Cikgu Saya Part III

Eirfan came home the other day with a pretty box. I said what's that? He said it's a present from my class teacher. Oh, you did well in your exam? He said no, it was my birthday some weeks back and this is my birthday present from my teacher. What a sweet gesture. I promised to go visit the teacher at school one of these days.

& that made me remember some of the more colorful teachers that I knew while at school.

There are a couple of teachers at upper secondary whom I really like. The first is my 5th fomer class teacher. She is Ms ? Kaur. (How come I dont remember her name..?) She comes to class in her Punjabi suit with long silk scarf that she draped across the shoulders. And her hair would put Farah Fawcett's curls to shame. She always looked like she's ready to go singing and dancing in the gardens exactly like the scenes in the Hindi films. She gained our respect because she treated us like adults. Wonder what happened to her.

Next is my BM teacher Pn Wan. Now she gained our respect because of the way she dressed. We would oohed and aahed at the clothes that she wore to school. We wondered where she found all her kurungs and the girls would frantically copy her other attires onto paper so that they could ask their tailors to make similar clothes. Ha-ha .. those crazy days.. But Pn Wan is really cool - she understood us.

Then there is Mr Chua, my Add Math teacher. The girls went ga-ga over his cute looks. They did all his homeworks and worked very hard in his class. He was still single then but then married a very pretty temporary teacher at school. The girls were sooo disappointed then..

There was a teacher who wore kebayas with the skirt split all the way to the thighs. We thought she looked cheap.

We also had a fierce teacher with a sour face. Nothing pleases her. The girls thought she was unprofessional.

And then there was a pretty, young and very new teacher who cried in our class. We felt very guilty about the incident. The class monitor had to do the honorable and apologised to her on the class behalf.

Those were the days..
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Diminishing Lines

My daughter started her first job this month. With a company based in the UK. She went to meet up with the HR after being told she was accepted. Coming back she was so excited about the job.

She said, do you know ma that I will get paid so-and-so amount? That's a good amount. I wasnt paid that much when I started work, I said.

But I dont know how to get there on my own yet. That's ok - I might be able to send you.

And the office has blah-blah. That's nice yang. But my own office isnt that bad .

My office hours will be so-and-so. Mmm-mmm.

The people there all looked so busy. Mmm-mmm.

I am expected to work late sometimes. Mmm-mmm.

But the best thing is ma, we can wear jeans and sports shoes and.. What? Jeans to the office? Mana ada orang buat! And sports shoes? Blah.. blah..

.. And after a month, I still have issues seeing her in jeans to the office..

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I Have A Dream Part 2

When I was in upper secondary my class teacher nominated me for the debate team. I made a face and she saw me. She said, regardless whether you like it or not you are coming for the practice. I told her ok in a very small voice. Nevertheless, I didnt make it into the debate team. And anyway our team lost that year..

When I was in college my friends and I always skip our foreign language class. After the exams the instructor wrote, keep up the good work on my paper - but my friends got a remark that said, if you can come to class more often maybe you would do better. My friends made faces at me..

Then I went to translation class in the city. I thought if I couldnt make myself write anything then maybe I could do translation work. That got me nowhere..

After that I bought books on writing and went through sites that accept submission of writings. I found that most publishers would only accept submissions via an agent. Then I thought, where do I find agents to represent me? Then I found that some smaller publishers do accept submissions without agents.

That is when I came to a jolting stop. I think I am getting out of control here.. I have not penned anything since the good old days of composition class in form 5 and I dream of publishing a book? Get real, girl!

So yeah, I have a dream..

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As Grey As The City Skies

Woke up this morning with a bad headache. When looked into the mirror, there are bags too - where they don’t belong .. I knew these don’t bode well for the day ahead.

Managed to pack the little guy off to school somehow. Drove slowly to work. Hogged the fast lane too. The driver at my rear beamed his headlights at me. He must be so mad. I couldn’t care less.

Iman tried to cheer me up. She said it is already Thursday ma. Cheer up. Nothing happened. Not cheered up. Better luck next time, girl.

Would love to lepak somewhere with a nice mug of steaming teh tarik, soaking up the morning sun and slowly coming back to reality.. Fat chance of me doing that on this Thursday.

Reality is where this whole mess started in the first place I suppose. Reality of going through the rat race etc etc.

I have the answers to the moodiness.. At least I think I do. What I lack is motivation. Is there a prescription for that?

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One For The Girls

I was reading and came across this hadith and thought that it is an interesting read for all the girls. It is very long. But do read on..

Dari Abdullah bin Abbas ra, katanya: Saya selalu ingin bertanya kepada Umar ra tentang dua isteri Nabi saw yang Tuhan telah berfirman tentang mereka berdua : "Jikalau engkau berdua bertaubat kepada Tuhan, maka memang hatimu telah cenderung untuk melakukan hal itu" (At-Tahrim, 4), sampai pada suatu kali ia naik haji dan saya juga ikut naik haji dengannya. Ketika kami sedang dalam perjalanan, Umar menyimpang dan saya pun ikut menyimpang sambil membawa sebuah tempat air. Lalu ia buang air. Kemudia ia datang kepada saya, lalu saya tuangkan air ketangannya dan ia pun berwudhu'. Saya berkata, "Ya Amirul Mu'minin! Siapakah dua orang isteri Nabi saw yang disebutkan oleh Allah dalam ayat : "Jikalau engkau berdua bertaubat kepada Tuhan, maka memang hatimu telah cenderung untuk melakukan hal itu?" Umar menjawab : "Anda sangat hairan tentang hal ini hai Ibnu Abbas! Mereka itu adalah Aisyah dan Hafsah." Kemudian Umar melanjutkan ceritanya:

Dia berkata, "Saya tinggal di kampung Umayyah bin Zaid di pinggir tepi kota Madinah. Saya mempunyai tetangga seorang Ansar. Kami berganti-ganti pergi kepada Rasulullah saw. Suatu hari ia pergi dan hari berikutnya saya pergi. Kalau ia yang pergi ia menceritakan kepada saya tentang wahyu yang turun dan berita-berita lain. Demikian pula keadaannya kalau saya yang pergi.

"Kami orang Quraisy adalah golongan yang berkuasa atas wanita. Ketika kami datang ke Madinah kami dapati orang-orang di sana sangat dikuasai oleh wanita. Maka mulailah para wanita kami belajar dari wanita mereka. Pada suatu hari saya marah kepada perempuan saya. Lalu dia mulai menjawab perkataan saya. Saya berkata bahawa tidak boleh wanita membantah perkataan suaminya. Isteri saya menjawab : "Apakah saya tidak boleh menjawab perkataanmu? Demi Allah, para isteri Nabi saw sendiri menjawab perkataan Nabi. Malah ada salah seorang daripadanya yang tidak mahu mendekat kepada beliau dari siang hari hingga ke malamnya."

Saya terus keluar rumah dan pergi ke rumah Hafsah. Saya berkata kepadanya : "Apakah kamu berani menjawab perkataan Rasulullah saw?" Ia menjawab : "Ya! "Dan salah seorang dari kamu yang sampai tidak mengindahkan beliau dari pagi sampai malamnya?" "Ya!" "Siapa yang melakukan hal itu di antara kamu, sesungguhnya telah celaka dan rugi. Apakah di antara kamu ada yang merasa tenteram dimarahi Allah kerana Rasulullah saw marah kepadanya? Orang yang seperti itu sebenarnya telah hancur. Janganlah kamu menentang perkataan Rasulullah saw dan janganlah kamu minta apa-apa kepadanya. Kalau kau perlu apa-apa mintalah wang kepadaku. Janganlah engkau merasa sakit hati seandainya tetanggamu (maksudnya Aisyah ra) lebih cantik darimu dan lebih dicintai oleh Rasulullah saw. "

Di waktu itu kami berbincang-bincang bahawa orang Ghassan sedang mempersiapkan kuda-kudanya untuk menyerang kami. Maka suatu hari tetangga saya pergi kepada Rasulullah saw dan ia kembali pada waktu malam. Ia mengetuk pintu saya keras-keras dan memanggil nama saya. Saya pergi keluar untuk menemuinya. Ia berkata: "Ada suatu peristiwa penting terjadi." Saya bertanya : "Adakah orang Ghassan telah menyerang?" Ia menjawab : "Jauh lebih penting dari itu. Rasulullah saw telah menceraikan isteri-isterinya." Saya berkata : "Hancur dan rugilah Hafsah! Saya telah menduga bahawa hal ini akan terjadi."

Saya pun berpakaian dan berangkat. Saya sembahyang Subuh bersama dengan Nabi saw. Setelah selesai sembahyang beliau masuk ke kamar khusus dan menyendiri di sana. Saya pun masuk ke dalam rumah Hafsah dan saya dapati dia sedang menangais. Saya bertanya kepadanya : "Apakah kamu semua telah diceraikan Rasulullah saw?" Ia menjawab : "Saya tidak tahu. Ia sedang menyendiri di kamar makan."

Lalu saya keluar rumah dan pergi ke mimbar masjid. Saya dapati di dekat mimbar itu sejumlah orang sedang duduk-duduk dan sebahagiannya menangis. Saya duduk di tempat itu sebentar. Kemudian saya tidak dapat menahan perasaan saya, maka saya datang ke kamar makan di mana beliau berada. Saya datang kepada seorang pembantu kulit hitam dan berkata kepadanya : "Tolong mintakan izin Umar hendak masuk." Pembantu itu masuk kemudian keluar kembali. Ia berkata : "Saya telah menyebut nama anda tetapi beliau diam saja." Kemudian saya bergegas pergi dan duduk bersama orang-orang yang di dekat mimbar.

Saya tidak dapat menahan perasaan saya, lalu saya datang sekali lagi kepada pembantu laki-laki hitam itu dan berkata : "Tolong katakan Umar minta izin untuk masuk." Pembantu itu masuk ke dalam, kemudian lalu keluar kembali. "Saya telah menyebut nama anda tetapi beliau diam saja" katanya. Lalu saya kembali keluar dan pergi ke mimbar.

Kemudian saya tidak dapat menahan perasaan saya, dan pergi sekali lagi kepada pembantu berkulit hitam itu : "Tolong katakan bahawa Umar minta izin untuk masuk." Ia masuk ke dalam lalu keluar kembali. "Telah saya sebutkan nama anda tetapi beliau diam saja." Saya pun bergegas pergi. Tetapi tiba-tiba pembantu itu memanggil saya : "Anda telah diberi izin untuk masuk!" Maka saya pun masuklah dan memberi salam kepada Rasulullah saw. Saya dapati beliau tidur dengan tangan ditopangkan ke kepala di atas sehelai tikar kasar, sehingga kelihatan bekas tikar itu di sisi beliau. Saya berkata : "Ya Rasulullah saw, apakah anda telah menceraikan isteri-isteri anda?" Rasul mengangkat kepalanya ke arah saya dan menjawab : "Tidak!"

Lalu saya berkata : "Tuhan Maha Besar! Bagaimanakah pendapat engkau, ya Rasulullah? Kita orang Quraisy ini adalah satu golongan yang berkuasa atas wanita. Sewaktu kita datang ke Madinah kita dapati mereka itu adalah golongan yang dikuasai wanita.." Umar meneruskan ceritanya. Nabi saw tersenyum.

Kemudian saya berkata (Umar meneruskan ceritanya) : "Bagaimanakah pendapat tuan ketika saya masuk ke tempat Hafsah dan berkata : "Janganlah engkau terpedaya oleh tetanggamu yang lebih cantik darimu dan lebih dikasihi oleh Nabi (maksudnya Aisyah)?" Beliau tersenyum sekali lagi.

Kemudian saya perhatikan keadaan dalam kamar beliau itu. Demi Allah, tidak ada yang menarik perhatian di dalam kamar itu selain dari tiga tempat simpanan air dari kulit. Saya berkata : "Berdoalah anda kepada Tuhan agar Ia memberikan kelapangan kepada umat anda. Orang-orang Persia dan Romawi telah diberi kelapangan. Kepada mereka diberikan dunia, padahal mereka tiada menyembah Tuhan."

Ketika itu beliau sedang bertelekan dan beliau bersabda : "Masih ragu kah engkau hai anak Khattab? Mereka itu adalah golongan yang dicepatkan mendapatkan keberuntungan hidup di dunia."

Saya berkata : "Ya Rasulullah! Tolonglah minta ampunkan saya."

Beliau merasa kesal kerana suatu kejadian, di mana Hafsah menceritakannya kepada Aisyah. Beliau bersabda : "Saya tidak akan masuk ke rumah mereka selama sebulan." Tuhan mencela beliau, kerana beliau terlalu marah kepada mereka. Setelah berlangsung selama dua puluh sembilan hari, beliau masuk ke rumah Aisyah. Aisyah berkata kepada beliau : "Tuan bersumpah tidak akan masuk ke rumah kami selama satu bulan. Menurut perhitungan saya, baru dua puluh sembilan hari." Nabi menjawab : "Bulan ini dua puluh sembilan hari!" Dan memang pada waktu itu bulan adalah dua puluh sembilan hari.

Aisyah berkata : "Maka turunlah ayat pilihan (takhyir). Pertama-tama beliau mulai dengan saya. Beliau berkata : "Saya ingin mengingatkan kepadamu satu hal. Kamu tidak perlu menjawabnya sekarang juga. Kamu boleh bermusyawarat dahulu dengan kedua ibu-bapamu." Aisyah menjawab : "Saya tahu bahawa kedua ibu-bapa saya belum pernah menyuruh agar bercerai atau berpisah dengan tuan. " Kemudian beliau bersabda : "Sesungguhnya Tuhan telah berfirman : "Hai Nabi! Katakanlah kepada isteri mu. Kalau kamu semuanya menghendaki kehidupan dunia dan kemewahannya, maka marilah saya akan berikan kesenangan kepada kamu dan saya akan melepaskan atau menceraikan kamu dengan cara yang sebaik-baiknya. Tetapi jikalau kamu menghendaki Allah dan RasulNya, serta kampung akhirat, maka sesungguhnya Allah menyediakan untuk wanita-wanita yang berbuat baik di antara kamu pahala yang amat besar (Surah Al-Ahzab, 28 - 29)." Saya menjawab : "Apakah dalam hal ini saya harus bermusyawarat dengan ibu-bapa saya? Saya menghendaki Tuhan, Rasulnya dan kampung akhirat."

Kemudian beliau memberikan kebebasan memilih ini kepada semua isteri beliau. Semuanya menjawab sama seperti jawapan Aisyah.
~Hadith Riwayat Sahih Bukhari

After reading the long story I concluded that girls never learn, even after a thousand years. Do we?

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Temporarily Out Of Service

I always wish to be a little bit sick for a couple of days or so; so that I can stay home and do the stuff that I cant do on normal work days. Not teribbly sick you know, maybe just a flu or something.

Anyway, the other day I was declared not fit to work by the doctor. She said it is the viral infection or something and I was left with big, major headaches, achy shoulders and back pain. It was worse than the achy feelings at pregnancy. It was quite a long way back to recovery.

I got tired of lying down. Got tired of being unproductive. Also got tired of the reading. Got tired also with doing the stuff I like. I watched videos and got caught up with the men in Ocean's Eleven & Twelve. But in the end I got tired of oogling them also..

But I got to spend some quality time with Eirfan. He gave massages with his small fingers - it wasnt effective but yet so soothing nonetheless.

In the end, I was quite relief to be back on my feet and into the office. Nothing compares to being in good health, I tell you. My advice is the next time you wish for some days off, just apply for your leave.

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Bachelor #1

He's an art & design student.

He goes in & out of the house with a ma I'm going out I have to finish the murals at school. Or with a ma I have to go snap some photos for my assignment. Or I need to go to the arts store for some supplies.

Then there are occassions with ma I'm going out for futsal. Or I'm playing basketball tonite. Or ma I'm going out for teh tarik with some friends. The house will be quiet again once the new semester starts in July.

He's hard at work here on the murals in the children's center at college.

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My Third Son

This is all about my third son.

He's an ideal candidate for a scientist. He's smart. He loves physics. He is a bit blur about things around him.. He doesnt care for fashion. And I quietly think he could go without a bath for days if he thinks he could get away with it.. heh-heh..

He left home recently for higher education. I worry, typically. Would he have enough to eat? Be able to make friends? Wash his clothes? Get cleaned properly? ha-ha.. Seriously.

Anyway, after two weeks away at college, he called and said it is going to be a long break this weekend. I'm thinking of coming home. What do you think ma? I said yes yang, please come home.

It's going to be a funky weekend - all of them will be home. It's going to be noisy and busy again. I am so happy. Subhanallah. Thank you Allah.

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Cinta Tanpa Syarat..

.. aka Undontitional love. That's the title of an e-mail from a friend.

Sorry, it was nothing hot or sultry or mushy.

But about borderless and sacrificial love of a mother. How generous she could be. How loyal. How comforting and so forgiving.

But do you think sometimes that we just take mum for granted maybe? We are all too carried away with our busy schedule, with our own misplaced priorities and problems. We forget sometimes mum gets lonely, sad, melancholy or even feeling bad..

And do we take time to visit mum and spend lazy afternoons just catching up with her news without us rushing everywhere to get more done for ourselves?

Do we even think about the time when we said something and hurt her feelings or did whatever that she disagreed upon?

Ya Allah, please bestow the best and only the best to our mums. Protect her. Let us love her as she did us when we were tiny tots starting out in the bewildering world..

To Sheila, do forget your sense of berayal. Sesungguhnya, syurga itu di bawah tapak kaki ibu.

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