Did Something Happen?

I remember a teacher I used to have. We met once a week for class. And whenever we meet he would ask, Did anything significant happen to you last week?

Typical local culture that's prevalent is nobody would contribute any ideas or say anything in class, right? Exactly what happened in this class also. We dont know if really nothing interesting happened or just that nobody wants to say anything.

But the teacher cautioned, hey a whole week of life passed you by you know. Something significant must have occurred. Or are you really telling me the whole week was an empty seven days with no impact from life?

When the question was posted that way it makes me think about my own week ie my life in a week..

These days when a week passed I asked myself the question, did something happen? Were there lessons learnt from anything? Did I improve? Did I do something good? Did something significant really happen ~ or have I wasted seven days of life?

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Going To Class

I can't see myself going back to school all over again. Not yet anyway. But recently I signed up for this interesting class ~ the beads sewing class. Totally not what school is about.

My friends said Iye? Some asked Why? Others said Rajin nye whilst still others said Gile - aka merepek je. Regardless what people say as long as I am happy with the class it's ok. I met a retired lady who's vey much into beads - she wore beaded shoes and make her own accessories. Met a teacher in her 50's equally passionate about the bead-thing. There was also a lady who has never sewn any bead at all in her life but she's now trying. And last but not least there is this pretty and quite famous actress determined to sew her own bajus like what Datin Rosmah wears..

And the instructor is none other that the famous Radzuan Radzwill whose clothes are worn by glamorous celebs and the rich and famous. He is also opening his own boutique at KLCC now.

According to the organizers all such classes are always sell-outs with many more disappointed beader-wannabes left twiddling their thumbs at home. It is a great class, maybe I will sign-up for other similar lessons and become if not the next international designer then maybe the next Radzuan.. he-he.

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Do You Trust Your Friendly ATMs?

First, let us get the terminology right - ATM is not asynchronous transfer mode or your super efficient broadband networks and neither it is the acronym for Angkatan Tentera Malaysia..

I went to withdraw some money from an ATM recently. After keying in the amount I waited, and waited and waited and waited.. and then finally my card slides out. But hey.. ! where's the money? The screen then flashes the notice "Temporarily Out Of Service". My moneeey..!!

(A couple of minutes went by before the fact that the ATM really didnt give me my money sank in..)

Ok - so there's no money. But thank goodness I still have my card. I went to the next ATM and checked my balance - sure enough amount was deducted from the account but no money in my hand.

I was standing there thinking tomorrow is going to be bad - calling the bank, explaining, convincing them & the fact that I dont have any proof of what happened, what are my rights as a customer in this instance.. - when my husband noticed that the faulty ATM has come back on-line.

He said check your balance again on that ATM. I said, I just checked the balance. What difference on which ATM I check? The money already been deducted from the account.. No, I wont do it.. It doesnt make sense.. No.. Okay, okay I'll do it. Now.

So, against my better judgement I rechecked my balance. And hey.. guess what? The money's back in the account! Did someone waved the magic wand or said abracadabra? And hey.. does someone has that smug I-told-You-So look on his face? (Question to the IT savvy people out there : Does it really take a few long minutes like this to actually do a database roll-back or whatever process that was done here?)

Moral of the story? Logical thinking aside, always have trust in your husband.. he-he

But seriously, if the money was really & truly deducted from the account what are our rights? Would the bank reimburse us? Must go find this out.

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Getting Myself A Hat

I went to Sg Buloh the other day to look for some new plants for my garden, which incidently is as big as a kangkang kera ~ he-he.. It took us forever to get there - that stretch of road really need to be upgraded. The sun was already high up when we got to the nurseries.

We found some irregular pots on offer at a place in the blistering sun ~ the sun was really unforgiving that particular morning. The young chap talking to us was handed a battered hat by his friend ~ which I unashamedly took and put on. I said to the chinese boy, I hope you dont mind me taking the hat, but it is really so hot. He said no (but I think he minded just a teeny bit) .. When leaving I handed over the hat back to him and thanked him profusely.

So the other day I visited Axexx and tried on some hats. Wide brim ones with a scarf, with a flower, the small ones, tall ones, pretty ones. The one with beads dangling around the brim looked nice on display but made me look like a lamp shade. After a few tries the sales assistant asked, what's the occasion? I said I need a hat to go to the pasar tani.. She said, a hat to go where? I said pasar tani. Hey eyes grew round and she said oh, really?

So! I suppose I shouldnt have a hat to the pasar tani after all. And if I am in Sg Buloh again I can just steal someone's battered hat again..

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A Lesson At The Pasar Tani

I regretted going to pasar tani yesterday. Had to drive like a snail and parking was difficult ~ among other things. And I only wanted to get some fresh fruits for all that hassle.

As I turned towards the fruit stall I saw a woman sitting cross legged on the dirty tarmac. She had some old newspapers under her. A boy about four was crying and thrashing on her right lap. She angrily told the boy to stop crying and then pulled his ear. Hard. The boy cried even louder.

My blood shot sky high at the scene and without realising what I was going to do myself, I said to the woman - Jangan tarik telinga dia! The woman turned, clearly surprised. Then turned away again, sullen & silent.

A woman observer said to me, for all you know the children (there was also a girl there, about two with her bottle, that I didnt see earlier) are not even hers. She "borrowed" the children to do her dirty work in begging.

I dont know for sure. But I hate the fact that the poor chidren were being used that way, regardless of her being the mother or not. She looked young enough and strong enough to do some honest work herself. I didnt leave them any money although I pity the children lying on the torn newspapers in the sun.

Getting to my car I saw a small boy with a songkok, about seven or eight maybe but definitely younger than Eirfan - or maybe he's small due to his diet? - selling CDs. When asked his answer was, I am doing this for my mum. She's also selling CDs at the pasar tani. I told him to get quickly back to his mum. Why did he wonder so far away from the pasar anyway? He looked at me blankly and just walked away as if saying I've done this many times before and it is none of your business anyway..

It wasnt a good morning to be at the pasar tani that's for sure.

Lying in bed that night I remembered the dirty children on the tarmac and the small face under the songkok and thought,
Ya Allah ~ protect them, give them iman and let them have a better life.
And Ya Allah ~ please protect my children, give them iman and let them be thankful for the bounties you bestowed upon us. Amiin.

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The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost. 1874—1963. He is perhaps the most popular and beloved American poet. He wrote of the character, people, and landscape of New England.

I first read this poem I cant remember when ~ maybe at Advanced English class in my prepatory semester ~ but the poem has remained at the back of my mind somewhere ever since. I came across it again when the boys had to read the poem in their upper secondary literature class. The poem goes as such ~

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The poem reminds me how our life is shaped by the choices that we make today. And insya'allah we'll look back and say, yes that decision I made had made all the difference that matters in life.

ps ~ Frost had quit from Harvard. Seems like many of the successful people were compelled to make certain sacrifices in pursuit of inner personal aspirations.

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"Harapan"

Ya Allah, Kau rahmatilah mereka dengan ~
Rezeki yang banyak lagi halal,
Iman yang benar,
Ilmu yang bermanafaat,
Kepintaran yang tinggi,
Kesihatan yang baik,
Hati yang bersih, dan
Kejayaan yang besar.

Amiin..

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