?! Who would have thought that i'd survive this teaching battle! Seriously, i'm very grateful to those who have supported and motivated me to survive at the battlefield.

Yeah, reflecting back, teaching is actually a BATTLE. You need all the necessary skills, knowledge, weaponry and well planned strategies to win it. You have to know the tactics in winning your own people's heart and simultaneously tackle the little 'enemies'.

Last year, i would say i had my victories and defeats in the battle. I learned and experienced so many new things that should have taught me to become a better warrior, i hope. And this year, the battle continues with high hopes for far greater victories. Muna, the warrior princess~ hehe :)

playing with the big boys' toy

2010-11-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

I know the title sounds *ehemm!* :p Nahhh..just to get you reading actually. Hehehe~

Frankly speaking, since i got home on the 17th morning until now, yesterday was the only day that i managed to set foot outside the house. You would be wondering right

"Apalaaa muna th buat kat rumah?"

Well, same goes to both my parents..erk..and me too! I locked myself up in the gloomy room(mama came in n claimed gelapnya bilik nh!), listen to songs and...did nothing. Purely a waste of time.

When suddenly...tadaaaaa~

I saw my DSLR lying untouched on the study table next to my bed and wondered to myself that it'd be so much fun to go photo hunting!

With such enthusiasm,i grabbed my DSLR, headed downstairs and called for my little sister to join me in the expedition, well, still in our pyjamas which got mama nagging.

"Laaa...tgk th, dua-dua pakai baju tdoq lagi dok kluaq jalan-jalan kat luaq dengan camera!"

It got me and madihah giggling. hehe ;p

Okey, so i started off with pictures of some pretty orchids in mama's garden, took a few snaps of the vibrant coloured flowers and here are some of the end products:

The camera was already in the A (aperture) mode. So i started playing around by trying some snapshots with soft backgrounds such as this:

this is the bunga of pokok kucai

and also this:

Though the pictures are not such wonders, i still had fun with my sister before we started to running around the house chasing out kitten and his mommy.

hallu~ i'm Lion :)

my mommy, Marble

I tell you,it was tough work people, trying to get snapshots of the cats. Inside the bushes i jumped with the cats, and under the rambutan tree i crawled just to get some photos of them. But it was an absolutely fun experience.

Alright, before i end, here are a few other final snaps that i managed to get, just to share with you, my dearest readers. Enjoy~ ^_^

p/s:i told you that i craved for some cakes, right? Luckily i found some of these amazing kek lapis sarawak in the fridge and had a full plate to myself. :)

almost a quarter decade

2010-11-19T23:57:00.000-08:00

On the 25th, will turn 24, insyaallah. Almost a quarter decade. Gosh. Anyone, planning to give me a birthday surprise? haha! koya la demo muna weyy~ keep on dreaming bebeh! huhu~ okey, nak cake pleaseeee!!

all that's needed..a screwdriver and a hammer

2010-11-19T23:16:00.000-08:00

No, it definitely doesn't work that way. Not all things can be mended with a screwdriver nor a hammer. That's surely not the way to mend something that is as fragile as a broken heart.

I guess having high expectations on something won't really pay off. When expectations aren't met, it causes disappointments and frustrations. So does having high hopes. You wished it would turn out with a happy ending. Yet, some things just don't work their way as how you expected and really wanted it to be, turn out to be a haywire and bang, you'd find cursing at yourself for the false hopes and dreams that you've been weaving.

What a waste. You're emotionally, mentally and physically drained. And in the end, you'd find yourself locked up in a lowly lit room, sobbing and dreading over the shattered dreams and hopes. Pillows all wet from the streaming of tears.

Then you start to rationalize and realize, this isn't the way. This definitely is not the correct way if you wish to fix things. So you try to gather all your might and strength, wipe the wet cheeks from the tears, pull yourself out from bed, scroll up the curtains and let the light peek through the window. There, one small step to turning over a new leaf.

That's just how things are in life. Not all things are meant for you to be achieved. There are hiccups at times. You trip and you stumble. A deep cut on your knee. It bleeds, painful. As time flies, the wound will heal itself and again, you're free to skip and dance to the joyous melody.

'...no matter how severe the trauma is, if it can mend itself, it will definitely be stronger than before. That's how the body works' (mukhlis, 2010)

ticking the checklist

2010-11-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

2010 Year End To Dos Checklist

1) UPSR
2) SPP interview
3) UPSR result
4) School holiday
5) attend weddings of friends

Here are a few of my year end to do checklist.

#1. Ticked.
I was one of the Pangawas Peperiksaan. It was hard to see the students that I jaga sitting for the papers and at the same time thinking how my own babies were doing at school. Everybody prayed hard for the kids to do well in the exam. And so did I. Hopefully my babies managed to answer the papers well.

#2. Ticked.
The interview was dated on the 4th of November at BTPN Kuantan. I spent the two weeks before the date revising on the 'Dasar2' in the Education stream, recalling the lecture given by Dr. Sofi on PIPP back in IPBA, the National Educational Philosophy tutorials with Dr. Rajagopal and Mr. Ng, teaching approaches classes as well as Professional Development talks by Dr. Boon, Dr. Lawrence and the R&D team.
At the same time, I had to juggle my duties as a teacher and also the vice president of the teachers and staff club; marking exam papers, keying in the marks in the database, typing out the paperwork for the club's family day, etc. It was hectic.

Left for Kuantan on the 3rd, after school, skipping the end of year school meeting because i was concerned the meeting might end rather late and i had to find a place to stay that night. Got lost in Kuantan. Thank God abg Shark installed Garmin on my mobile, so with the help of the gprs, managed to find the place i intended to go. Checked in at CitiLite Hotel, in Kuantan and did my last reading before going to bed at around 9.00pm.

I entered the interviewing room at 9.20 am and came out at 9.50am. I was in the room for half an hour but it didn't feel like so. I was the fourth person to be interviewed by a very nice-motherly lady by the name of Pn. Halimah. I think the interview went well. I hope so. I remember, one of the questions that the lady asked was what is my target for UPSR. I told her i targeted 10 of my students to get A for their English paper. She was surprised. I wondered why.

#3. Ticked.
The UPSR result was announced. I arrived at school and was straightly told that news had been spreading that 10 of the year 6 students got straight As. I was delighted yet i held back since we did not officially receive the result. Not just yet. But deep down inside, i was hoping that the rumour was true. And so it was. Alhamdulillah.

#4. Pending.
School holiday is just around the corner. To be precise, in three days time. Will head back to Kedah and enjoy the company of family members, insyaallah. Really looking forward to it.

#5. Pending.
Kak Wani is getting married in December, and a few others too. I am truly happy for them that they are finally marrying someone that they love. I will try to make it to their wedding receptions, insyaallah. In addition, somebody very close to me will also be entering his new phase of life real soon, so i wish him happiness.

God bless. May 2011 be a lucky and an even better year for you and for me. Ameen.

why God created beaches

2010-11-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of beaches. I love the sea, the sand, the waves, the breeze, the salty smell; mesmerizing. I love the tranquility that is there. I can sit there for ages, doing nothing and simply staring at the sea. I think that is why God created beaches. For humans like me to marvel His creation and Him as the Almighty Creator.

a genuine satisfaction

2010-11-13T06:12:00.000-08:00

I feel like skipping, whistling (though i don't know how to) and singing happily now. I feel bubbly and i am seriously on cloud nine. Hehehe :p Nope, it has nothing to do with men, that's for sure. But it is about my passion and my love towards teaching. My first year of teaching is a pure bliss when all the hard work is rewarded.

Honestly, I'm still not over the success yet. Alhamdulillah, I am extremely proud of my students. They really did well in the UPSR and their results are overwhelming. Well, to others it might seem nothing. But to me, it is worth the effort, hard work and sacrifice. I now feel the satisfaction from teaching; when the students do well in their exams and prove that they learned something from the teachings :) owh, blissful! ^_^

However, i was truly touched when a mother of one of my students told me that it was me who actually inspired her child to do well in the exam. The child told his mother that he wanted to be like me. Though i'm just a mediocre, just another face in the crowd, i am happy that i have managed to at least touch a student's heart...hoping to touch more little hearts and make a difference in their life.

Alhamdulillah..I thank you Allah for the endless blessings.

the footsteps

2010-11-13T05:46:00.000-08:00

you come,
you leave,
leaving behind a trail;
the footsteps.

seasons change.
endless tides hit the shore.
yet the footsteps remain.
and I am never the same, ever again.

koho lama koho saye

2010-09-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

It's a contagious and serious disease, an untreatable one, i warn you. The symptoms include:

1) inability to judge wisely
2) severe blindness
3) palpitation
4) sweaty palm
5) heart aches
6) jealousy

This dangerous disease can be infected regardless of age group. There's no cure and there's no turning back once you've been diagnosed with the disease. In extreme cases, it can be fatal. So beware.

A piece from a puzzle

2010-09-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

I was not even nine at the time my sisters and i were sent home back to Malaysia by ayah. I wasn't sure why we had to return earlier than the rest but it happened, and i could still vividly remember the little details.

It was hard to say goodbye to friends at Crossland Moor Junior School, teachers, the teacher assistants, and to the land of Brits. But most of all, it was even tougher saying goodbye to mama, boy (back then we called abg 'boy', atul, ah, munir and ammil.

Before we left for the airport (was it in Bradford?.. can't recall), we salam and hugged mama, kissed her cheeks and got into the car. We waved goodbye and that was the last memory that i have of my life back at 55 Springdale Avenue, a vivid image of mama, with tears streaming down her cheeks. I remember, i cried along the way to the airport.

I told ayah, that i already missed mama, abg, atul, ah, munir and ammil, and that i will surely cry on the plane. Ayah consoled me and said that things would be okay as he was there with me. To my surprise, ayah even asked the stewardess to keep an eye on me since i told ayah that i'd surely cry throughout the flight. I did, at times.

After a long tiring flight, we finally landed in Malaysia, changed our flight and safely arrived in Kedah. We were greeted with so much warmth by relatives and for a second, i forgot about mama and my adik-adik who were still thousands of miles away in the UK.

But a few weeks later, ayah had to return to the UK, he still had another two years left to complete his phD. So to keep me company, ayah bought me a teddy in a nice yellow outfit(ayah knows his little daughter too well i suppose, and blame ayah that i even have a collection of teddies up to now! hehe :p). Yeah, i remember well the teddy. He was a good and loyal companion. Most of the times, he would be soaked from my tears as a little girl who missed her family too much. Another goodbye; ayah left and i hated it. Most of the nights, i would cry myself to sleep and there were also times when i would even cry in my sleeps. Then, thanks to my ever so understanding elder sisters, they would comfort their little spoilt sister, and sushed her to sleep again, promising that we'd give mama, ayah and adik-adik a phone call early in the morning. So i went back to sleep with my pillows wet from tears, and teddy cuddled tightly.

I remember, there was once when I dreamt of mama, ayah and adik-adik, and i cried in my sleep, woke up to find that mama and ayah weren't there. The sobs got louder, waking up my sisters from their sleep and all that i could say to them at that time was 'Na nak mama and ayah!'. It was unstoppable, until my acu entered the room, comforted me, and hugged me to sleep. Most of the nights were like that, filled with tears, and slept with teddy tightly hugged.

The one year duration living apart from mama, ayah and adik-adik felt like forever. And within that period, i 'menumpang kasih sayang' from my grandparents, aunties, and uncles. In every phone calls with mama and ayah, i would insist mama to come back to Malaysia soon and mama would promise that it wouldn't be any long before we could meet again. Eid was even sadder, as cousins were happily 'salam-salam' with their parents, yet us (my sisters and i) only begged for forgiveness from mama and ayah through the phone. That was life back then.

The one mentally and emotionally torturing year came to an end. We waited patiently at the Alor Star airport to greet our beloved and dearly missed mama, ayah and adik-adik. It was really a nerve wrecking moment. Mixed feelings, happy, excited, sad, all combined and gave me butterflies in the stomach as i was about to meet them once again. My heart leaped with joy as among the crowd of passengers coming through the arrival gate, i saw very familiar faces, faces of those whom i dearly missed (I can never be able to describe the feelings in words..it's indescribable). I saw mama and ayah along with my little adik-adik smiling, we hugged, and kissed and salam with tears streaming down our cheeks. It was really a touching moment for all of us.

I thank God for protecting them all throughout the journey, and i thank God for giving me the opportunity to meet my dearest parents and adik-adik again. Thank you God.

The experiences in life of living away from family during my childhood years and also during my degree years in Plymouth, UK, have really taught me a great lesson in life; that is to appreciate our family and loved ones while they are still with us. Once they're taken away from us, it'll be too late to show how much we really love and care for them. I learn my lesson from my life experiences, and i thank God for the chance to love and cherish my family that He has given me.

In this post, i would also like to express my takziah and my deepest condolences to my dear year 6 student, Nadiah, who lost her father in a car crash last Friday...may he rest in peace, ameen. You have inspired me to put up this post and no matter how hard I try to put myself in your shoes, darling, i shall never be able to feel the pain of loss and the feelings that you are experiencing right now and in the future. May He give you and your family the strength to carry on and to face the future undertakings.

Happy 53rd Independence

2010-08-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's 1.04 in the morning, way past midnight and here i am, wide awake. I've been wanting to post something on my blog, but i kept on procrastinating. At the end of the day, nothing, no new entry from me. I know rambling on any issue would do, but nayyy..i feel obliged to put up an entry that is insightful, something worth reading.

Well, since yesterday was the 31st of August, i thought i'd write on independence (im sure you've guessed that from the title..hehe :p ). But let me be clear, i plan not to write about the literal meaning of independence because i'm pretty sure we're all are well aware of that, aren't we? Yes, we are. Bebas dari penjajah, bla bla bla..

Okay, back to the topic. Now, how shall i begin?..hmm.. Independence to me is not about being free from colonization of the penjajah per se; it is more to that. Let's try to look at it from a different scope. Here, I'm talking about the colonization of the individuals.

Have you ever given a thought whether you (or we) as individuals are free from being dictated cognitively, emotionally, spiritually or even physically? I think it is worth the time to sit back and ponder on this because it is the individual that makes up a society, thus a nation. Hence, if the individual his/herself is being colonized by negative elements, it will cause a domino effect within the society and nation at large, consequently jeopardizing the country's 53 years of independence. So, let us together renung-renungkanlah~

p/s: Today's amusement is tomorrow's embarrassment (somebody, 2010).

InshaAllah by Maher Zain

2010-08-22T02:13:00.000-07:00

Every time you feel like you cannot go on
You feel so lost
That you're so alone
All you see is night
And darkness all around
You feel so helpless
You can’t see which way to go
Don’t despair and never loose hope
Cause Allah is always by your side

Insya Allah you’ll find your way

Every time you commit one more mistake
You feel you can’t repent
And that its way too late
You’re so confused, wrong decisions you have made
Haunt your mind and your heart is full of shame

Don’t despair and never loose hope
Cause Allah is always by your side
Insya Allah you’ll find your way

Turn to Allah
He’s never far away
Put your trust in Him
Raise your hands and pray
OOO Ya Allah
Guide my steps don’t let me go astray
You’re the only one that showed me the way,
Showed me the way
Insha Allah
Insya Allah we’ll find the way

She's always a woman

2010-07-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child,
But she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe
And she'll take what you give her
as long as it's free
Yeah, she steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me

Ooooh she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Ooooh and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

And she'll promise you more
Than the Garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you
And laugh while you're bleeding
But she'll bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
Cause she's always a woman to me

Ooooh she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
She's ahead of her time
Ooooh and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

She is frequently kind
And she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
She's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted
She's earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me

A life without life

2010-06-06T03:57:00.000-07:00

What is life without the ones we love?

I would call it a lifeless life; you are still breathing in and out as usual, yet it'll be a little suffocating and you're always panting.

Loved ones are like oxygen, they are carried throughout your body thus helping you to live life at its best. They are also a source of motivation; for you to keep holding on when things get rough and to keep walking with your head held high. You would always want to perform the best because they would always inspire and motivate you. Without them, you're 'dead'. Life is as i said, lifeless.

It is truly amazing to realize how much the lives of others can affect us. Today, they are total strangers, the next day, you can barely live without her/him/them.

kiri ke kanan ek?..emm..patah balik boleh x?..

2010-06-06T03:42:00.000-07:00

Most of the time in life, we come to a junction, a junction that requires us to decide whether to take the left turn or the right turn. We stop, think and decide and at the same time hoping that the decision made is wise enough. If that is what we would like to think.

There are also times when we stop to ponder and to think about the options and choices available, we realize that if we act in such a way and not the other, the consequences would be devastating. We are well aware of the damages that will take place, yet we pursue with the wrong option. Is this called stubborn? Or is it merely ego?

Making decisions is tough. It is hard. Life is hard. The truth is hard. Face it.

Addiction

2010-05-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

It's like drugs...
It's like cigars...
It's like bread and butter...
It's inseparable.

I am addicted to you and i shall never have enough

Kapan lagi mahu ketemu?

2010-05-07T05:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. We met again. It was good. We had fun, didn't we? :)

keeping up with the Joneses

2010-05-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

Haha..title xde kaitan ngan entry actually :p

Dear readers,

Yeah, mothers' day is just around the corner. But i never thought of that when i initially planned to write this entry. I memang intended to write about my dearest mama.

Okay, let me give you a little introduction about mama. Well, first and foremost, mama is a lady with a strong character. Mama is an English Language teacher too, dearly loved by her students *i hope i'll be a great teacher like mama one day*. She is 49 at age and will turn 50 this July.

Yet, at her age, mama is a techno savvy mum. Mama knows quite a lot about IT. This is proven when at times, i do things my way, mama would correct me and say "Buat macam nh lagi senang la". hehe :p But me, being a stubborn daughter would say "ala, sama je Ma" :p In addition, whenever her tasks involve typing or producing things using the computer, as far as i know, mama xpernah ask fresh and younger teachers at her school to do it for her coz she knows she can do it herself.

Mama, me and my sisters on their big day

Apart from that, Mama has her own facebook account and she always monitors her children through facebook. That's good actually coz we, the siblings, are like all over the world and all over Malaysia. So through facebook, mama can still get to know what we're up to and from afar, monitoring us. Through facebook jugak Mama gets to know our circle of friends and even our crushes or those who have a crush on us (my siblings)..haha. So guys and girls, beware, jangan merepek tak tentu pasal kalo xnak awal-awal being rejected by mama ^^,

There was once, I called Mama, and she was at a hotel in Sungai Petani, following Ayah for a seminar. As usual, I asked

"Ma dok watpa?"

"Mama dok facebook nh" Mama replied.

Though i giggled at her answer, i was actually proud! hehe..i mean hello~ my mum has a facebook account and she is acceptably IT savvy, ok! :)

So, that's all for now about my dearest mama. Luv u Maaaa~ hehe :)

Caramel Paddle pop rainbow~

2010-05-03T00:53:00.000-07:00

I am truly very fond of this particular ice cream. Sejak kecik sampailah dah besar panjang nh, i am still loving it regardless of the emergence of a vast variety of cool ice creams.

Not only because of the taste, i like the colours too! Soft colours..just like the colours of a rainbow. Very pretty :)

Getting connected

2010-05-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

When i was small, we moved quite a lot. I grew up in many different places; Jitra, Alor Setar, Huddersfield and johor. So, when i was younger, i don't really have real close friends like BFFs. Most of them, we lost contact, just like that.

But now, thanks to the magic of social networking, which they don't have years and years back, i am finally reconnected with all these long lost friends of mine..especially friends from my primary years at SK Sg Korok Baru, Alor Setar. So, i am truly happy now that we're connected once again :)

p/s: a classmate of mine back in 1997 ckp i was the ketot (kecik) shy and quiet girl back then. hahaha~ funny! ^^

Fresh Spring Breeze~

2010-04-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

It's spring now and all these images of colourful fresh flowers blooming, green buds appearing on twigs and branches, red squirrels running around and little birds chirping merrily..wonderful! How I miss all these wonders!

It's like a joyful festive season celebrated by earthlings after a long cold wet winter. Creatures big and small come out to celebrate and play in the sunny spring weather as the lazy and timid sun wakes up from its sleep. I love Spring! And when asked by Malaysian friends, who never get the opportunity to visit a four season country, of the season i love out of the four, definitely Spring will 'spring out' from my mouth ^_^

bad bad Muna~

2010-04-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad, bad blogger. I think i should set up a target, to at least post an entry once a week to start off with. This is to ensure that i keep on writing and not only facebooking twenty four seven. And it is ironic that i do actually at times get bored going through facebook all day long!!

Yes, i should make blogging as a routine due to many solid reasons.

1) i have to keep on writing, or else..there goes my English. Tak nakkk!!! huhu

2) i have to use my spare time doing something beneficial rather than browsing through other people's photo albums or downloading songs from 4shared etc...

3) it is definitely a good way to express and share personal thoughts with other readers, though some of my posts might sound lame and duhh, boring!..but please, do excuse me for that. hehe :p

4) Owh yes! fluency in writing. I think blogging is actually a good way to plan and write down your thoughts in a coherent manner though at times i do jump from one issue or point to another. ngee~

Okay. Enough with the reasons. Hmm..what if...i introduce blogging to my students during their ICTL classes? In English of course. Is that allowed?... I mean they'll definitely benefit from it...kan? Ask them to post an entry on a weekly basis, write about something or on anything that they like for example what they did during the weekend and stuff. It'll be like their own journal la. I should try la, kan?..

p/s: Teringat masa sekolah kat Crossland Moor Junior School,UK dulu-dulu... Every weekend we were asked to write about anything that crossed our young minds in this little journal that we each had. Then we also get to draw to illustrate what we wrote :)

kL is crying, but i still admire you ^^

2010-04-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

How sweet is that? Too sweet that it might be diabetic! haha :p *kidding Jonathan!* :)

The Great Lost

2010-04-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

When i was in form 5, we received a shocking news about the death of a batchmate's father. We empathised her for the lost of her beloved father. But all we could do back then was to send our deepest condolences and to ask her to be strong.

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

During my B.Ed years in the UK, a senior's father passed away. And a year later, a good friend's father passed away when we were still abroad.

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

Last year, the whole nation was appalled and moved by the breaking news of the death of a groom who died in a car crash only four hours after his solemnization.

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

Ya Allah..begitu besar ujianMu terhadap hamba-hambaMu ini. Dapatkah diri ini menanggung ujian sebegitu rupa seandainya daku diuji sehebat ini?..

To my dearest friend, Hanim, my deepest condolences for the lost of your fiancee, sayang...Al-fatihah to arwah.

Life's A Gift

2010-03-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she's blind.She hated everyone, except for her loving boyfriend. He's always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and so she could see again, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her,

"Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?"

The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend is blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying,

"Just take care of my eyes,dear."

This is how human brain changes when the status changed. Only few remember what life was before, and who's always been there even in the most painful situations.

Life Is A Gift...

Today before you think of saying an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion.
Today before you complain about life- Think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.
Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets.
Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another - Remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and thank God you're alive and still around.
Life is a gift,Live it, Enjoy it, Celebrate it, And fulfill it.

ayem oh ayem~

2010-03-07T02:26:00.000-08:00

hold on there for a sec...

AYEM. How do you pronounce the word? Owh, by the way, it's a name, an Orang Asli student of mine.

Last Friday, i had to jaga the RMT *every Friday actually*. So, i had to take the students' attendance and check whether the menu is as stated.

Takpe laaa... I pn went through the name list with other 3 students, one by one, and i came to this name AYEM. Then, I was like,

"Ok, mcm mana teacher nak sebut nama nh?..AYEM as in 'ayerm' eh?'"

Then these three students bantai gelakkan i yang tahap berdekah-dekah th. One of them whom i happen to teach him said,

"Teacher, ayam ada kat rumah saya!"

Then dia sambung gelak sampai nangis2! Cissss!!!

Nak cover malu, i pn kata laa..

"Mana la teacher tau cane nak sebut nama diaaaa..huhuhu"

"AYEM (as in aryaim) la teacher!" and they laughed out loud.

*grrrrr*

grown up stuffs

2010-03-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

*Hohoho~ no worries. This entry is classified as U; Universal :p *

As i'm writing this post, my heart and soul is wayyy back in Kedah. Owh yes, and my mind too! Hehe.. Emm..Mama and kak manar must have been busy preparing the hantarans for my sisters' wedding. Ayah, busy checking the invitation list and making sure that everyone's invited and Madihah; mopping the floor and cleaning the house i guess..hehe :p Kesian mama and ayah especially..huhu..mesti tension.

Hmm..honestly, I'm sooo thrilled and nervous for both my beloved sisters! The countdown has begun and the clock is ticking..FAST! *tick tock..tick tock..TICK TOCKKK~* It's as if they only met their partners last month...and now, they're getting married!! God's willing.. How quickly time flies.

I can't wait for the big day. I do pray that every thing will run smoothly on that day.. *praying hard* (^,^)

Mahu rejuvenate

2010-02-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

Cuhhhraazzzyyyy! That's how i'd describe my life for this week. I bet the other teachers too (my school la). Setting up exam papers (four sets, mind u), preparing Folio B, updating headcounts folders, Rancangan Strategik and etc... Returned home from school at 6pm for 3 consecutive days, stayed up till late at night, skipped meals, perut kosong sampai i felt like puking!

Alhamdulillah, i survived. *clap2!* Well, on the bright side, i gain and learn too much from this hectic week. So, ok la kan. Not too bad. If i had not to go through all those torturing experinces, i wouldn't have gained anything.

Today's a Thursday, no school on Friday. Whoaaa, a long weekend!!~~ Mau rejuvenate and mau shopping with my sisters :) Hallu Klang~~!! Hallu KL~~!!

Blogging or Lesson Planning?

2010-02-04T05:06:00.000-08:00

'A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.'
-Henry Brooks Adams-

Seems like the temptation to blog is stronger than the responsibility to write my lesson plans for tomorrow's lessons! *promise will do that afterward :p* Well, i came across this quote when i was frantically searching for a suitable and decent quote to include in the school's 'Majlis Permuafakatan bersama Ibu Bapa/Penjaga Murid Tahun 6' brochure.

It hit me hard and made me think in what ways have i influenced my little ones in the classroom? Positive influences or negative ones? So far, were they influenced by the way i talk, the things i said, my dressing code, the knowledge and values that i tried to impart or...i have not an influence on them at all? I think it is rather difficult for me to tell. Yet, i do pray that the influences that i have on them are positive and will help me to become a 'jutawan di akhirat' *quoted from Diha who just recently posted that on her fb*, and not a 'muflis di akhirat'.

Back to the quotation, yeah, a teacher affects a student's life forever. It does not stop there, in between the classroom walls. Knowledge and values imparted with passion, love and sincerity, with God's willing, will help the student to lead a better life. The knowledge will then be passed down from a generation to another, until the end of time.

On the other hand, an irresponsible teacher who teaches 'cincai'ly and irresponsibly, will also affect a student's life by depriving him from the education that he deserves, causing him to perform poorly in examinations, land on a job yang 'kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang' and end up living a poor life *unless he is hardworking enough to free himself from the misery*.

In addition, students are good observers and they will imitate the things a teacher do or say in the classroom. As such, always watch our actions and words, teachers. Never use foul languages in the classroom, in fact, even outside the classroom. We would not want to create future generation who speak and use foul languages that they have picked from their own so-called-teachers. So, think before we act or say something.

In a nutshell, it's not easy to become a teacher. We have to be responsible in whatever we do, amanah in carrying out our duties to educate the students and we should always portray ourselves as good role models to the students. Integrity matters kerana semestinya we can never tell where our influences stop.

Tak nak la nanti berlaku seperti dua situasi di bawah nh...

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Situation 1
Ali gaduh dengan adik and Ali guna kata-kata kesat yang kurang enak didengar, mak marah Ali and tanya mana Ali belajar all those words, Ali jawab 'cikgu polan pun cakap macam tu dalam kelas, mak!'

Situation 2
Guru kencing berdiri, anak murid kencing berlari.

p/s: I finally chose this quotation for the brochure 'Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself' :p

Teacher Miss Muna speaks

2010-01-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

Hallu everybody! I finally have the time to at least scribble something on my blog. And for today, i'd like to share with you my so-far-three-weeks-experience as a teacher Miss Muna *that's how my yr1 students would call me* at SK Muadzam Shah, Pahang.

First, before i go deeper into the experiences, let me give you a brief background about Muadzam Shah. I'm pretty sure you've heard of that place. Well, i knew the existance of Muadzam Shah way back in my secondary years at MJSC Muar. People used to say that MJSC Muadzam Shah is a 'maktab buangan' for misbehaviours from other colleges in Malaysia. I have no idea whether that's true or not, but those who had disciplinary problems at MJSC Muar were all transferred to Muadzam Shah. So, that was the first time i got to know about a place called Muadzam Shah.

Then, 2nd January 2010, i attended a briefing at Kuantan and was told that i got SK Muadzam Shah for my first posting. I didn't know what to expect since i've never been to that place before. But from friends, i was told that Muadzam Shah is a town, better developed that Rompin itself. So, i was rather happy to hear that. Hahaha! :p

As i set my foot in Muadzam Shah, wahhhh..greenery! No hustle and bustle of the hectic city life. Hahahah! *trying to be positive here*. Then i was told by my former housemate, 'paling canggih yang ada kat muadzam nh muna, 7E'. I remember her words. I laughed at her words because i thought she was joking. And it turned out to be true! No malls, no KFCs, no McDs..nothing. Only deretan kedai yang within 5 minutes pusing by car, you've actually toured the town. Heheheh :p So, that's basically it. Bandar Muadzam Shah. *Didnt turn out as a brief introduction, did it? hehe*

Now, about the school. Just a small average suburban school with 300- students enrollment. Teachers; 31 i think including me. There are also orang asli kiddos studying at that school and they are from Kampung Gadak and Kampung Langkap *i wonder where those places are*.

The students are nice and respectful especially the anak-anak orang asli.Every morning, they would wait for me at the garage to help me carry my things. Sometimes there would be around 10 of them waiting to offer help. Sweet and kind. But study wise, these students are a bit lacking and slow. Most of the times, they don't even have books nor pencils to write. It does make me sad thinking about it to the extent that i would provide them with exercise books and pencils from my own money so that they can make use of it *i really hope they would!*.

True, reality bites. Teaching isn't easy. I never used to think so when i was in my b.ed years. With all the theories that you learn in college, you'll get so excited to implement them with your students. But again, it ain't easy. With students who can't even spell 'table' correctly and who do not know what the word 'students' means, it's very challenging! But i am not surrendering to the reality. I have hopes.

My hopes: I hope to touch their lives and make a difference. I want them to love to go to school and love to be in my class. I do hope so. *praying*

happy mode (^_^)

2010-01-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

The mode is as above. HAPPY. I have no idea why. I guess i'm happy because i'm in Klang. Being in Klang means being around my sisters, my FAMILY..my bundle of joy. So that does explain the mode. :) And so, i woke up this morning with my sister lying next to me, makes me feel good. Prepared breakfast *menu: scrambled eggs, hotdogs and a cup of tea each*, had it together, awesome! :)

We'll to be honest, Muadzam is not that bad after all. I just need to settle down and get used to the surrounding. Then i'm sure things will be even better; i don't need to escape to Kuantan nor Klang as often. But at times i do get bored and..lonely *yeah, i think that's the word* living alone in Muadzam Shah. Owh, sampai bila?

dunia baru

2010-01-26T02:49:00.000-08:00

owh, its been a while. Wait, no, ages! yes, ages since i last posted something on my blog. the ultimate reason behind it, i had no internet connection and i was busy with my new life as a TEACHER.

*Btw, my year one students call me teacher miss muna* haha :p

Alhamdulillah.. Insyaallah :)

2009-12-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

Today's my second sister's (kak manar's) engagement. Two engagements already in the family within this year. So that leaves me, the 3rd in the family, who is still 'not taken'. Then relatives were asking whether there'll be a third one. All i could answer was 'entah, nak kawen ngan sape? tengokla nanti. haha~'.

Seriously, it is rather irritating when people start asking the question. Come on, I've just turned 23 not even a month ago. But I also know that people are concerned and that they meant good. So sabar je la~ huhu :p Anyway, it's not even like i don't wanna get married and remain single forever! hehe..

I won't just marry anybody as easy as that because marriage bukannya only for a day, it's a life time commitment. Marriage jugak penyambung zuriat dan keturunan, so kena la usaha supaya keturunan yang bakal dilahirkan nanti merupakan keturunan yang baik-baik, diredhai dan dirahmati Allah, insyaallah. As such, apart from trying to improve myself to become a better person *tskkk...sgt susah~..huhu* I'm still in the search, so to 'the person' di mana jua kamu berada, my other half, silalah munculkan diri kamu dan memudahkan perjalanan hidup saya..hahaha :p

Insyaallah, kalau dah jumpa, adala...kalo belum, kena la terus mencari. Ngee~ :)

p/s: Alhamdulillah everything went well though we're exhausted. Selamat bertunang, kak! :)

a new found hobby :)

2009-12-09T21:39:00.000-08:00

In the past, i never enjoyed baking as much as cooking other dishes because i was always too lazy to weigh all the ingredients required to bake a cake or cookies. I thought it was a tedious and messy process having to do all those things *aigoo~kalo dh xske th, soooo many excuses!* haha! :p

On the other hand, i enjoyed cooking dishes like masak lemak cili api, ayam msk merah and stuffs because i can always campak2 whatever ingredients into the pan without the hassle of weighing them *giler pemalas! huhu~*. Cooking compared to baking was way easier, that's what i felt.

However, beginning early this year, i suddenly developed this crave to bake cakes *yet, i only started to bake cakes early this month*. I have no idea what triggered this and frankly speaking, i'm enjoying baking as much! I love the outcome (the cake, of course) and i like the fact that i get to enjoy the cake with the loved ones after all the patience. I think baking requires patience after all. Coming up next. devils food cake :)

p/s: abg, how did the ayam masak merah go?..jadi x?..hehe :p i told mama and mama ckp, 'awat' perencah ko da bes ke?' hahahah~

woot woot!! health alert!!!

2009-12-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

Attention to all chips@french fries lovers~ Reconsider your love for the all times favourite food (including mine.sigh~) before it's too late!

I read an article in Health Today regarding the horrendous effect of eating chips. According to the article, chips/baked potatoes (jacket potato creavers..me again~sigh.)is categorised as a carcinogen which helps to promote cancer due to the way the potatoes are cooked.

So, before it's too late, eat wisely to stay healthy!

click here to learn more about carcinogen.

ridiculously funny

2009-12-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I came across this book on a collection of 'petua' encompassing all aspects of life. I didn't know whose was it, and how did it got there. Yet, I flipped through the pages and came across this heading, 'Merawat Kaki Busuk'.

I thought the title was funny itself. Curiously (and eagerly), i read what the 'petua' would be, and ended laughing out loud until tears streamed out! I shared the 'petua' with ayah who was at that time sitting just next to me. Ayah said 'apa punya petua la th!' Muahahahaha~

Well, dear readers, i'm sure you're eager to know what the 'petua' is. Okay, i'll tell you. Cara merawat kaki busuk as recommended in the book of 'petuas', rendam kaki anda dalam clorox selama 10 minutes. Gile ke apa?!!!! hahahaha~

p/s: Additional result, selain menghilangkan bau busuk, kaki anda juga akan menjadi putih berseri-seri~ cubalah! hahahahahahaha! :P

Kejinya

2009-12-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

Read this post, peeps..never thought someone would actually go to the extent. Insanity! Teramatla keji..huhu~

love bug

2009-12-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

3rd December was his birthday. I dreaded that i couldn't spend the day with him, like how he did on my birthday, 25th November. So, instead of feeling bad about it, i thought that it would be great to spend time on him if i couldn't spend time with him.

To start off, i made a birthday card for him. I'm terrible in arts and crafts, so it took quite some time for me to finally come up with the birthday card. Though it wasn't that cool (the product), i enjoyed the process of making one for him. I hope he'll like it. *fingers crossed!* Oh, yeah, i got the idea to make the card from kak yuni. hehe..thanks kak yuni! :p

I also planned to bake a cake on that day. However, due to several circumstances, i was able to do so only yesterday *tskkk*. I told him about it, and he was like 'Dah seminggu i dgr u nak buat cake' hahahaha ;p But hey, i would like to announce that the cake came out acceptably fine, mr! Ayah enjoyed the cake and commented 'Sedapla Na cake nh..' hehehee :) *ayah saje je th..nak encourage me to bake cakes more often* Yet, i considered that as an achievement and i am proud of myself. Though he's far and didn't even have the chance to eat the cake, it's okay. I was satisfied that i actually spent the time on him. Probably the next time we meet, i'll bake a new cake for you, ok!

p/s: for the umpteenth time, happy belated birthday mr yorke! :)

budak hostel

2009-11-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

Today, my sister and I went to visit Munir (my younger bro) at his hostel. We brought along a lot of food from our open house that we had, for Munir. He's stucked in the hostel due to the SPM, so bringing some food for him hopes to cheer him up a little from the tension of revising for his biology paper tomorrow. Kakak and i, together with Ammil (my youngest bro) hurriedly packed the foods, to make sure we're in time for dinner before Munir and his friends gi makan kat DS. Or else, the foods will go to waste. So, kakak drove laju-laju so that kitorg cepat sampai.

Sampai kat guard house, kakak stopped the car, kononnya nak report to the guards la before we actually entered the mrsm compound. Pak cik guard at the guard house ckp xyah report, so we smiled at the guards. hehe :p

As soon as we reached Munir's hostel block, i called him to inform him that we're there. Unfortunately he didn't answer the phone. So, without further delay, i dgn selambanya walked up to the windows of one of the hostel room (mind u, it's a boys hostel)and asked the boys in the room to call Munir for me. :p (ayah kata seb baek i didnt get caught by the warden for intruding the boys' hostel, kalo x, xpsl2 munir dpt surat buang sekolah yg ke 12...haahhaa :p)

A few minutes later, Munir came. Apparently, he was sleeping. So when he came, of cos la..muka bantal. huhu ;p I handed him the well packed nasi tomato, ayam masak merah, daging masak hitam, and etc and reminded him to study well for tomorrow's exam. I hope he'll be able to answer well tomorrow.

Being a former budak hostel all throughout my secondary schooling years, i was overjoyed everytime mama and ayah came to visit me. Mama would bring foods for me and kawan-kawan. But when there were times that mama and ayah couldn't visit me sebab meeting ke apa, i would feel sad. So now, i feel happy that i went to visit Munir at his hostel, and brought him food. I never wanted him to feel left out or sad staying in a hostel. I was a budak hostel once, and i know the feelings.

turning over a new leaf

2009-11-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

Starting afresh is good. Turning over a new leaf. Mistakes and wrong doings are forgiven thus reducing heartaches and other negative feelings. It is tiring to have bad feelings actually. But again, we're just minute human beings..we make mistakes and we hope to learn from it.

So, starting over a new life, in a new environment sounds good, right? :)Uh, yet, i'll definitely miss my besties especially kak yuni n hani. We've been friends since we were 'hingusan', and now, look at us...huhu...we've become aunts! :p

Looking back, Dr Suraya always claimed that kak yuni and i are twins coz we're always together, wherever we go (i mean in the college compound laaa) hehe... She's like my blood related sister (although we're not) and she's always there for me during my ups and downs. Kak yuni, im missing you already..huhu.. :(

And hani, aigooo, we should adopt this tag line, "I will follow you~" (^_^) Yeah, we've been friends from IPKB, then to IPBA, flew to MARJON and back to IPBA again. Infact, Hani's bf is a friend of mine..ngeee :p (nak gak highlight~)Oh, i will awfully miss my girlfriends! huhu..

Hmm..it's kinda difficult to find friends who can get along well with us. Only birds of the same feather flocks together. Yet, making changes in life seem interesting too~ I can't wait to see what awaits me...the people, the school, the students, everything! Hope to find friends as good as the friends that i have :)

Randomness

2009-11-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

I feel like writing something, and i feel that i have to write something. But i totally have no idea what to write about. So, here i am, typing things that i hope in the end will make some sense..or probably we can eventually see a pattern in what i write?..gagaga :p

_______________________________________________________________________________________

1) when will i get to see You again?~
2) aigoo~ i wanna see You everyday laaa..can or not? but how?..
3) madihahhhh!!! please stop kicking my feet! *uhhhh*
4) posting mana la agaknye ek?..huhu
5) i'm officially 23 years and 4 days old today :)
6) i miss You!
7) i wanna go to kL~~~or..kuantan maybe?..hehe
8) my sisters are marrying off soon..i wonder when will my turn be?.. :p
9) thank you mr grumpy@pisssed off for spending the day with me :)
10)oh, gotta go to bed now..zzzZZZ

p/s: look closely and read carefully, muna hasn't got a point to talk about..that's why she rambles: pattern seen.

lovve@loved by

2009-11-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

I always think about this. I mean in the end, do we actually choose to be with a person whom we love or to be with a person who loves us. I'm certain that everybody would cry out "daaaa~ of course with the person whom we love!". Yes, and because of that, I will not give up~ :)

with that, I thank u

2009-11-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

This post is especially dedicated to my dearest friends from ipba. From the bottom of my heart,I'd like to thank all of you for...

1) the friendship that's bonded
2) the love that we shared
3) the memories that we'll cherish
4) the tears and the laughters
5) the sisterhood
6) the time we spent together
7) everything

I will surely miss you guys. I pray that we will always excel in whatever we do. May this friendship blooms eternally.

with love,
muna
b.ed tesl year 4
ipba-ucp, marjon

A big heart

2009-11-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

I've a younger brother who had an inferiority complex problem.

You see, my brother here didn't do very well in his UPSR. The least everyone else in the family got was 4A's but he only managed 2. He pulled out of his PMR with 5A's only but was still able to land himself in a MJSC. I don't really care because he's still my brother.

You see, I wasn't always aware that my little brother here was finding it hard to ace exams. It was constantly at the back of my mind that he wasn't trying hard enough. I thought this kid was playing the fool for too long. Up till his PMR, he still only managed 5A's when he should've done that way back for his UPSR. There was once when he was in Form 3, he gave a speech. This brother of mine told his whole school, the whole audience how much he'd like to ace his PMR. Because he said everyone in the family looked down on him. He felt that everyone in our family thought he was the black sheep, that he didn't live up to expectations. That's how big a heart this brother of mine has.

On a spectrum of yes and no, i'd be honest enough to say yes Munir, you have let me down. I expected great things from you. I always looked up to ayah and how much i wanted to surpass him. I know that you always looked up to me, always admiring my medals, looking at and carressing my football boots in awe, creating your own dobi number (a number each individual student of MCKK is allocated to be written on their clothes as ID for the laundry company to identify: mine was A55) that you scribbled on all of your clothes with a permanent black marker only to make mama smile. I always thought you'd be able to breeze through exams like I was once abled to. But then again, everyone is his/her own case.

I noticed from when you were young, how easily you followed. people used to pin it on you whenever things went wrong and being you, you just took the blame. I remembered how i thought you were the 'pak turut' type, 'lurus bendul' and many more attributes that somehow made you look like a pushover. I guess that was the cue for me to recognise how special you are compared to the others in our family.

Now your 17, you've developed a much more independent identity. You're a whole person yourself, you stand up for what you believe in and for that I am proud of you. You've won just as many medals as I did, being an ace in football, you can play from striker down to goalie. You're an unbelievable natural. I've never played with or against you because I thought you were too young to play with me. But when Am came down to Jitra, i remembered us playing together; me, u, am, ijal, chot i think. cant really remember, but that was when i finally acknowledged that you had grown up. it was after that then only i started taking you to football matches at stadium alor setar. It was only then you became a real brother to me.

Now that all that limelight and fame for sports has died out, i can only wish you the best for your upcoming SPM, starting this 18th dec. I want you to know whatever your results turn out to be, no matter where you land yourself in uni, whatever you become in the future, i will always be pround of you. You are a person pure at heart, you have no malice in you, you have no envy, thats what makes you special. There are uncountable smart and clever people out there with mountains of credentials, but not many can match your purity. I wish you the best my little brother. Whatever you do, make us proud for we will always be proud of you. May my prayers be with you. Ameen.

p/s: I cried reading this. Mukhlis, my younger brother, wrote it, dedicated to our little brother, Munir... I'd like to share this with all of you...to show how much we love each other regardless.

November

2009-11-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

Kenapa November mesti sedih?
Kenapa November mesti pedih?
Kenapa November mesti jerih?

Tiap kali November tiba,
Hati diselubungi hiba,
Mengenangkan suka duka,
Di tempuhi bersama suatu ketika.

Hari-hari November diiringi rintisan hujan,
Bagaikan tangisan hiba seorang perawan,
Yang sepi ditinggalkan,
Meniti hari-hari sendirian.

November semakin berlalu,
Hati sarat pilu,
Mungkinkah lagi kita bertemu,
Atau November adalah titik noktah antara aku dan kamu?...

p/s: Nothin' lasts forever, and we both know hearts can change...and it's hard to hold a candle, in the cold November rain (Guns and Roses: November Rain)

Cold November Rain

2009-11-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same

'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain

We've been through this auch a long long time
Just tryin' to kill the pain

But lovers always come and lovers always go
An no one's really sure who's lettin' go today
Walking away

If we could take the time
to lay it on the line
I could rest my head
Just knowin' that you were mine
All mine
So if you want to love me
then darlin' don't refrain
Or I'll just end up walkin'
In the cold November rain

Do you need some time...on your own
Do you need some time...all alone
Everybody needs some time...
on their own
Don't you know you need some time...all alone

I know it's hard to keep an open heart
When even friends seem out to harm you
But if you could heal a broken heart
Wouldn't time be out to charm you

Sometimes I need some time...on my
own
Sometimes I need some time...all alone
Everybody needs some time...
on their own
Don't you know you need some time...all alone

And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain
I know that you can love me
When there's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
Even cold November rain

Don't ya think that you need somebody
Don't ya think that you need someone
Everybody needs somebody
You're not the only one
You're not the only one

tall + dark + handsome?

2009-11-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

"Emm..i prefer someone tall, dark and handsome like Andika" says Melor.

"No wayyyy! He's really not my type. I like fairer guys better...someone like...Putra" exclaims Mawar.

"What about you, Kenanga?" asks Melor.

"I don't know, really...i don't really mind about his looks...as long as we can get along well with one another and we love each other unconditionally, i'd be thankful" answered Kenanga.

.........................................................................................

Well, well, well~ How shall we begin?...

Ask any girl, who wouldn't want to date a good looking, charming guy like Edward Cullen? None.

Anyway, we will stop here and we shall continue later to allow me for more time to elaborate on the issue. Now, i need to sleep... Good night all...zzZZZZ

I miss u & I love u

2009-11-15T01:13:00.000-08:00

Last night i skyped with my younger sister. Her name is Mardhiatul Miskiah, and we call her Atul. But me, i have a special nickname for her. I call her mok2 coz she used to be a bit chubby (compared to a family of skinny and not so skinny members) :P She's in India now, pursuing her degree in dentistry. She was so eager showing off all the stuffs that she bought for us on skype last night. She bought me a set of saree, pink in colour. Nice, but i jokingly told her that it's ugly and requested for the baby blue one (which she had bought too) hahaha! :P I miss her. I know she misses us too. I hope she's doing well and not that home sick. I know she's a strong little sister (though in real, she's bigger than me), even stronger than me coz i'm such an emotional cry baby.

This morning, while i was still sleeping, my younger brother, Mukhlis called. He's currently in Leeds, England. He's a second year medical student. As always, i was half awake when he called. But i was happy to hear from him. I miss him so much. Back in England, whenever we had the chance, we used to spend time together, either he will come down to Plymouth, the place where i studied, or i myself will go to Leeds to pay him a visit. I remember, the first time he arrived in Leeds, i traveled way up to the midlands (8 hour trip by bus) to ensure that he was okay. We did some shopping, tidied his room, unpack his luggage, arranged his things neatly in the locker, broke fast together at this restaurant (i can't recall the name), talked over things, went back late and had a good rest. I can still remember the every little things we did. I miss you, abang.

I love both my younger brother and sister. I hope they're doing well in the respective countries. I pray that they will always excel in their studies and in everything that they do. I also look forward to meeting them next year, insyaallah, when they come back for the summer break.

p/s: All the best to my little brother, Munir, who will be sitting for his SPM beginning this 18th November. I miss you and i love you.

a hundred truths

2009-11-14T06:35:00.000-08:00

Killing time.

WHAT WAS YOUR:
1. Last beverage : orange juice
2. Last phone call : fahmi yorke :)
3. Last text message: dia
4. Last song you listened to : karma police by radiohead
5. Last time you cried : last week..pms..haha :p

HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Dated someone twice: errkkk..no!
7. Been cheated : yes
8. Kissed someone & regretted it: no
9. Lost someone special: definitely
10. Been depressed: yes...but not that severely depressed
11. Been drunk and threw up: oh, i don't drink, thank u!

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLOURS:
12. pink
13. white
14. baby blue

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2009)
15. Made a new friend: yes!
16. Fallen out of love: no...
17. Laughed until you cried: hehehe..yes! many times in fact! :)
18. Met someone who changed you: yesssssssssssss! *wink2*
19. Found out who your true friends were: emm..yeah..
20. Found out someone was talking about you: though nothing interesting to talk about, surprisingly, YES!
21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list: of course :)
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: most of them
23. How many kids do you want?: the more the merrier :p hahaha! joking~ emm..seriously, i have no idea~
24. Do you have any pets: nope..but back at home, we do have cats..mama takes care of them...
25. Do you want to change your name: no, thank u! i'm proud of my name :)
26. What did you do for your last birthday: celebrated it in England with friends
27. What time did you wake up today: 7.00am
28. What were you doing at midnight last night: on the phone with Mr Pissed Off :)
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: 25th November! *fingers crossed*
30. Last time you saw your Mother : a few weeks back..huhu..
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: none
32. What are you listening to right now: the sound of the ceiling fan
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: yep! former classmate at Crossland Moor Junior School, Huddersfield..his name is Thomas actually..but people called him Tom sometimes.
34. What's getting on your nerves right now: nothing
35. Most visited webpage: facebook and blogspot
36. Whats your real name : munawarah mohd izam
37. Nicknames: muna, na, ikan bilis (my younger brother calls me that)
39. Zodiac sign: sagittarius
40. Male or female?: female
41. Elementary: SK Jitra, Kedah...Crossland Moor Junior School, England...SK Sg Korok Baru, Alor Setar...SK Sg Kajang, Batu Pahat
42. Secondary: SMK Tun Aminah, Batu Pahat...MRSM Muar
43. Tertiary education: IPKB, Kelantan...IPBA KL...University College Plymouth St. Mark & St. John, UK
44. Hair colour: black
45. Long or short: longggggggggg
46. Height: 160cm
47. Do you have a crush on someone: (^_^)
48: What do you like about yourself?: errr..
49. Piercings: none
50. Tattoos: no wayyyy~
51. Righty or lefty: righty

FIRSTS :
52. First surgery: never
53. First piercing: nil
54. First best friend : a boy named Raja back in kindergarten years..haha
55. First sport you joined: track and field
56. First vacation: London :)
58. First pair of trainers: kindergarten years i think

RIGHT NOW
59. thinking something more simpler than 1+1 = : *blank mode*
60. Drinking: nope!
61. I'm about to : type a response to this question. done! :)
62. Listening to: jigsaw falling into place
63. Waiting to : see Yorke soon~ *fingers crossed*

YOUR FUTURE :
64. Want kids?: for sure! insyallah :)
65. Get married?: insyaallah..but i have no idea when.
66. Career : teacher/lecturer/professional emcee/businesswoman

WHICH IS BETTER :
67. Lips or eyes: eyes...he said my eyes tell stories..huhu
68. Hugs or kisses: hugs
69. Shorter or taller: taller
70. Older or younger: younger! hohoho~ (^,^)
71. Romantic or spontaneous: spontaneous
72. Nice stomach or nice arms: nice stomach
73. Sensitive or loud: sensitive, please...
74. Hook-up or relationship: relationship

HAVE YOU EVER :
76. Kissed a stranger: nope!
77. Drank hard liquor: no laaaa~
78. Lost glasses/contacts: not yet so far..
79. Sex on first date: ish3~ never!
80. Broken someone's heart: huhu..yes...my sincerest apologies to whom it may concern... :(
82. Been arrested: never
83. Turned someone down: yes...sorry again to those concerned
84. Cried when someone died: yes
85. Fallen for a friend?: ngee~ (^_~)

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
86. Yourself: yes!
87. Miracles: yesssss! By Allah's will, anything can happen.
88. Love at first sight: yes...so first impression is always crucial
89. Heaven: yes
90. Santa Claus: yes when i was a little girl...coz i believed what my teachers, Mrs. Lambert and Mrs. Burling, told me...huhu
91. Kiss on the first date: no

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
94. Had more than 1 girlfriend/ boyfriend at a time: never
95. Did you sing today?: yes! i sing to myself and to my friends most of the time :)
96. Ever cheated on somebody's relationship?: no, i think
97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go: when i was 9
98. If you could pick a day from last year,what would it be?: 21st December 2008, the day i left the UK, leaving behind sooo many memories.
99. Are you afraid of falling in love?: honestly, yes.
100. Posting this as 100 truths?: yeah

I'm a big YELLOW blob! :)

2009-11-10T02:07:00.000-08:00

If we were to represent this life in colours, then i'm sure it'll be multicoloured (errkk..is there such a word?). Though at times it'll be a bit messy and smudgy (from the mixing of the different colours) still, i can assure you, all the colours in the world would blend in just perfectly.

Take me, for example. I would represent myself in these different colours~

- red: when i am angry or furious with something or somebody
- blue: when i feel a bit gay, chilled and relaxed~ :)
- yellow/orange: when i'm all hyped up, adrenaline pumping and gushing through the veins..o yeahhh~
- pink: when my day is as sweet as honey~ ngee~
- white: when i feel good and angelic (cehhh~)
- black/grey: when i'm upset, moody and gloomy :(
- green: when i feel fresh and cool! oh, like in the jungle.. erkk :p

On certain days, these colours just blend together and it creates a different situation and a different feeling inside of me. Do you get what i mean?.. Hmmm..how can i explain this clearer... Okay, for instance, yesterday, the atmosphere was a bit of a greyish colour. Probably due to the Monday blues :p But out of the ordinary, i was the yellowish blob in a middle of the greyish atmosphere. I was a bit highty flighty i admit. hehe :p Even my besties pointed that out. Well, that's kinda good i suppose. At least, a little yellow blob in a grey basin won't cause any harm...it'll help to brighten up the area! *wink2*

And at a different time, i can be the big black dot in a mixture of colourful paints; pink, yellow, green, white, red, purple etc. But as the colours blend together~ tadaaaa!!! I am no longer the big black hedious dot :)

So you see, life is as colourful. You can be a cheerful person (bright yellow blob) one day, and the next, the saddest person ever existed on planet Earth (a gigantic dot, as black as ebony). But as you mix around with the people around you (perhaps your friends, family members, students etc) who may carry different feelings, aura and emotions with them (represented by the various colours), they will neutralize the imbalanced feelings or atmosphere created. Just Purrrrrfect! :)

Jamlo

2009-11-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Today, a good friend of mine suddenly blurted out a question, a question that i've expected somebody would one day ask.

"Muna, how does it feel to be single again?" *lebih kurang cmth laa*

My first reaction was, quick! make a guess! hehe.. I surprisingly smiled. Geee~ I actually did! :) I sincerely answered that it feels good to be single yet at times it does make me feel sad.

Now i'll list down all the good thins of being single again:

1) freedom- i can go out with anyone i like without hurting anyone in particular
2) free from commitment- ok, don't get me wrong. it's not that i don't favour
commitment, it's just that being single frees me from any commitment that i
have towards the other person. I'm no committed to anyone.
3) i get to meet new people, get to know them and eventually expand my circle of
friends.
4) i get to spend more time with my girlfriends~ meaning more night outs, more
movies, more girls night in~ o yeahh~

What about the cons?..let's list them down...

1) yes, i do feel lonely sometimes (when my girlfriends aren't around or whenever
i'm bored)
2) i (once in a while) envy my friends though this is such a bad feeling..sorry..but
really, i always try to avoid this feeling by turning it around.. Rather than
envying them, i feel happy for them that they are now happy :)
3) ermmm..ok, this point, i doubt it's relevance, but i do feel a bit panicky (being
single) at times especially when aunts or uncles start asking "muna, bila
nak kahwin nh?" i tell u, too much pressure! seriously, too much.
4) oh yes, i sometimes do wonder whether i'll even end up with anybody. huhu. i mean
look around us, there aren't many good guys left. Guys prefer staying behind bars
and in rehabs. Will i ever meet my soul mate?

Generally, i've listed down the pros and cons from my own perspective. I might be right, and i also might be wrong. Back to the topic, being single isn't that bad after all nor am I saying that it's good. I just want to make sure that whoever i end up with one day, will forever be there for me in this temporary life and the life in the Hereafter.

......................................................................................

~Ya Allah, berikanlah kepadaku suami yang terbaik dari sisi-Mu, suami yang juga
menjadi sahabatku dalam urusan agama, urusan dunia & akhirat...ameen~

Dizzying with the Dissies!

2009-10-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Around this time of the year in 2008, i was frantically engrossed in finishing up the last few chapters of my thesis which amounted of 10000+ words. My dissertation (for an hons degree) was about the use of stories to develop speaking skills among young learners. So, i had to do background research on the advantages and the disadvantages of using stories. I also had to read up on the theories of young learners' language learning etc. The dateline was on the 26th of November if I could remember. The meet ups with my supervisor, the tedious and tiring process of editing the drafts, you name it!

Seriously, life was insane back then even though that was only a dissertation for a degree programme! Stayed up during the nights (since i work best at night), slept during the day, skipped meals, tears, tears and pool of tears. Alhamdulillah, everything paid off as I got first class for my dissertation. Looking back, I am proud that I managed to go through that tough time with the endless support from my dearest family who were thousands and thousands of miles away from me. Not to forget, my beloved friends and even my ex boyfriend who kept his promise to always be there for me at all times. T_T Okay, i'm being slightly emotional here. :p But that's the truth. These people were my motivation, and i owe them.

Now, my juniors are going through the hectic and madness time of the year in trying to complete their dissertations. I read their shout outs, blog posts and I just can't help to think of the times that i went through, just like them. And my advice to them, hang on there, find your source of motivation, the urge to keep you going and to strive for excellence. Give your best shot, doa and then tawakal. Insyaallah you'll make through :)

Reflecting on relationships

2009-10-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

I just completed reading a really good book by an ustaz who is famous for his writing, saifulislam.com. I got to know about the author and the site when i was studying in the UK. The title of the book is 'Aku Terima Nikahnya'. As catchy as the title itself, the book is a must read to all. The content is not too heavy, a pleasure to read during our spare time.

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Before this, i've always viewed marriage as one of the ways to escape from committing the sins of being in a girlfriend-boyfriend affair. But that was totally a wrong concept that had been developed. As the writer has argued, if we can't even restrain ourselves from the challenges and sins of being in a bf-gf relationship, what else the challenges after marriage; trust, resposibilities,economic crisis etc. Marriage is not always a happily-ever-after plot as depicted in movies or stories (especially those by Walt Disney production). There are the ups and downs....

(interruption: my eldest sister, kak moon, is busy applying mascara and lipgloss on me while im writing this post~ cehhh~)okay, back to business...

The same with a gf and bf affair. The sky is not always sunny, it may rain at times. The writer suggested to the singles, not to start a relationship (or even think of starting one)if we have no plan to take the realtionship one step further (i.e marriage)within at least 2 years time. Or else the relationship will become 'murky and muddy' and then there will come endless fights and quarrels that'll lead to heartaches and eventually breakup. I couldn't agree more with the author, as i believed i went through the same situation with my ex. We were together for 3 years and i ended it. But, i'm thankful that we're still friends even after all the things that we went through.

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Marriage as portrayed in this book is a stage when you see yourself as a giver rather than a receiver. You're always wanting to give the best and not expecting too much from your spouse. Marriage is also about accepting one as he/she is and complementing each other to lead a just life. I like the way the author pictured it; 'kebaikan dan kelebihannya disyukuri, kelemahannya diredhai'. How blissful!

The author also talked about the Irish culture on treating their young ones. They always take the time and effort to listen to what their children have to say. They even entertain the endless queries from their children (just like the advert by Petronas 'ayah, ni burung apa?'...sweet). They also have the time to take their kids for a stroll at the park.

Infact, I even noticed this type of culture among the Brits in the UK. It is normal to see parents walking their children at the park, young daddies pushing the stroller at malls etc. Me and a good friend of mine (kak yuni) would always observed this scenario and commented on it. We would always say 'jangan harapla nak tgk this kind of situation kat Malaysia, very rare to witness'. Then we would pray 'hopefully dpt husband mcm th, ameen'. :) You see, it is good to become observant of other cultures of the world so that we can adopt what's good from them and learn from the consequences of the not-so-good things that they do. I'm thankful to God for the opportunities.

Not just that, even among the elder couples (probably around 60's or 70's), i could still see them holding hands when they walk. Sweet!~ (^_^)On the other hand, a different situation in Malaysia, it's difficult to see married couples (after a few years of marriage, especially those with kids) holding hands when they walk. Masa couple je beriya nak pegang tangan xnak lepas~ A sad situation. *sigh~* How i wish things would be different...

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To encapsulate things, these are generally the few main ideas that i learn from my reading:

1) kita tidak perlu memulakan hubungan jika dalam jangka masa terdekat, tiada kemungkinan perhubungan itu akan dinaik taraf menjadi perkahwinan...

2) komitmen 'atas angin' yang tidak disegerakan kepada sebuah perkahwinan sering berakhir hanya disebabkan oleh emosi yang diterjemahkan ia sebagai JEMU... (oh, very true~ tskkk)

3) in a marriage, kebaikan and kelebihan our spouse haruslah disyukuri and kelemahannya diredhai...because marriage is about complementing one another for the betterment of all.

4) marriage is not all about being on cloud 9 at all times, there are the ups and downs that the married have to go through

5) parents aren't always right...listen to what your children have to say...they also have their own faculty of thoughts.

6) adopt whatever good values that we can learn from other people's culture and learn from their mistakes

Wallahu'alam~

p/s: Read the book for a clearer picture and better understanding of the ideas. I'm basically writing from my own understanding of what i read, injecting a little bit of my views ad experiences in it...happy reading! (^_^)

Berjimba bersama rakan :)

2009-10-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a great day. Thanks to ijad and the others who actually planned (and joined in) for the splendid outing :)

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Today i learnt a new word from Zye; berjimba. It really suited the context of the day whereby me and a bunch of dear friends went ice skating, makan2, bowling (and even laughing at our own acts) and wrapped up the day with an awesome movie 'Papadom'.

Ice skating was fun! The last time i went for one was in Bradford, UK in 2007 (which was quite a long time ago). So, having to skate again after such a while gave me shivers because i could imagine myself thumbling and slipping all over the place! :p In fact, my thighs were hurting from the previous day's futsal match that we had...so i was undecided whether to skate or not. However, since that would most probably be the last time for us to have fun ice skating together, i finally tagged along. Thank goodness, i didn't fall while ice skating. Ngeee~ :) We really had fun.

We went for a dinner at a kopitiam. We were obliviously starving at that time, and so ordered ourselves delicious food and tasty drinks. I had beef fried rice together with hot honey jasmine tea. I love the aroma and the taste of the tea...I can still smell it..hehe :p Others ordered thai style fried rice, pattaya fried rice and etc.

After makan2, we went for a round of bowling. I teamed up with gg, kak yuni, fuzzy and also zye while the other team; ijad, fara, auni, hani and nedd. Fara was the star of the day since she striked a plenty of times which evetually made them the winning team..kudos guys! :) Even though my team lost to fara's team, we still enjoyed ourselves and laughed our hearts out at our own acts. Oh yes! And of course, we even had time to pose while bowling.

To wrap up the fun-day-out, we decided to go for a movie. Papadom was of course our choice since we received sooo many good comments about the movie. As described, the movie was interesting. A mixture of feelings; sadness & laughters. I loved it.

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Overall, it was a great day out with a bunch of great friends. I hope i've described the meaning of berjimba correctly :p Can't wait for another round of berjimba bersama rakan2! (^_~)

A change...

2009-10-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

I get bored quite easily. I want something fresh and new. I want a change, and that is why i'm shifting my blog from friendster's blog to this one. It still holds the same title, a little of something. So, holla readers! :)

Heedlessness

2009-10-18T02:20:00.000-07:00

Heedlessness affects the faculty of thought and restrains us from intellectual thinking. Apparently, we hardly take the time to engross in deep thinking. Often, we choose to be at a heedless state to escape ourselves from the many responsibilities that are ‘burdened’ upon us. But, have we ever thought how; long and how far can we run away from those responsibilities?

If we try to reflect back and think of all the little happenings in life, we would see and marvel at the wonders of God’s creation. Sadly, we frequently commit ourselves in unneccessary thinking that leads us to the misapprehension of our roles and responsibilities as a being. For instance, we always find the time to reflect on worldly affairs such as on our endless love and relationship issues that are not that much worth of thinking compared to issues that should be of priority such as ‘what should i and shoudn’t i do today to make me a better person’, ‘what would have happened if i woke up this morning without the ablity to speak or see? am i prepared for that?’.

Unfortunately, being in a heedless state is surprisingly a cultural heritage. Have we ever encountered a situation whereby we think a lot about an issue that is worth of thinking, but then, the people around us would ask us not to think too much about it? Well, i have. So, i believe it is crucial for us to encourage deep thinking as it may lead us back to the realization of our roles and responsibilities as a being in God’s world. And hopefully from there, we will try to do something, make a small move to acheive God’s blessings and to plant the seeds for the crops that we can harvest and benefit in the Hereafter.