RAYA IN BEIJING

Such an unforgettable trip!! Emm, what made it so memorable ? Well, we had the chance perform Eidul Adha solah at  the oldest mosque in Beijing ! My kids, abang and I were very excited that morning. We left the hotel early that day, as the tour guide said that mornings in Beijing were hectic. 

When we reached the mosque,  Muslims of different races were already at the mosque waiting for the Eidul Adha Solah call. The weather was fine but very cold ....brrrrr...... and here are some of the snapshots taken !! Brrr....grrrr...

Muslims in Beijing

 

Niu Jie Mosque

 

  Spotlessly clean and unique praying mats

Imam

 

 Long stretch of green carpets used for praying

  

Beautiful interior  of the mosque

 

  

Eidul Adha Khutbah 

 

Assumed " Raya Cookies " !! Quite nice, sold outside the mosque.

 

 All ready for Qurban

 

 

 Happy faces of Malaysian  students met at the mosque!

 Hope to visit China again one day ! InsyaAllah..

INNOCENCE

Mom, you should read this card!
What card adik ? 
Ala, kad raya la mom from my friend, Iffah.

Oo, Iffah. Come, let me look at it. Hmm, quite nice.

Wait till you read what she wrote for me. 

So, I read the card. Her friend wrote, " Assalamualaikum Nadia ! How are you? I'm sorry for the times I made you angry. I know, I always make you angry, like when I called you names. But I think, Alia is worse, she is the one that must say sorry to you. Yes, she sure has a lot of sorrys to say. Ok, I wish you Selamat Hari Raya dan Maaf Zahir Batin. Remember me when you eat chocolate chip cookies eh !"

Aik, sambil mintak maaf sempat lagi mengata tu ( saying sorry but at the same time passing comments  about another friend). I found this very funny. Ya, kids are always saying things straight from their heart. They say what they think. They just pour their heart out and usually without any bad intention. Vishvanath Seshadri (2009) in his blog " Values for Life " wrote, "A child's mind is not crooked or scheming. It is simple, straight, open and transparent. The child is honest about what he wants, likes and dislikes. He will not hide things and speaks what he thinks. "

True, I would say. They are just lovable innocent beings who need our guidance to help them make the right choices in life. Ignoring their needs would certainly lead to some uncertainties which later on might contribute to an increase of social problems in the future. 
Adios !

SNORES

       I had this strong urge to go to the restroom. The restroom had a long row of cubicles and it was rather dark inside. Surprisingly, I was not at all bothered by this. My intention was just that. On my way out, I heard my name being called out. Ya Allah, the voice was deep and did not sound human at all ! It was calling out my name in this somewhat spooky manner : Aanisszzzzz, Aaanisszzzz...... I was by then, shaking badly and torn between whether to run for my life or to walk out of the restroom as calmly as I could. Either one I still had to pass that voice. Not knowing what to do, I decided to close my eyes and started to pray really hard hoping for a miracle to happen. After a few minutes I opened my eyes and saw that I was no longer in the restroom. Instead I was in my own bedroom lying on my bed. Phew ! What a relief ! It was just a bad dream after all ! Thank God !

However, I got the shock of my life when I heard the voice again! Oh No ! It is now in the room with me! Oh dear! I was so scared that I did not dare to move an inch. And to make it worse, the sound was so close ; just next to me. Oh God ! Don' t tell me it came out of the dream! I listened carefully and then turned to look at Abang. Eh, why is this sound coming from Abang ? Laa, rupanya it was his snores. However, the strange part was, it sounded just like my name. Somewhat like this... Aaanisssszzzz, Anissszzzz.. Ha ha ha! It was actually the sound of Abang snoring ! But why did it sound like that ? How strange...

So, I teased him the next morning.

Yeah, I know why. You love me so much that even in your sleep you just could not take your mind off me. That 's why you were snoring my name away..... asanisszzz anisszzzz.

Ha ha! I love u too abangzzzz...aabangzzzzzzzzz.

HAPPY EID MUBARAK

Hi there! SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI DAN MAAF ZAHIR BATIN! Hari Raya is always a time when you get to meet relatives and close friends whom you might have not seen or talked to for quite some time. This is actually the blessing that comes with Hari Raya. Well, here are a few snapshots taken during this wonderful festive season !

Honey cornflakes made by the kids ! 

A must serve cookie on hari raya ! It's called "Biskut Kerang".  Also made by the kids and of course under strict supervision of Grandma !

Mom's delicious chicken rendang.

Cookie jars ready to be filled-up with delightful cookies!

All set !

My " beautiful " son ! Taken on the morning of the first day of Hari Raya.

It was five years ago when I last met these " stalkers " ! Ha ! Ha!

Yummy cakes  at my sister's house.

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 Ok, those are all ! Amateur remember ? Ok friends, SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI AND MAAF ZAHIR BATIN. 

ABANG

If you asked me what would be one of the biggest rahmat Allah swt had bestowed upon me; my answer would be my husband. I thanked Allah swt for I am blessed with a wonderful husband. Abang always has so much to give and forever willing to forgive and forget. Our children do not only adore him but they also look up to him. They always say that their Abah is everything a father should be. Thank you Abang for giving us so much love and for always being there for us; your wife and children who love you so very much.
 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABANG AND MAY ALLAH SWT BLESS US AlWAYS.

VALUES

Hi. Another story to share. 

I was looking out of the window while doing the dishes when a man on a bike stopped near my house gate. With him was an adorable little girl. The girl got off the bike, squatted on the pavement and then started to eat what looked like satay to me. The concerned father was obviously sensitive to his child's need or else he would not have pulled aside and let the girl finish eating her satay first. Ok, that is so commendable, I said to myself. I continued watching with great interest as to what would follow next. A few minutes later, the girl got onto the bike again. Much to my disappointment,  they left without even bothering to throw the leftovers at the right place. The father did not seem to mind at all. So, off they went leaving behind the rubbish right in front of my gate.....sedihnya...

Well, some people said that  parents are the best teachers for their children. What we do and what we say can actually become transmission of norms, values, and beliefs. Thus, an experience can sometimes become an unintended lesson. According to Tielle Webb 2012 in eHow,  we need to live a life that is worthy of emulation. Children learn by example; they learn what they live. Believe it or not, your child is watching you and how you react to life. Live in a way that portrays good values in order to teach them to your  child. Some of us might think that it is premature to teach young kids about values.   The truth is the children are  never too young to learn about values. Children need to start learning good values when they are very small. This will carry them through their turbulent teen years.

As Muslims , we should also instill in them the right niyah, lillahi taala in whatever that they do. This can become a good reminder of the order of the day and of what they should and should not do. InsyaAllah.

Let me end the day with a quote by Abdul Kalam , “If  a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.”
So, why not give it a thought ya friends... 

BUBBLES

Years back, when my kids were still very young, I hired an Indonesian maid who was in her mid 40s. I was lucky because she was one very hard working lady. Household chores were made easy with her around. The kids called her " Bibik " and they really enjoyed her company and it seemed like the feeling was mutual on her part. However, kids will be kids! Hmm... sometimes, they did give her severe headaches with their boisterous, monstrous and disastrous acts! On one fateful day, I received a distress call from my maid.

"Puan, Puan. Cepat balik Puan ! Tolong saya Puan ! " (Madam, please hurry home ! I really need your help!")

" Alamak ! This is SOS !! " What could the kids be up to this time !"

Abang and I rushed home immediately. Bibik was already at the door with my son clinging onto her. However, she forbade us from going into the house, " Puan, jangan masuk .. nanti Puan jatuh.." (Don't go in Madam..you might slip..) I could understand her concern for me as I was on the family way but I demanded to go in. My heart nearly stopped beating the moment Abang and I walked into the house. I just could not believe what I saw. The floor of the living room was thoroughly covered with soapy water, yes soapy water ! Bubbles were floating everywhere around the house. Before our eyes were our two daughters having fun sliding in and out of the bedroom into the living hall !! Bibik was near tears as her pleas were totally ignored by these two little monsters! I was also near tears as I watched my two daughters lathering themselves up before sliding again across the room! Yes, that was exactly what they did over and over again ! By then, the house was all bubbles !! Hu Hu Hu..

Although we were so upset with our two daughters, we did not resort to any forms of punishment. We did not even shout at them, what more to spank them. Abang and I merely asked them to stop and clean themselves. The " piece of one' s mind " thing ( a long lecture ) came later that day ; after the house was back to its normal condition AND the poor parents had fully recovered from the shock !!

Some parenthood experience, eh ? Not just colorful , but shall I say full of bubbles as well ! Ha ! Ha!