Nesting project: Cot-turned-desk!

Salam everyone!

Remember i pointed out that my nesting mode was in overdrive with home decor stuff? well, guess what! I managed to siapkan one of them and I am really really thrilled!!!

Presenting.........

Yusuf and adik's cot-turned-desk!!!

Best kaaaaaannnn??!! It was adapted from this creative idea shared by my one of my GFs through a whatsapp conversation. Nampak jer terus my brain went TING TING TINNGGG!!!!

The idea! Thanks aunty nasireen!!!

Since i have been trying to sell this cot (like forever!) and did not find any buyer, i thought this idea was just awesome!!! So here's roughly what i did to modify it and the cost:

1. A plywood: preferably thick and not those thin, unpolished planks where you can get selumbar coming out of them.

Black is indeed a great colour if you don't want your kids' artistic scribbles be seen permanently on the desk. Initially to buy this was expensive coz they don't sell in that particular size. so you have to buy a big one and have it remodeled to the size you want and it is quite costly. Luckily, rezeki we all murah that the handyman we asked to help us found a piece and modified it himself to fit the cot at a much cheaper price! So to have a good handyman is essential too ok peeps! :)

So this piece of wood cost us: RM30! Alhamdulillah!

2. Ikea accessories. Now u know why Ikea is my fave mall at the moment! 

The stuff bought for this project are:

- MAMUT series chair: RM39.90

- Wall pockets: RM19.90

3. Magnetic whiteboard from AEON: RM29.90

Total expenditure for cot-turned-desk project: RM120!

Not bad eh?!! Honestly if the plywood was as expensive as the uncle said we had to buy, the cost would have probably tripled. Plus the accessories tu mmg up to you on what you need for your kids' stationary set. Now i'm thinking of adding a notice board to cover the 'lopong' side of the cot! hehehe. Gotta love this upcycling/recycling thingy! Alasan kannn! Mommy dia yang excited lebih! InsyaAllah nanti adik keluar and dah besar sikit tambah lagi satu Mamut chair tu. They got one in pink ok! Saja jer kan! ;P

Till then! 

It's Jumaah Jumaah!!

Salam everybodyyy! 

It's another friday peeps! it has been an official favourite day for me ever since i was in school, simply because i can't wait to finish class, then in uni, because i can't wait to run back home from campus/hostel, then at work, well... duh! semua orang tunggu hari jumaat and can't wait to rush back home to kickstart their weekends with their loved ones! yes, redah traffic jam pun sanggup uolls! asalkan esok cutiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!

As a SAHM now, regardless Fridays has lost its touch to be a "tak sabar nak habis" day for me, it is still however my favourite day. but the meaning has changed. all for the better.

Well for one, it is the most blessed day of the week for Muslims everywhere. At first i thought, ok cliche nyer, but after doing some of the beneficial "rituals" the prophet has left us with, the day has never before seemed so.... fulfilling. Seriously, today lar i will kerap berdoa and somehow felt this magical/divine (whatever u call it) feel that my prayers will be answered in due time! or if not exactly what i want, i am somehow content that it will be replaced with something better!

How i know? coz i dah buat lar! istiqamah (consistency) and confidence is KEY people. Especially in berdoa. Have to be yakin that He will grant you whatever you wish for (coz HE promised in the Quran many x1000000 times and He NEVER breaks His promises). If you somehow don't get it (let's say very specific you nak mintak migrate ASAP out of Malaysia, ahaks!, then He will make you more content and happy with something better that you tak pernah terfikir this would be wayyyy awesomer than the first wish! like a new addition to your family member for instance! *wink!wink!*).

So Friday, is a good day to START being grateful. coz once it's a habit, it's easy to  religiously do every single day iA. How to be grateful? just take some time in your life to ponder on the things He has given you. I know this can be kinda hard to do, especially bila tgh waktu happy and senang compared to waktu you tengah susah. i mean face it, masa happy dapat kereta baru contohnyer, setakat yeaaay kejap tu jer pastu dah. But when let's say that car got into an accident and one of your family members end up in hospital, baru nak rasa syukur sebab at least dia selamat dengan segala safety features mahal yang kereta tu provide. dari dia mati terus kan?

So if you ask me, the best method to be grateful is memang waktu tengah susah. That's why He allows the susah things to happen in our lives. To just get us to come begging for His help and love and mercy. Coz He the ALMIGHTY and ALL-POWERFUL bebeh! Bila tengah senang jer ada ker nak mengampu consistently to Him or even REMEMBER Him ardently as to when you tengah down? for beginners, kinda impossible!

But once you selalu buat, then it becomes a part of you. A character. Bila senang pun, you would not for a minute be forgetful of your maker who grants you the rainbow after the storm. All the gold and treasures in the world pun will make you humble and always thankful to Him. Heck, you'd thank to Him to just be awake and alive the next day from last night's sleep! Coz you have now grasp and understood the concept that all this was because of His doing and grace to give it to you. hardly 1% is your own effort. So apa yang nak dibanggakan kan? plus in the end, He promised to take it all back, all your mercedez, LV bags, your 5 kids, your romantic husband, your penthouse and your 50mill... and by that time we all beratur ramai2 tunggu turn dapat buku amalan tangan kanan or kiri? jatuh bawah in hell or crossover to the heavens in front. Haaaaaaaaa! takut? takuuuuuttttt...

So selalu-selalular ingat to be grateful. I doubt any of us sentiasa jer happy without any misfortune. it's just the frequency of the kesusahan and duration jer berbeza for each individual. But if you think you are never unfortunate, and DON'T remember Him as often, ketahuilah that a huge possibility He has abandoned you. It's like "enjoy lar kat sini sementara u can. sure I let u feel big, but selamat lar kau bila jumpa I nanti!" haaaaaa. heard that threat before? it's for the israel people larrrr! that's why they boleh buat havoc semua kat sini macam takkan nak mati! so i doubt you want to be in the same "cursed" clan kannn? Nauzubillah.

Ok lar peeps. Tak sangka bebelan impromptu i can also be soo long. If kat twitter ni dah kira flooding tsunami dah kot timeline tu! hehehehe.

So today jangan lupa:

1. Baca surah Al-Kahf 

boleh start after maghrib hari thursday till before maghrib on Friday; it protects you from the Dajjal and expiates your sins from this friday to the next and also give you the light (nuur iman) for that week also insyaAllah.

2. Banyakkan berzikir pagi and petang

Morning after subuh before dah terang benderang. evening after asar before maghrib. Benefits banyak giler. one of them includes selawat to our beloved prophet Muhammad SAW 10x pagi and 10x petang and if consistently done dapat his help (syafaat) in the hereafter. Imagine that out of billions of souls and he calls out OUR name to be with him! Subhanallah! coz by that time we nampak dia lalu, jangan we call out to him he buat tak kenal jerrr! coz like hellooooo. You never remember him often when on earth ada hati nak kenal and help you! haaaaaaaaa! macam how you ampu your boss at work lar kaaaan! ;P

Please get the book Hisnul Muslim. Concise collection of all sahih zikir and doas!

3. Friday is Grooming Day!

Tak kira lelaki or perempuan, all must look their best everyday, but especially today! why? coz it's sunnah!!! Extra pahala for just mandi sunat jumaat (not for org pergi solat jumaat only ok!), potong kuku, cabut bulu ketiak, berwangi-wangian pergi kerja, berhandsome-handsome pergi solat jumaat etc2! Guys, put on your best clothes for prayer! yes! ada baju melayu armani pun PAKAI!!! i'm telling you, today lar my hubs will be at his longest time in the bathroom every morning before heading to work! kalah i! siap trim beard lar, shampoo skali skala pun, this day will be the time he does it (proof is the toilet will smell wangi of my Lush products bila dia keluar. hari-hari lain agak jarang skali! hehehe!).

Jangan kedekut guna perfumes also ok! ladies, kat rumah also make it a habit to wear. not for nak kerja or keluar jalan-jalan only. mana tahu kot-kot si dia balik nak surprise lunch kat rumah ker, bau tu mau mengancam lar ok! pahala wangi untuk dia, bukan orang lalu sebelah you dalam mall or your work colleagues! Sunnah sunnahhhhh!!! Not fitnah!!! hehe.

4. Banyakkan berdoa

Seriously. biarlar sampai tertido tido pun ok!

I now leave you with the star of the show. Enjoyy!!!!

Rajin2 baca Quran also yea? Children See Children Do!

Too awesome not to read yo!

Salam everyone.

We are nearing the end of 2013 and entering the new year 2014 insyAllah.

And gosh, what have i done?

This post is not a disclaimer, but rather a public apology to some people out there, that have been influenced by me negatively.

Yes, i say this because, i openly admit that in the social network, mostly twitter and facebook, i have portrayed myself as an emo-freak without any license to stop my thought process. So much so i thought i was giving opinionated, clever statements. But some of it i realized, was just pure jibbery-vomit. 

Yea, i know. it took me that long to break out of my denial phase. i can't even promise you i'm fully recovered yet tho! haha. 

But what i do realize is, regardless of that flaw, i am actually THAT influential. Yes. i'm an influential person. be it to the people who admire me, couldn't be bothered about me and heck, even hates me! I have somehow, much to my horror, influenced them to be just. like. ME. An emotional wreck on social network!

Why do i even say this? i should know coz it used to be just me (or a small group of us) that would rant our hearts out on any particular issue that gave us the itch. Mine would be infamously known primarily (among other things) on my parenting skills. i send out unfriendly warnings, indirect and direct bashings if anyone dared to cause me headaches on how i should be a mother.

Now? orang yang tak pernah or jarang-jarang update status or tweet benda marah-marah or get all emo, are actively doing it! Baik lelaki or perempuan! and guess what, i actually don't feel that special anymore! hahaha to put it mildly lar of course. it seems everyone is apparently angry at everything like i am and letting everyone knows about it! and obviously, i now know how that made me looked like in the internet... An angry bitch! and an ugly one at that!

Except now i'm painfully seeing it in friends who i used to admire their beauty in their everyday jovial, cool updates. here i am wishing silently to have their calmness and valor at handling their emotions in the web. nampaknyer.... they have caught the curse. My curse! yikes!

what's worst, is that sudden realization that despite how awesome it is to copy me or be influenced by what i do, to follow this particular negative trait and be answerable to Allah for it on the day of judgement for creating a cult following of emo, blood thirsty zombies is just.... FRIGHTENING!!!

Imagine lar, bila they die, and the last thing they're remembered as someone yang emo and angry and when God asked why did u change your behaviour from a sweet person to such, jawapan dia... 

"terikut-ikut Fatin ya Allah! hari-hari tengok dia tweet bash, i terasa, so i nak lawan dia and somehow i pun dah jadi macam dia. tweet-bash other people that cross my path and on most issues!"

Astaghfirullah! ME-NA-KUT-KAN OK!!!

We are 4!

Salam everyone! Hope it's not too late to wish everyone a blessed aidiladha.

As you know, this celebration has many meanings especially in commemeration of our prophet Ibrahim AS and his son's Ismail AS's sacrifice for Allah. It's a test of a father's love for a longing son, to see if his love for him exceeded the love for Allah. Coz in reality, this can easily happen to alot of parents. And the warning sent by Allah about it is every bit true. "Harta dan anak-anak are tests for you." So ada orang, banyak duit is their downfall, whereas others are their children. How many stories have we heard that parents will do anything for the kids including closing an eye on the immoral bad things they do? Banyak kan.

It is definitely a big reminder for me. I just have to keep it alive every now and then to prevent myself from getting carried away after having a child that my actions overlook my other real responsibilities as Allah's slave. InsyaAllah may i be steadfast on the righteous path. To make it our "sacrifice" this time, Yusuf was down with fever after his visit to his grandparents. Honestly, my challenge here is to withold every possible thing i could throw at them as blame. But it happened. And by the end of the day, it is still hubby and i that have to bersengkang mata and worry with agony of his health. Sigh. So am doing the whole redha thing. And refraining from pointing the obvious whenever someone tries to piss me off. Honestly, do not mess with a sleep-deprived, fatigued and a hormonal mom. Trust me, you'll never win.

Ok, sadness aside. Today also marks the 4th year of my marriage to hubs. Alhamdulillah! 4 tahun dah. And we managed to still be together, happy and loving. Despite the turmoils and downs that crops up every now and then, but am glad it did not make us fail to see the overall picture of how we really love each other. And we only have Allah to thank for that. 

As usual, it is mostly the wives that does this whole "my hubs is the greatest" post on facebook, twitter, instagram and not forgetting blogs. I mean since this post is about my anniversary as well, all the more reason to talk about him kan? Hehe. Well maybe not too much. As we all know rahsia rumahtangga should be just kept within, well duhh, the rumahtangga lar (home). The good and bad ones. And honestly, as much as i've learned this a long time, my propensity to share things about us, has been damaging. Sure it doesn't happen as often as how i first started, but still, being fault-free of this offense is not impossible. Cuma lemah ikut nafsu or not jer.

Although, i must have done something right growing up for Allah to answer my prayers when i was a naive young girl. I prayed for a soleh husband to guide me in the right path and that i will be his loving companion to make him happy. Either that, or the obvious fact that God loves me more than i do Him. And that He's ever so generous to give and give when in actual fact i may not have deserved it in the first place. But since He is the most generous and loving, one can't simply compare that to our humanly qualities or even question His power to simply do so. In fact, it's now a new test to see if I will appreciate the generosity given to me and take good care of it. instead of being cocky like I deserve it without effort or question. Spoilt brat big time namanya!

Get gorgeous, or stay ugly?

Salam everyone.

How's the search for lailatul Qadr for us muslims so far? insyaAllah may it'll be our rezeki to get it and His blessings for allowing it to be found. Amin.

For my non-muslim friends who might be unaware of this special night, it is actually a night that is said to be better than 1000 months in terms of pahala and rewards! It is the night where the Quran was sent down to our beloved prophet Muhammad! So we weren't given an exact time as to when exactly this night occurs, but we were given clues that it will be in the last 10 days of Ramadhan.

So if you notice some of your colleagues appearing slightly tired than usual at work lately, it's a big possibility he or she has been up most of the time trying to catch this very blessed night! unless, they have already told you of their activity via facebook status or twitter, AT THAT VERY TIME. heh. Speaking of which, this is what i want to jot down as a reminder specially for me for this post. Simply because i myself am in the middle of this phase of "self improvement". and it's by observing others, that made me realize that the transition of beautifying one's self can be pretty ugly. 

You know when a person changes something about them, they have this phase of sharing everything to the world to the level of arrogant boasting before quietened down and possibly never to be heard again after receiving "eh macam lar bagus sangat!" comments after? well not all end up like that of course. the chosen ones emerge better and victorious later! Noticed the 2 negative extremes that the devil wants you to be trapped in? But the goal is only one. And that is to make you fail or stop from becoming that better person and to be stuck forever in one of those extremes so it will be your outcome! But fret not peeps!  these extremes are very NORMAL bila somebody nak jadi baik/bagus. Tak caya? let's take one example of a person changing to wear the hijab:

1. I baru pakai hijab. i'm gonna tell the world i've hijrah by changing my profile pic. People liked it. I've got 100 likes and great comments. i feel awesome. so now i'm going to share how my life changed after wearing it. i feel good. oh but i don't have enough hijab to wear and they'll see me wear the same ones on instagram. oh tak boleh jadi ni. i'm going online shopping. oh wow there's alot of hijab styles. euwww why so short and transparent? i'd better tweet about this. this is so wrong. euwww now look at those wearing it but with tight clothes. i'm gonna blog about this. Apa masalah they all ni? ingat tutup aurat ni main2 ke apa? i got 500 likes and retweets on my thoughts/sarcasm about it. i'm sooo better than those who wore it longer before me.

haaaaaaaaa!! jahat tak jahat si devil ni???  ok now let's take a look at the other extreme pulak:

2. i rasa nak berhijab. tapi, nak kena buat betul2. baju2 lama dah tak boleh pakai. ruginya my MNG and zara tu. nak kena beli tudung lagi. mahalnyer lar tudung2 ni they jual. i tak nak pulak pakai yang sarung2 tu. i still want to look pretty and stylish. tapi i'm not a bad person pun. it's just tak pakai tudung jer coz most of the time, i tak lar pakai sexy2 sangat. plus pakai hijab ni pun tak semestinya orang tu baik lagi than me. tengok minah yg update status fb dia ni. baru jer pakai, tp dah sindir2 orang macam dia born with the hijab plak. lupa ker dia dulu pun tak pakai jugak? i don't even segregate people yg pakai tudung from yang tak pakai or treat them differently. yang penting hati dia baik. tak perlu nak pakai tudung nak jadi baik. i tak nak jadi macam minah tu. so, nanti lar dah kawin baru pakai. bila husband suruh.

hahaaa!!!! seeeeeeeeee??? I'm telling you, it's all the devil's whispers to you to be doing either one of this! and notice the 2 extremes of actions? this is just one example lar. ada banyak lagi and nearly always it happens to benda-benda yang baru for that person to belajar, ie. baru jadi a mom, baru jadi doctor, baru baca stuff related to agama anddd macam-macam lagi. all will go through these phases. Percayalar! Now the tricky part is, will these phases end? or will we be stuck in either one forever?

I ask myself why does this have to happen? why can't we get it right the first time? since i didn't get the answer, i asked hubby plak. (Haha!) And he said this is part of change/learning itself. It's like learning something for the first time, say riding a bike. you're guaranteed to fall at first try. in fact, you'd fall so many times after! before you finally master it and hardly fall anymore. or better still, you're able to control most of your falls! So in dakwah or calling people to do good, you'd have cacat cela to do it initially before perfecting it later on. Going to both extremes before reaching the equilibrium. (his exact words). but yang penting, if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again. *cue aaliyah's music!* eehh! What i meant is, keep going at it and don't give up. like how you really wanted to ace riding that bicycle.

wuish. best tak best jawapan tu! best tak best hubby saya? ok. don't answer that. i don't want to know. ehem!

So since it's normal, we have to admit how flawed we all are. and that we need to always improve ourselves. constantly. Coz if we don't do change, and just stay where we are, as a person, we will deteriorate. And this is bertentangan dengan fitrah for us muslims. coz we are suppose to change for the better. plus pernah ckp dengan orang yg asyik buat benda sama jer? boring kan?! And bayangkan when it comes to personal development. Their souls are empty and they lack appeal. Like a zombie! 

And another thing, always do it (change) because of Allah. insyaAllah if that's the aim, we don't care at what bad things other people say about us. we take in the constructive criticism and sangka baik that Allah is guiding us indirectly through their harsh comments to betulkan our dakwah method. Coz maybe kita terlupa diri kan? macam contoh satu di atas. so bagus jugak ada 'haters' ni. But not all boleh pakai lar. Some are there simply to give us their free pahala from all those hates! And if depa tak banyak pahala dah nak bagi, depa amik dosa kita pulak! So they also become indirect forms of motivation for you to keep doing good! takder rugi apa2 puuunn! Hehe. They're just a different type of 'fans' really. But a fan nevertheless! ;P

Although, looking back at some tweets and status updates i've made, i've regretted at how i conveyed some of the messages. It could have been better (of coz!). And i admit, i too fell trapped pretty deeply at some points of this learning curve. But what's important is that i realize it, keep learning and continue doing it. Why?

Coz i want to be able to cycle my way to jannah nanti. With super awesome speed and without falling insyaAllah! =)

Can puasa or not?

Salam Ramadhan to all muslims and non-muslims alike! In this month of barakah and guidance, we believe it is to be shared with all! So let's not waste any of it yea? Especially us muslims! InsyaAllah.

So back to my original point of doing this post. It is to share and explain (as best as i can iA) on the most questionable and frequently mistaken question when it comes to fasting for us women... 

Are pregnant or breastfeeding moms allowed to be exempted from fasting? 

And do they have to pay fidya (feed the needy as compensation) only or ganti puasa as well?

So i'll break it down into 2 parts. Please take note, that i will include the links to my sources of where this ruling is taken from.

1. Alhamdulillah. Islam is indeed fair, understanding and easy. It understands the different situations of the complex human beings and is not rigid (coz we followers are not robots). So for preggy and nursing moms, we are allowed to be excused from fasting in view of worried for our health/unborn baby and because of possible reduced milk supply for our nursing child.

But remember, it must be with "worry" of the above if you are to carry on fasting, only then will u be exempted and be able to choose this option. Coz being pregnant or breastfeeding alone is not a requirement for one to simply not fast! If you are not worried, then this does not apply to you and you must fast. As seen by other moms who did it without any difficulty or problems. Plus, this option helps those moms that even doctors advise against fasting because of possible detrimental effects to her or baby. So see! Islam has thought about this long time ago and is verrrryyy accommodating as to not menyusahkan anybody yang tak mampu. this also helps to clear the misconceptions from non-muslims (or even muslim) doctors that tries to say macam2 about fasting also lar kan. bagus now they know. But of course ladies, it's A CHOICE. No paksaan to do or not to do it ok?

Source: 

http://al-qayyim.net/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=114&Itemid=69

My new Quest!

Salam everyone!

Many apologies for not blogging for awhile. Technically i seemed to not have the time nor the idea to write a post! oh how i wish i can just pour out all my thoughts here. Oh wait, there's a place for that. It's twitter. hehe.

I just want to share on a recent issue that i'm in the midst of battling. and that is SHOPPING! ugh! oklar. it's not a recent issue. it's a thang that crops up seasonally. And since christmas is around the corner, it doesn't help that the malls and online stores are offering so many freaking discounts! aiyaiyai! And i must say, lately the business through online websites and fb pages have been burgeoning like wild mushrooms! Masa i bergaji takder puuuuunnnn!!! double aiyaiyai!

Anyways, i'm sure this isn't my battle alone. It seems pretty harmless this shopping thingy. Harmless if you have loads of moolahs to spend. But i came across an eye-opening video from Prof Tariq Ramadan on how to master your emotions. And how you can become a victim of your own jail if you don't know how to control them. It made me realize, that we don't achieve freedom in our lives, if we rely or depend on things to live it. I take shopping in my case. i thought freedom to me, is the ability to choose and buy whatever it is i want. But then again, how do i know what it is i want? i mean let's say all these fashion moguls tells you this is the latest trend to follow, am i strong enough to shrug it off and say "nahh! i don't need those!"?

It struck me. That i am a victim of the fashion industry. I am not strong enough to not want to buy simply because i'm not enticed by it and can actually feel OK not shopping!! oh i know this sounds pretty complicated, but i get it. And i got it while watching this video. It really wakes me up about how i now view my life in this world. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as i did. I still do.

oh and this is also for those of you who believe the Mayan's prophecy of tomorrow, all the more reason you should watch this video. 

Wudhu' the Prophet Muhammad pbuh's way!

Salam everybody!

Today i want to share with you on a thing i just got to know this year from my kelas agama. As mentioned in the title and from my 'inviting' catchphrase from fb and twitter updates, i'm assuming not many of you know that there's a thing called "wudhu (ablution) the Prophet Muhammad pbuh's way!". If you do, then alhamdulillah for you. But i must ask, where were your blogpost or fb/twitter updates on them? or why wasn't it brought up during our casual meet ups?

In sha Allah, i won't keep this to myself. So let me make this easier by sharing it with you. I'm not gonna delineate the whole methodology in writing. But thank God for this show "Fattabiouni" (my fave!), which shares the stories of living the sunnah of our prophet pbuh, and thanks also for this hamba Allah who uploads them on youtube. So that learning these can be at the very tip of our fingers! Easy peasy eh?

Well not yet. It sounds easy. But to get people to read/see and do this ain't that easy. Hubby have commented why i get so worked up when i share something verrrryy valuable to anyone (from patients on health stuff or friends on knowledge), that some just seem.... indifferent. Coz honestly, the degree of excitement and the "OMG!' moment i had when i found out, didn't seem that appealing to some. But hubby was right. "You can only bring the horse to the water. You can't tell it to drink it." Or in other terms: "hidayah hanya di tangan Allah. kita hanya wajib menyampaikannya." That was what was told to our Prophet pbuh from God when he too was flustered by the laidback attitude and ignorance some of his people had towards his teachings of One God.

So i'm definitely no prophet. But as a muslim, i have to do my bit. So if my catchphrase wasn't enticing enough for you to know that your wudhu' method might be wrong/inaccurate, may Allah save you from the similitude to those who reject faith when it was introduced. Nauzubillah. You don't want to be refusing knowledge especially regarding your way of life as a muslim do you?

For more detailed education on this and performing solat the Rasulullah s.a.w's way (sifat solat nabi), my hubby has set up a class that is held twice a month at IJN's praying room by an a'lim ustaz. It's very casual and fun, just a group of people gathering to learn knowledge and misconceptions on Islam, and so happens the topic now is on sifat solat nabi. Everyone is welcome!!! Do bring your kids along too as the place is spacious! oh! and did i mention that it is FREE?! hehehe. A valuable stuff for free, isn't that a deal? If starbucks were to offer "free coffee every twice a month!", I'm pretty sure you'd go at least once! =P So if you're interested, please don't hesitate to contact me for details!

As promised, here it is. Selamat beramal!

Them little, but significant things...

Salam.

We are nearing the syawal month of raya! But we are also leaving the holy month of ramadhan soon too. But fret not! There's still 2 more days! So insyaAllah we can still make the most out of it. ;)

Wanted to share about something that i, (and most probably quite a number of you) took for granted. Yesterday, we went to the market (pasar) to restock some food till this weekend. Haven't succumb to pasar ramadhan food so far! So upon coming back home, hubby just started sniffling and sneezing. Uh oh! I was hoping it will be temporary. But alas, he felt worse that evening itself. He was also weak today too.

Then i remembered of a doa i came across before and it's regarding one when you should read when you enter a market! Now, i wonder why this doa was taught by our prophet pbuh in the first place? I mean what can really happen at a pasar right? But since hubby's sudden illness came about exactly after we set foot out of the place, i'm starting to believe anything is possible!

This is how it goes:

How fasting change our lives

Salam and good day!

Hope everyone is coping well with the fasting month. and may you achieve His barakah (blessings) from the sincerity of performing this deed. insyaAllah. As promised before, today i shall share with you the benefits of fasting and how it can change your life to becoming a better person.

Fasting on its own has numerous medical benefits. Regardless how it is done. These studies can easily be found in the internet. But besides revealing the common benefits, i will also want to highlight the positive outcomes on how fasting is done the islamic way.

Medically, fasting has been shown to elicit the release of neurotransmitters in the brain to give a "feel good" feeling. these are what most of you would know as "endorphins". it is usually released when you're having a workout, except this one without physical activity. God is so kind that He makes us feel somewhat calm and happy even going through hours without food! But we musn't forget of those that go on for longer hours tho.

Also, fasting lowers blood sugar and helps mobilize our excess cholesterol reserve to provide caloric energy for our normal daily activities. So technically, we are not deprived of energy thus no excuse to just sleep the whole day or become flaccid. It'd be a shameful thing in front of those starving kids who made it without sahur (morning small meal) and iftar (break fast) no? ( Tsk tsk.)

Salam Ramadhan al-Mubarak!

Salam!

Here i would like to take the opportunity to wish all my fellow muslims a blessed and meaningful Ramadhan! May it be a better one for all of us than the previous years, InsyaAllah.

As for my non-muslim friends, just a quick explanation on why we do this for one whole month yearly. Some of you are aware with the term fast, for it is also practiced in other religions too. But probably a little bit different. Fasting, literally means an abstinence from food and water (and physical intercourse) between dawn and sunset. But it is NOT JUST in the form of physical abstinence. In a nutshell, we are also to watch our words and actions and abstain from being overboard. I know this should be done on a regular basis, but humans being humans, we are no angels. We make mistakes. Thus God make it a compulsory practice for only this one month for us to reflect on our ways of living.

“When one of you is fasting, he should abstain from indecent acts and unnecessary talk, and if someone begins an obscene conversation or tries to pick an argument, he should simply tell him, ‘I am fasting.’” (Al-Bukhari)

Besides the many health benefits of fasting, it is also a form of reminder to us of those who are in need and to cogitate, as well as appreciate our blessings compared to those who are less fortunate. Apart from just this one month of submission to His mercy, we are also advised to fast as much as we can (except on certain days where it is forbidden). For fasting is considered the best deed for a muslim and that during this month of Ramadhan, the heavens gates are open and we are promised His rewards and forgiveness if we do it sincerely.

"Prophet Muhammad PBUH was asked:

“Which is the best deed?” He replied, “Fasting, for there is nothing equal to it.” (Al-Nasa’i)

Allah says: “Every act of Adam’s descendants is for themselves, except fasting. It is meant for Me alone, and I alone will give the reward for it.” (Muslim)

Therefore, with this compulsory once a year good deed exercise, it is hoped to manifest in us as a seed to consistent righteous behaviour that will foster a harmonious way of living with one another. Muslims and non-muslims alike. So with this, I end my humble introduction on fasting. If you're interested to learn more about it, OnIslam.net has very nice articles on them. And hopefully i get to share with you the medical benefits of fasting that has been proven by scientists in the next post insyaAllah.

Till then, have a great and blessed month to all.

Bragging... and how it is NOT EVEN your earthly right

Salam!

I’ll try to make this short and sweet. but most of the time, i just fail, even trying! Anyways, i just had to get this issue outta my head and share with you so that we can ponder upon it and hopefully we can improve ourselves as better people.

So bragging. in simple terms it is showing off/boasting. In bahasa melayu, it's called ‘berlagak’. And funnily used in the street language as ‘eksyen’. i seriously don’t see the correlation with the word ‘action’ in this to the actual meaning of bragging. But it is widely used and understood in Malaysia.

So, izzit wrong? in my sane opinion, it is. so are a lot of other things like lying, stealing etc. but does it account for enough damage to put you in the wrong place in the afterlife? ie. hell? well, depends on the usage, i’d say yeah. coz bragging will lead to arrogance, also known as riak. And this, is much against in Islam as other things. To make my point clearer, i have actually categorize bragging into light bragging and heavy bragging depending on the intensity. I'm only going to talk on light bragging because I think it's pretty obvious you would all know what heavy bragging is like.

My Hijab Experience Part Deux

Salam! wow, it’s been awhile eh? hehehe. forgive me for having a permanent job where i’m forced to devote most of my time to. thus, time less spent to complain/whine/share my experiences with uolls here. hehe.

Before i start, i wanna take this opportunity to wish every muslim Eid Mubarak! Honestly, this time around, i didn’t really have much of raya-ing due to the short leave i had. and Ramadhan this year was pretty challenging for me. But i pray that all the good things we did for Allah has been taken into account. InsyaAllah.

I’m sure some of you have read my previous post on My hijab experience. I took you on a journey of how i first got into this wearing the hijab. And i promised to share some of it’s benefits with you. i’m sure there’s millions (if not Allah wouldn’t prescribe it onto us ladies and He sure knows what’s best!). But i want to share with you on what i just happened to encounter during the fasting month and thought it would be a great thing to share what i know.

My Hijab Experience

Salam....

I was at one point, not sure of whether I should update this post at the current moment. but then I realized, I could give myself a thousand-and-one reasons not to or delay it. but in the end i know that since i’ve been sharing a lot of my other thoughts with the world, it shouldn’t be any different with this one.

It all started when I was in class in my new school. Previously I was from an all-girl school, so due to better grades, i’ve shifted to a different one where it is a co-ed school. There, nearly every girl was wearing a headscarf (tudung) as part of their school uniform. and there I was in my pinafore. So, to cut the long story short, I would be subjected to all kinds of hints, be it good or bad ones, but mostly bad vibes, from either the teacher or student, male to female, that I somehow am not accepted there unless I wear a headscarf. Note here, they are not referring to a ‘hijab’ where the meaning is totally different, more specific and accurate. I just have to wear the headscarf and only then will i be accepted in kindness by some of them. Sure, I’m exaggerating if I tell you that I was isolated in school and that every single one of them wore the headscarf. Sure there were non-muslims in the school right? right. But of course, they are treated as a non-muslim and all the attention and treatment given to them were not the same, and they are accepted as who they are. Unless, yes, I decided to join the other group who doesn’t give a damn to the continuous stares and indirect sneers faced. In fact, these girls would snap back right at ya!! so now you would have the idea of what type of girls they would be categorize in school. yes. the bitchy ones. although, i’m sure if i have gotten the courage to get pass the gruesome group, they might not be that bad after all! i know what it’s like to be misunderstood.

Jalan Pulang Ke Pangkuan Tuhan Terlalu Luas : Minda Tajdid

One of the articles that is frequently revisited by moi. A good read and inspiration. Especially to those who feels that they are alone in this world struggling through hardships, despite the presence of over-populated people on this earth. Who better than the Almighty, Who is ever willing to hear our despairs and help us with His might. Enjoy...

ANTARA keistimewaan Islam yang agung ini adalah jalan pulang ke pangkuan agama ini amat luas terbuka dan tidak membebankan. Peluang seorang insan kembali ke pangkuan keampunan dan keredaan Allah tidak pernah disekat oleh sebarang jarak waktu, latar diri, keturunan, atau harta.

Sesiapa yang ingin pulang ke pangkuan Allah tidak pernah dihalang oleh agama ini disebabkan jenis dosanya atau keturunan, usianya yang lanjut, atau apa sahaja.

Seseorang yang ingin kembali kepada Allah diterima oleh kerahmatan-Nya dengan syarat insan tersebut menyesali kesilapannya, benar-benar memohon keampunan dan berazam tidak mengulangi kesalahan lalu.

Jika kesalahan itu sesama insan lain, dia memohon maaf dari yang dizalimi. Jika tidak mampu, bimbang mudarat yang lebih besar jika permohonan maaf dibuat, serahkan sahaja urusannya itu kepada Allah dan Allah Maha Mengetahui kadar kemampuan hamba-hamba-Nya.