Babies!

Soalan lazim yang saya terima bila kawan2 menyapa saya sekarang adalah, dah ada cucu dah? Or kadang2, cucu apa khabar? Dan selalunya disertai gelak ketawa. Jawapan bajet saya adalah, I am not ready to be a grandma la. Ataupun a simple answer like, I cant wait to have a baby in the family again. You be the judge and tell me which is the serious answer.

Anyway. For now we have some babies at home. No, not baby babies. Cat babies. Eirfan kata itu kittens lah, bukan cat babies. Ok, so yes we have 3 black kittens at home. Yes, they are all black. One has white feet which makes it look like it has got socks on. At least that is what my sons told me. Saya takut (?) tengok tiny kittens.



Fishy was but a baby not too long ago and now she's a mom already. Do cats reproduce so quickly? I dont know because I never had cats (my arwah grandfather was bed-ridden due to - I cant remember what - so he was always sitting on the floor by the window. And he so hated it when the family cat came anywhere near him. So cats were like not so friendly pets in some peculiar ways. At least that was always what I learned.)

And my adik used to have a cat called - was is Tompok? Mesti dia ambil nama tu dari majalah Bujal, haha. Adik saya memang skema (but very, very smart, mind you) - and when the cat died (was ran over by some irresponsible driver), he buried it under a tree and put a cross made of small sticks on the top. We always laugh over this even years after that.

Anyway. Now Ilyas (and the other boys too) are telling me takkan kita nak give the kittens away - kesian. Half serious, arms akimbo, I said - either the kittens go or you go, haha (I mean hey, I've got to have some right to say what goes on in my own home, dont you agree? You know how - under false pretenses - the cats got into our house in the first place.)

So that is sort of my story on babies. For now.

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Picture Perfect Photos

This is Eirfan when he was four. We were at a picnic / fishing trip at a fishing pond somewhere in Ulu Yam. He was supposed to learn how to fish. Instead he went running all over the park chasing chickens (do note of a *wary* black chicken in the background). Sampai berpeluh-peluh. Dia budak pekan, mana biasa jumpa ayam. In the end the chicken stayed clear out of his path. Nampak Eirfan datang je semua ayam2 dah lari dah.

Anyway. I am in the midst of archiving old photos into a more modern media. I tried scanning the photos but I suppose my scanner isnt good enough for the quality I expect.

The picture above was taken over a 4R photo in my album. I use the Sony TX10 camera here, which the chap at the store said can take photos of objects held as close as 1cm. In this particular case I must say I quite like the results. But when I took photos of some 3Rs the outcome wasnt as good. I need to do some more tests. But I am hopeful.

It may seem like I am going to have loads of pictures to take, out of loads of albums. I call them picture perfect photos (you know, jpeg pictures I take of existing on-paper photos). Befitting.

ps-do you know other ways I can try to convert the photos? Other than sending them to the pros for scanning, that is. Do tell.

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It Couldnt Get Any Better Than This

And how awesome is this?

This is a picture of everyone in my family, minus mum (and dad of course). Tak usah kira lah, ada lima belas semuanye. Sitting are the older siblings (as you can tell..) The eldest in the family is my brother on the right. And the youngest my brother standing on the left (berdiri dan duduk ikut turutan dalam keluarga. My sister insisted / demanded).

We were at a lawyer's office signing some documents relating to my mum and arwah ayah. The office took quite some time to prepare the documents. So we made ourselves at home in their waiting lounge. We even planned out a family retreat. Then we rearranged the office chairs. And asked the admin clerk to take our picture. Of course we later apologized for creating havoc at their place.

After completed business at the legal office we went for lunch. It was Fri so the men had to leave for prayers.

And how awesome is this too?

This was taken like maybe 40 or so years ago. There are fourteen of us here with mum and dad. The photographer came to our place to have the photo taken on a raya morning.

(Dan nikmat Allah yang manakah yang ingin kamu dustakan?)

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Sedikit Cerita

Bacalah cerita ni dari sebuah hadith. Baca lambat2. Biar masuk ke qalbu. Biar kita ingat dan boleh cerita pulak pada anak2. Kata ustaz,

pada suatu hari Nabi saw duduk bersama sahabat di sebuah kebun kurma. Lalu nabi bercerita berkenaan Dajjal. Kadang2 nabi bercakap dengan suara yang kuat. Kadang2 perlahan. Berbisik. Sehingga sahabat berasa takut dan tertanya2 samada Dajjal sudah ada di bumi.

Selepas solat Asr hari itu Rasulullah saw bertanya pada sahabatnya mengapa mereka nampak sugul. Jawab sahabat mana tak sugul sedangkan Dajjal sudah tiba. Maka Rasulullah menjawab yang Dajjal belum ada dan Dajjal tidak akan keluar sebelum wafatnya nabi. Kata Nabi lagi kalau Dajjal datang semasa hayat Rasulullah, cukup nabi seorang sahaja akan dapat membunuhnya.

Cerita ustaz lagi, Dajal itu berambut kerinting. Matanya terjelur keluar seperti buah anggur.

Kata ustaz, kalau takdir ditemukan Dajjal, bacalah ayat awal Surah Kahfi. Ayat 1 - 10 kalau tak silap saya (sila semak). Untuk perlindungan. Agar tidak dikacau oleh Dajjal.

Dajjal akan turun di sekitar negeri Syam (Syria) / Iraq. Dan dia akan bermaharajalela selama 40 hari di bumi. Kata ustaz 40 hari tu relatif, kadang2 satu hari terasa macam lebih lama.

Dajjal begerak laju. Seperti angin bertiup. Tanya ustaz, bila dengar cerita macam ni adakah aqidah kita percaya atau our logical thinking will kick in and reject them?

Dajjal akan pergi ke semua tempat kecuali Mekah, Madinah dan BaitulMuqaddis (dan beberapa tempat lain kalau tak silap saya). Apabila sampai di Madinah Dajjal tidak dapat masuk kerana ada malaikat menjaga kota Madinah. Lalu Dajjal akan menuju pula ke BaitulMuqaddis.

Kerja Dajjal ni kata ustaz, satu saja. Mahukan manusia mengaku dia tuhan. Dan Allah telah memberi sedikit kuasa kepada Dajjal. Bila dia minta hujan maka hujan pun turun. Bila dia minta pokok tumbuh, pokok pun tumbuh.

Dalam perjalanan ke BaitulMuqaddis, Dajjal bertembung dengan seorang lelaki muda. Lalu Dajjal membelah dada pemuda itu dan kemudian mencantumkannya semula. Dan pemuda itu hidup kembali. Tanya Dajjal adakah kamu mengaku aku tuhan? Jawab pemuda itu, tidak. Engkaulah Dajjal yang telah diceritakan oleh Rasulullah saw.

Antara ayat yang lazim ustaz ungkapkan bila bercerita macam ni adalah "bergetar dada". Takut. Gentar. Terhimpit rasanya dada.

Dan pada waktu inilah turun Nabi Isa as. Nabi Allah Isa berambut hingga paras bahu. Dan peluh yang menitik dari hujung rambut Nabi Isa itu bagaikan mutiara (luqluq). Dan bila bernafas terasa sejuk nafas Nabi Isa. Akan mati orang kafir jika mereka melalui pada laluan nafas itu. Subhanallah.

Maka Nabi Allah Isa akan membunuh Dajjal di sebuah kampung (tak ingat pulak nama nya) berdekatan dengan BaitulMuqaddis. Selepas itu Nabi Isa akan memimpin orang2 mukmin ke Bukit Tursina kerana pada masa itu lah Yakjuj dan Makjuj akan keluar. Dan Nabi Isa serta orang yang beriman ini akan bertahan di Bukit Tursina semasa serangan Yakjuj dan Makjuj itu.

Saya fikir mungkin saya cerita pasal Yakjuj dan Makjuj di post yang lain. Namun, selepas Yakjuj dan Makjuj ditewaskan (dengan pertolongan Allah), barulah Nabi Allah Isa as meninggal dunia.

Saya selalu appreciate cerita macam ni. Sebab saya jadi takut dan tersedar (sekejap) dari lamunan dunia. Sebab itu jugaklah saya suka ceritakan balik cerita2 ni.

Tidak terperi jasa dan budi ustaz2 yang berkorban kudrat mereka dalam berkongsi ilmu. Semoga diredhai Allah sentiasa, InsyaAllah. Jika ada tersilap fakta di sini, memanglah silap saya.

ps - Mungkin juga tulisan saya tidak lancar. The language has always been a challenge to me. Namun cerita begini kekok ditulis dalam bahasa inggeris.

Selamat mencari bekalan untuk perjalanan pulang, dan kehidupan yang abadi. Semoga kita dilindungi Allah, dunia dan akhirat InsyaAllah. Ameen.

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(More) Trivia

Have you played these cards before? I havent. Although persuaded by the kids. I said I only play card games / board games of any kind when I am on vacation (and have nothing to do).

This is a hot ticket item at home right now. Bising bila budak2 ni main. The first time they played the game together I thought what is all the racket about?

And I have always thought Monopoly is a board game. And it is not my favorite - it takes forever to finish the game and I always lose (and I am a sore loser!)

With the cards the game is quicker, you dont need to physically make a move on the board or buy green houses and red hotels. You dont need extra space. Or clearing up the mess later. Something to keep kids occupied and to have quality time - jangan bergaduh sudah lah.

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Old File, New Inputs

The good, the bad and the ugly of the 80s fashion.

Big curled / wavy hair. You can get it permed by your dresser, use the curl irons on max heat or simply crimp them (braid your hair before sleep, undo them next morning. Voila!)

A t. Preferably white.

Bomber jacket. Not just any jacket, mind you. You've got to have the bomber jacket. Or alternatively an over-sized jacket with ott shoulder pads for you. Oh, with them sleeves pulled up to the elbows of course.

Ray-ban aviators (even after sundown)

Designer jeans. Snug(!)

And you betcha they'd have sneakers on their feet.

You may laugh, cringe, gasp in horror or squeal in delight (me, I simply need to get these out of the system).

Today I have a new label called 'the eighties' (I have a feeling I have a few more posts coming under this label).

ps - I do tend to get carried away with well.. stuff (I was browsing and without realizing how or why I was ensnared by top gun videos). And enough of this inane subject!

pps - Does anyone know where I can get the movie? All links I followed have 'file has been removed' message.

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My Taiping

I was browsing when I saw this beautiful photo. And I immediately knew where this was taken. Taiping lake gardens, of course. And I was somewhat compelled to write about the town.

Taiping (we locals call it Tepen) was developed by the British because of the abundance of tin. It was the first town to have a swimming pool, The Coronation pool, at the foot of Bukit Maxwell (tak tahu ada lagi ke tidak pool tu pun).

It has the first lake garden and the zoo. If you had not been to the lake garden, you simply must go, at least once. Many times it has been called the most beautiful lake garden in Malaysia with branches of old trees covering the roads like canopies. Simply gorgeous.

(photo from denslee.com)

It has the first port, Port Weld now called Kuala Sepetang. And the first museum too. It is also the place with the most rainfall in Malaysia. Out of nowhere you'd get rain. Clouds around the tops of Maxwell Hills are somewhat a permanent fixture.

From town center you can see the green hills, the waterfall (I cant remember what waterfall is called) and puffy clouds with blue skies. It is beautiful, trust me.

A friend once asked me for the to-do-things in Taiping. I had problem with the request because I dont do things in Taiping. It is simply the place where I grew up and where I visit my mum. It is just home to me.

I took quite some time to come up with the list. I had ten things not to be missed (if I can recall them all here) ~
1. Lake Garden (of course) - seriously the most beautiful lake garden if you ask me. You only have to look at the photos to believe.
2. Zoo & Night Safari - the zoo is passable. My mum's comment of the night safari - buat kacau binatang kat dalam tu nak tidur je!
3. Burmese Pool - a nice, shaded place where you can wade and swim (it is not a swimming pool per se but a stream with cool / cold water)
4. Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill) - you can only get to the top on the land rover services provided. Or walk (we used to do this as teenagers during school break)
5. Muzium
6. Kuala Sepetang - was a busy tin port but now a fishing port
7. Railway Station - an old and rundown building, but the first railway station in Malaysia I am told
8. Wet Market - bustling place with fresh stuff where afternoons are filled with 'judi hujan' (they bet to see if it will rain)
(I cant remember the last two)

Things are still cheap in Taiping. And I mean cheap cheap. Compared to city prices. I am told the food is great too (but I wouldnt know - food from my mum's kitchen has always been scrumptious). But dont just take my words, you've got to visit. You'll fall in love too with the greens, the clean air and the easy pace of the place.

(photo from Wiki)

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Persevere

730am classes can be rather challenging sometimes. I didn’t get up early enough. I need to gosok my tudung. Get my ‘healthy diet’ packed for the day (if I can). Get the cats their food (I can almost trip over them as they rush in when the door is opened). The auto gates will not open (again!) Get the washload to the ampai. Blah.. blah..

And then once I get to the office I feel like I need to visit the rest room. And there is that rumble in my stomach. And then that nasty thought that came to mind – nanti kalau ustaz tanya soalan, sure tak tahu nak jawab; macam mana? Banyak betul halangannya. Memang hari ni ustaz tanya soalan & memang tak tahu nak jawab. Tapi tak jadi apa-apa pun. Tak kena telan pun.

I am the ‘youngest’ student in class. Makna nya saya yang last daftar. Yang lain dah berbulan2 / tahun dah belajar. Jadi saya selalu cari excuse tak nak pergi kelas – buku takde, orang lain dah pandai, takde access card nak masuk ke kelas. Macam2 lah. But today I persevered. Alhamdulillah.

The best part of the class is ustaz selalu relate whatever we are learning dengan ayat alQuran yang ustaz pilih. Hari ni ustaz terjemah & mentadabbur beberapa ayat dari surah Al-Hajj. Ayat 19 - 23. Pakaian orang kafir (orang yang ingkar?) diperbuat dari api neraka. Air panas yang mendidih akan dituangkan di atas kepala mereka. Air itu akan masuk ke perut mereka dan terus menghancurkan perut sehingga ke kulit (inside out). Cuba bayangkan. Takut? tanya ustaz. Batang2 besi pula digunakan untuk memukul mereka bila mereka cuba keluar dari neraka.

Dan untuk orang mukmin dibalas dengan syurga, dengan sungai yang mengalir di bawah nya. Dipakaikan gelang diperbuat dari emas dan luqluq (al fatihah kepada Dr Lo’lo’) dan pakaian dari sutera.

I always leave classes feeling like I do not know anything. Lagi pergi kelas lagi sedar banyak nye benda yang tak tahu - tujuan pergi kelas untuk mencari apa yang tak tahu sebenarnya. Agar lebih tahu. Lebih faham. Lalu lebih baik amalan, InsyaAllah.

Selamat mencari ilmu - untuk perjalanan pulang yang sememangnya pasti.

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Lost

This made me smile. Tak ingat originally jumpa kat mana. If you like, you can print this homemade lost poster complete with tear-off lyrics. And maybe post it on your streets too.


But of course, you have to be born at least before 1984 to appreciate this. That was when Hello first hit the air waves. And MTV too.

1984. That was a good year.

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Stones

We spent 4 days at the hospital when Ilyas went through laser treatment for stones.


BEFORE

We were on our way to the OT. Left : gemuruh. Right : I coaxed a smile and he said nanti keluar ot pun senyum macam ni jugak (big words).


AFTER

Back in the ward. Left : tahan sakit agaknya in spite of the pain killer. Right : I coaxed a smile but no words from him. Namun senyum jugak (walaupun pahit).

Boring sungguh duduk di hospital (I kept visiting the cafe for mee kari, eclair and quiche; with chocolates for the patient). I made a couple of visits to the physio center (which is a good thing). Reading started to bore me. We rounded up the stay laughing over loads of the Korean Running Men series while waiting for the green light to leave the hospital.

He's ok now. Alhamdulillah (tak sanggup tengok sakit perut berguling2 - not exaggerating). Returning to work on Mon Insya'Allah.

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Sorry

This is cute. And I am guilty of it many, many times (please blame it on the hunger panics). Via A Cup of Jo.

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Never Say Never

If I had been asked a year ago if I watch lots of tv, without a doubt my answer would be 'never ever'. Growing up in the kampong my mother believed the best way for children to be healthy and smart is to play outdoors. The tv was locked! (do you remember those days?) And the key is kept on the mantel (yes, of course we know where the key was kept; but no one and I mean no one would ever dare take that tiny key, put it in the lock and open those tv doors without permission). So we ended up as non-tv fan adults.

But fast forward a few decades and with broadband and HD and flat screens, I find how addictive and utterly engrossing watching tv can be (I will call it 'lagho' - face it, if it is black then by all means let's call it black). And that's what I've been doing much of lately. Iman said she had never seen me watch so much tv before compared to now. I definitely blame Beyond and Unifi.

I have the BBC Lifestyle channel subscribed on Unifi. It's got the latest Ramsay's series (yeap, and I learned a few more f words there), Masterchef UK (definitely slow compared to the US version but nevertheless captivating - in a boring way..??), Garden Designer that shows loads of the gorgeous english gardens and Moving To The Country with fascinating sceneries. For a while I was enthralled by Gok too (I mean who doesnt like fashion makeovers?)

There is also the Travel Channel that shows lovely places to visit but my favorite show has got to be the World's Greatest Motorcycle Rides. I caught the rides made through some of the European countries, the Isle of Man, a portion of Route 66 - from Chicago through St Louis (which prompted me to say to my husband - honey, we got to ride through Route 66 someday. I had to explain and then he had said, on a Harley?) - and then darn, I missed the rest of that leg. The ride made through New Zealand had left me speechless too.


My favorite on Beyond has got to be the Life Inspired channel. The Barefoot Contessa show comes on twice every day on weekdays (which isnt fair - on a work day? And Beyond does not have catch-up-tv like Unifi which comes free. You need the recorder and that comes with a hefty price tag too). I had bought Ina's (fyi it is pronounced Aina not Eena) book and made marmalade from a recipe in there (tapi tak jadi pun marmalade tu..).

And I know I am in trouble - I am also starting to like Drop Dead Diva on AXN - a law series with a lawyer who has a diva attitude but likeable nonetheless. And lately KPop looks rather interesting also.

I was sitting in the doctor's waiting room the other day when a couple of oldish (cough, cough - funny how other people could look old but you yourself never seem to age any, dont you think?) acquaintances started talking about KPop. They thought it was Kanto-pop (for Cantonese pop. I know, what the heck?) and said the girls who sang Nobody But You (they couldnt come up with Wonder Girls) is from Thailand (I thought, oh pleeaaze..).

Iman is right. I am watching too much tv. I know too much (trivia).

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Video

Video tahun baru. I was pretty amazed when I saw this.