Pages

Saturday 29 November 2014

Gratitude: Fixing and Healing

Today, I am thankful for an awakening.

An awakening to be a better Muslim. The Little Girl had recently started "agama" classes at The Playschool and her "Ustazah" taught her the names of the 5 obligatory prayers. She can now recite Subuh, Zuhur, Asar, Maghrib and Isyak. Her favourite "sound" is Maghrib. Bless!

Well, a huge portion of my 2014 has been about fixing my outer shell as a Muslimah. Fixing my hijab, as an obvious example. Fasting steadfastly and properly during Ramadhan is another but I wish I had been more "pure in thoughts" and "pure in thoughts when idle". Zakat has been settled, and Hajj may still wait for now. Syukur alhamdulillah for those baby steps.

For the rest of 2014, I am going to try to heal my inner self and fix everything that is broken from within. There is only December left to 2014, so the clock is really ticking loudly for me. You may already guess by now which pillar in Islam I am going to strive for.

Yes, solat. In sha Allah. I have always felt happiest/most calm/most at peace when "ranting" it all to Him because He is The Best Listener. Lately, I feel the compulsion is observing the 5 prayers, and the guilt when missing prayers is strong. He had blessed my family with so much and yet I am so lacking as His servant. The "agama" class awakening is so timely, jazakAllah

I must make that change for myself because solat will be the first account on Judgment Day.

I must strive to be a stronger and practising Muslimah.

The biggest journey starts with the first step. May Allah swt remove my stumbling blocks, obstacles and hardship, Amin! May Allah swt also grant me sufficient living and healthy days for me to make good to Him and repent my sins, Amin!


Innara Classic Inner by Sugarscarf


*This is NOT a sponsored post*

My search for the perfect cotton inner has ended and I would like to thank a very kind reader who left a fantastic suggestion in the comment box the other day. Thank you!

Knowing me, no static electricity is already a big win but here are other reasons why I am going to purchase these gems in all colours:

The cotton material is soft and keeps me cool. 


The neck cover can be tucked under shirts for total cover.

The elastic gather at the back approximately where the hair bun ends allows for stretch and easy wearing; and removal without causing the hair bun to unravel. Goodbye ripped inners without elastic bands!

The choice of colours available is a dream come true. If only my favourite colours aren't already sold out. 

The cotton material washes well without too much wrinkling so light ironing is an option.

I feel a little bit like a girl let loose in a candy store. Hang on, Sugarscarf is a candy store! 

*thumbs up!*

To be fair, there is only one small feature that I do not like so much and that is the RM7 Poslaju cost. In this day and age of online shopping, postage is nearly always free, so I was quite surprised. Oh well, what choice do I have? RM7 for convenience! Still, it would be nice for the store to eventually offer free delivery, may I say Amin to this wish?

Happy shopping, my lovelies! Or rather, happy shopping to me. I bet I am the last person to discover this lovely product and brand. 
Friday 28 November 2014

Butter Cookies


The Little Girl and I shared a little project yesterday after dinner and that was to bake a small batch of cookies for tea time today. Honestly, I was totally spent after cooking and cleaning up after dinner but her wild yet innocent enthusiasm got the better of me.

At tea time today, we enjoyed some butter cookies topped with chocolate chip, served with Korean strawberries and Chilean blueberries. Syukur alhamdulillah it was a delicious treat with a cup of tea (goats milk for the kids).

Here is the "no brainer recipe" (The Little Girl had fun and baked this with some assistance, guidance and supervision):

Preheat oven to 160C.

Part A:
227g of soft unsalted butter 
1 cup of castor sugar (really sweet!!)
1 tsp of vanilla essence

Part B:
1 1/2 cup of self raising flour
1 tsp of baking powder
Pinch of salt

Mix Part A well until well-combined but not stiff.

Sieve Part B then mix in to Part A in small portions until well-combined.

Scoop a teaspoonful onto baking tray lined with baking paper. Be sure to leave enough space for the cookie to "spread out" when baking.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack before eating/storing.

Our backstory:
Top with a favourite topping of choice for some frivolity and fun. We have previously topped with cashew nuts, hundreds and thousands sprinkles and chocolate sprinkles. This batch was chocolate chips! I find that topping choice is limitless which is why I allow The Little Girl to suggest or choose one that she likes. In this process, she has observed and learnt that dry fruits like raisins, cranberries and apricots get burnt while wet fruit like cherries for baking would turn out perfect. Of course, the "whys" darts were shot at me to Google up the answers for her.

Oh, we chilled this dough in the fridge for 15 minutes before rolling and cutting into shapes if not using the teaspoonful drop onto baking tray lazy method. The chilling helps stiffen the dough as we find it much easier to work with a slightly firmer texture. Evidently, I prefer the lazy method with lesser time consumed and lesser washing of rolling pin/cookie cutter/what begins to look like a PlayDoh session. But I don't always get my way, hah! I pray The Little Girl will cherish memories of our baking sessions...

Crumbly tasty and diabetic-inducing good times, have fun my lovelies! Be sure to have an active outdoor play activity planned for after those treats for the little ones to burn all that sugar off. 

Bon appetit!
Wednesday 26 November 2014

Gratitude: Name Change

Today, I am thankful for my Islam name.

When I reverted to Islam, I was advised to pick a suitable and meaningful first name, and to keep the rest of my name as it is. I have been told that on Judgment Day, I will be called by my Muslim name, so it would make a lot of sense to choose a beautiful and meaningful name to last me, literally, forever.

Consequentially, after much thought, my name consists of my Islam name + my birth name. It did not look "Islam enough" although those who know me would know that my Islam name is the Arabic version of my previous Christian name. Essentially, I have the same name and it did not cause me any discomfort or major adjustment. It is beautiful and meaningful.

The paperwork and procedures were relatively easy although slightly time consuming. Over the years, only one foreign bank refuses to this day to effect my name change and I still wonder why. 

Well, "Abdullah" portion to a Muslim revert's name is not compulsory, as some have been ill-informed. There is no compulsion in Islam and that is why Islam is beautiful to me. 

More than five years have passed and I have grown more and more accustomed to this way life. It has not magically happened overnight, but one that is slow and gradually faith increasing. One of the things I have discovered is the meaning of "Abdullah", The pure and simple meaning of "servant of Allah" is so captivatingly wholesome and meaningful I now wish I had added that to my name. 

However, joy does come in unexpected forms. There is one person who has always addressed me on letters with "Abdullah" and she is a cousin of The Other Half. She is so gorgeous inside out, a wonderful and devoted wife, a loving and dedicated mother to three boys and every single of her status update or sharing on Facebook is dakwah related. I am so blessed to have her as my walking and talking Ustazah, always one message or phone call away.

Kakak, thank you! May Allah swt bless you abundantly and increase your vitality for always spreading and doing good deeds, Amin!

Gratitude: Home Sweet Home

Today, I am thankful for The Flat.

It keeps us all safe, sheltered, comfortable and I will always remember some of our best memories created here.

The euphoric moment when we first took vacant possession in September 2012 as we were greeted by an awesome view of the city centre's 50 acre of green lungs and pretty skyline. The clouds were so white, the skies were so blue! Syukur alhamdulillah.

The wow factor when we first dipped The Little Girl into her wading pool with an equally breathtaking view of Genting skyline. She was the only 18 month old toddler in the entire property then, so the pool was all hers! Syukur alhamdulillah.

The satisfaction in finding every single gym equipment in working order, clean and available. I wish I had been more diligent at using it so this will be one of my resolutions for 2015, in sha Allah.

The giddiness and excitement as we strolled to nearby malls on our feet without having to incur carbon footprints and hefty parking fees. The Little Girl had enjoyed street view, learnt to walk on the pavement in the opposite direction of traffic, learnt to stay on the inside while holding my hands, learnt to look for pedestrian crossing and interpreting the lights for pedestrian crossing and 1001 other details. Impossible to enumerate all those big and little lessons, simply impossible. Syukur alhamdulillah.

The convenience of having local, tasty and affordable albeit slightly unhealthy breakfast across the street. The camaraderie of eating with family, next to other families, after a morning of sweating it out at the local playground. The crazy smell of insect repellent, kids' sweat, iced Milo and roti banana...syukur alhamdulillah.

The joy of finding halal Japanese food at hotel restaurants within walking distance to satiate my pregnancy cravings! The 3pm stroll to buy laksa asam downed with three layer tea! The random 4pm craving for sambal petai udang with white rice! Syukur alhamdulillah.

The contentment in knowing that school run only takes 5 to 10 minutes. Especially when we run late. Syukur alhamdulillah.

The security in knowing that in case of emergency, the best private hospital in the country, in our humble opinion, is only within 5 to 10 minutes. The nose bleeds (mine), the mycoplasma infection (The Little Girl's), the jigsaw puzzle sharp corner stab into an eye (The Other Half's) and the arrival of Bean. Syukur alhamdulillah.

Counting His shower of blessings upon us has certainly made us His ever grateful servants. This helps in overcoming days when we feel stressed over inner city living, cost and style. It is not always rosy, but we are mostly blessed and grateful.

Thank You, for all Your Blessings.

May You keep us all ever safe, ever sheltered, ever protected, ever guided in our home sweet home, Amin!
Monday 24 November 2014

Happy Monday!

Hello, my lovelies!

I finally got the hang of wearing my inner with Onulaa headscarf using pins and a small brooch. Big bonus: no static electricity with the chiffon material. Proviso: hand wash with Woolite and hang to dry with no ironing. This "success formula" has given me a new zest to rebuild my headscarf collection and bring out my brooch collection. 

However, sheer convenience of button headscarf when in a rush to head out the door must not be underestimated. My favourite is this:



The Neda is so comfortable I feel like buying in my usual black and navy in addition to my gray as pictured above.

Up ahead this week are some work related meetings outside of home and I feel like wearing this:



Do you also plan out wardrobe for the week like I do to save some precious morning minutes? I am all for increasing effectiveness and efficiency to reduce morning school run stress, so I arrange outfit for the week by Saturday evening, leaving my Sunday blue-free.

In order to achieve that and kickstart that, we need to organise ourselves better don't we? To help us all achieve that, I am sharing my discount code at Zalora with you! Please type this 15% discount code upon checkout: ZBAPQA21 for your first purchase as a new customer!



Thank you for supporting vendors that help make Daily Supplications possible. Happy shopping and have a productive week, in sha Allah!
Thursday 20 November 2014

Onulaa

Syukur alhamdulillah for such a lovely gift.  Thank you, JC. I am truly blessed by your warm heart and hand in friendship through all these years. May God bless you and your growing family with much love, happiness and health always!


You can find Onulaa scarfs on Instagram and Facebook, if interested. I have compiled a wish list in the short time that I have learnt about these gorgeous pieces! So timely too, considering that I am in the mode and mood for "revitalising" my head scarf collection. All I need now is the "static test drive" after reading a simple supplication and thanksgiving for this new clothing.
 
"All praises and thanks be to Allah who has clothed me with this (garment) and provided it for me, with no power nor might from myself, Amin!"

Suzanne Pins & Petals were scouted at the concourse level at KLCC outside M&S. I have another pair to look for, to match the reddish/purplish scarf. You can buy these at RM10 for 3 pieces, what a bargain!

Just adore how enterprising this work from home mother is, toiling and building her own brand, SubhanAllah. May Allah swt bless her and her family abundantly for her noble effort, Amin!

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Goodbye, S. Hello, M


Part of my wardrobe hijrah is parting with 3/4 sleeved tops. These organic cotton Zara tops were my transition from sleeveless and short sleeves to 3/4 sleeves. After about 2.5 years, I am ready to move a step closer to where I want to be.

I am now ready to part with them, and move to full length sleeves. Hope this pile of 9 will find a good owner soon. 

Also, I am moving to looser tops. Hello, M. Here I come.
Monday 17 November 2014

Segregate

Monk, has anyone watched this American series before?

One tiresome/quirky trait the character that Monk has is OCD, and how he would segregate his food into neat piles by type and colour to eat. It was cute to watch on screen.

I was given the task to serve a neat bowl of udon for dinner. Not as cute as an episode of Monk...

The Little Girl is going through a phase of "eating neatly", I feel she is taking it too literally. She has a favourite dinner plate/canteen in which I can put different food in each segregated space and I use that if I were in a hurry.


The broth was underneath the pile "but not drowning" her food. She then ate it type by type, systematically. Well, I was thankful she did!

I am going to count how many times she chews each mouthful tomorrow just to up the anté! Add no talking and no singing. The toughest part is preventing her from distracting Bean during meals. 

Wish me luck!

(I wonder how she eats her nasi campur at Playschool).

Sleep Tight, Baby


Bean's cot at The House has been handed down to a dear friend's soon-to-arrive second son, alhamdulillah. Time has really flown by since we were told of their happy news. 

Is it true that another woman's 40 weeks always seem faster than own pregnancy? Illusion? My first pregnancy felt like forever even though The Little Girl arrived at 36 weeks. Bean stayed for 37 weeks 3 days but it felt as quick as a flash! I guess it had to do with not knowing what to expect during my first pregnancy, and then being more comfortable and somewhat more experienced the second time.

Anyway, we pass on love, comfort and friendship through this cot. Sleep tight, the bed bugs won't bite (there aren't any bed bugs!!). We feel the tradition of passing down and sharing baby products  and furniture is a fine one as our sentimental stuff from The Little Girl went to this same friend's first son, and now Bean is keeping our little tradition alive with her second son. The timing is perfect.


We wish you a very safe delivery, hopefully VBAC, and speedy recovery with enjoyable confinement and traditional massages, JC!


Friday 14 November 2014

Speedy Indeedy Meal: Aglio Olio


We were pressed for time to serve dinner on time tonight. That meant falling back on this classic favourite; quick preparation, fast to cook, good to eat *humming Maggi commercial jingle*

I replaced spaghetti with spagettini as thinner pasta boils to al dente texture much faster.  No genius there! 

The chopped garlic, chopped onions, calamari rings, peeled shrimps, broccoli were stir fried briefly with just olive oil. 

I then tossed drained spagettini with some extra virgin olive oil and added "topping" of choice before serving "customised" platters.

Bean's portion did not have calamari rings, chilli flakes and pepper in them (see photo). He tasted his sweet basil garnish and spat it after a chew cud expression, too cute! I have always admired his courage to try new tastes.

The Little Girl had hers with calamari without shrimp, chilli flakes and pepper. Her verdict of her sweet basil garnish is "leave it aside next time". Very honest!

The Other Half and I had ours with the whole lot, garnished with fresh sweet basil, as we are relatively easy to please folks.

Bonus: longer evening routine for the kids as the dishwasher took care of the pots and pans, dishes and cutlery. 

Ultra bonus: we ate a simple home-cooked meal on a Friday evening watching the traffic outside crawl in a sea of brake red lights in the rain. I wish everyone a safe journey home, and a huge part of me was so grateful for being home with my family.

Burp, alhamdulillah!

Note: I know broccoli is not an aglio olio ingredient. I was just being too lazy and tired to cook it separately. 


Thursday 13 November 2014

Temptation

The skinny jeans whisper was loud and clear. Hasutan! Dugaan!

I tried it on, and it was a perfect fit for only RM69.90! Then, a voice inside me whispered back,"This is just not right."

So I placed the perfect pair of gray skinny jeans back into the bin and walked out of the store.

My conclusion is that every hijrah has its challenges. It is vital to set the right niat and focus on that when making choices. Syukur alhamdulillah for my minor fashion choice today. It was a small gesture, but a step closer towards taqwa. That is all that matters to me right now.

Baby steps.

Crazy Busy

How have you been, my lovelies?

I am sorry for the slow updates this week, it has been hectic both at work and at home, despite the two fronts being at the same location, different rooms.

On the up side, I am sneaking a minute or two catching up with updates on blogs by fellow mums. So much has happened since I burrowed into rabbit hole/work dungeon! Love to all, you know who you are. 

Hope to complete some work by this week and find a breather (before some minor renovations start). Keep me updated, my lovelies! 


Wednesday 12 November 2014

Modal


Alhamdulillah, so far so good i.e. No static! 

When I first read the label, I had to Google the composition of this material inside the changing room at M&S. Modal, in my limited knowledge, means capital in Malay language *facepalm* 

Loving my new shirt...so if you are prone to getting zapped, perhaps you would like to try this out too. Happy shopping!
Tuesday 11 November 2014

Streaming

Speaking of streaming in my last post, I recall collecting my SRP certificate and letter of offer from my alma mater in 1991.

Science.

Automatically, students who scored 8As or 7As would be placed in the science stream. Never mind dreams!

I knew then that it wasn't my interest to read pure science and solve additional mathematics for 2 years in my upper secondary years. I was not lucky enough to meet with a career counsellor at that age to find out what were the pre-conditions and prerequisite subjects to courses that might have led me to pursuing a career in interior design and the like. 

Despite being naively ignorant, I built my courage to ask for a slight change. 

So I read commerce and accounts with additional mathematics (instead of economics). The best part was this option came with art, so it was really fun!

Truth is, it was crazy to volunteer for additional mathematics as I have no passion for calculus! My first failure in my life was Additional Math. 8/100 *what was I thinking?!* The absolute good that came from this was doing the same additional mathematics at Year 12 level, only tougher because it in English. Ha! 

The rest is history. I did not become the interior designer I had so wished (despite having additional mathematics to calculate all sorts of materials akin to quantity surveying). The closest I have been to interior design is in communicating with the firm we hired before we moved into The Flat. Oh well.

I pray so hard now that my children will someday not be as silly as I had been when their turn comes. I pray that they will choose wisely. I know not what future jobs they are studying for, but I know they need the right motivation, direction and skills to face their future to earn halal income in the right industry with passion from within them. 

There is only one who knows, truly Allah swt is All Knowing, and has the best Plan and Purpose for them. May His Blessings and Guidance be with my children, always. Amin!

By design or default, I am where I am so I am just going to be redha and trust Him. 

Have you always known your direction, my lovelies? Please do share your journey, I'd love to hear!
Monday 10 November 2014

Living Skills

During my secondary education days, we were introduced to a subject known as "Kemahiran Hidup", loosely translated as living skills.

At my alma mater, we were streamed according to UPSR results so most of my friends and I who scored 5As had been automatically streamed into Commerce and Accounts despite preferring Home Science subjects. The real reason why we preferred Home Science was because of the cooking and baking lessons. Delicious cookie and appetising chicken curry aroma always came from the large cooking and sewing hall!

Once weekly, during the 160 minutes of Living Skills class, we would enjoy lessons on how to change the flush toilet float, how to unclog L-shape pipe under the sink and such. It was engagingly fun! However, we never once learnt to poach an egg or operate the oven.

The point of my post is this: I wish I had insisted on the change of streaming then. Of course I cannot turn back time now and what I had learnt in all my years drafting the Balance Sheet was definitely useful in paving the way to a degree and beyond. 

It is just that, learning to cook and sew then would have saved me from my current misery of not being able to cook/bake very well; and having a sewing machine without knowing how to operate it. Lessons for adults these days are costly and time-consuming, as I recently discovered.

As a consequence, I am trying to expose my children to as much living skills as possible. I hope for them to be able to create, than just be a user (of things, and having to pay for everything with currency). Skills like swimming, playing any musical instrument, cook, bake, sew, farm, clean etc.  I will join them on this journey, as I am evidently far from being accomplished myself.

So, wish me luck! In sha Allah I can find a way out of this and arm myself with more useful domestic skills. Maybe after picking up some new tricks, planning our monthly menu rotation will not be such a difficult thing to do. 

*lifting up the phone to dial for cooking and sewing lessons, becoming fast-friends with Jamie Oliver and Martha Steward online*

Glimmer of hope...
Sunday 9 November 2014

Goldilocks Syndrome

Have you ever been in a "Goldilocks" stage of your hijab journey?

I have, and still do! I do not give up, keen on trying out different headscarf styles occasionally, and of course keep to budget as to what I can experiment with.

For a start, I will share my top 10 headscarf boo boos so that seasoned hijabis out there can "rescue" me. I will not write about abaya, jubah, traditional baju kurung, pants and blouses as it would sound like repetition...in this post, at least.

1. Too Loose
The headscarf that is too loose annoys me because my hair at my forehead will somehow escape and peek out. Especially after eating, or a session of struggling with an active toddler. Most slip-on express tudung are marked as free size or medium but I know after 5 years plus of buying them, to try them on first. Try to move my jaws and see if it slips down or backwards. Face downwards, turn left, turn right. That weird lady you saw at the tudung shop probably was me!

2. Too Tight
The headscarf that can magically produce migraines within ten minutes of wearing annoys me too. Too tight, and gives me appearance that I just had a facelift. Don't laugh at my feigned surprise expression, I was probably suffering and couldn't wait to hurry home to change into something more comfortable.

3. Too Long
The wrap scarf that goes on. And on. And on. Anything more than 170cm is too long, for me. Too many layers will also mean too warm. Great during winter, just not downtown KL at midday. 

4. Too Short
The wrap that is too short, leaving a chance of nape being exposed, or see through shape of hair bun. Or becomes too tight because I try completing a wrap. The pin then causes a rip and tear at tension site. Sigh. 

5. Too Colourful 
I am not a big fan of gaudy colours so wearing a gift that is too colourful on me for one photo session, then donating the precious gift to someone else, quietly, works for me. Shhh!

6. Too Dark
Black (headscarf) on black (outfit) is my favourite, but I have been told that it is simply too dark. I sometimes offset the darkness: break the monotony with a pair of non-black flats, or carry a non-black arm candy. I really admire those graceful ladies from Middle East who rock this look with the sashay of their lush cotton hijab, abaya and all. 

7. Too thin
Light cotton, nice and cool, perfect for humid country like Malaysia. Not so good when the outline of hair and neck can be seen. Adding the "snowcap" inner then results in the headscarf being too thick and too hot. Catch 22.

8. Too thick 
Opaque is good, but also sometimes too dense, too thick and too hot! Inners and scarves that are too thick block out sound, and you will find me saying, "excuse me?" a little more than usual. I am not hard on hearing, but have admitted to temporary reduced ability to hear well. Are you laughing at me?

9. Too hot
Combination of too long, too thick. Why haven't I learnt?! I wish online shopping sites would list the cotton thread count so that I can gauge how thick an item of clothing is *wishful thinking* the best cotton inner snowcap that has all the features I love comes from Tudung People (have you seen how fast they sell out all colours at every single restock?!). 

10. Too static
Polyester rayon, viscose, poly blend are all no-go for me. Zap! Zap! I envy those who can wear those materials because they layer so well, and light to pack!

Well, I keep the faith that I will someday be completely comfortable, suitably dressed and totally shariah-compliant. Until then, I will keep trying! As long as my heart and intention are all in the right places, I know I can ace this, Amin! This is my test, this is my test.

Please do share your favourite headscarf wearing style, material and source, my lovelies! 
Saturday 8 November 2014

Family Budget 2015

Not of the country! That's done and dusted, without much debate, right?

I am referring to personal-household budget. 

Disclaimer: I am not a financial expert, neither am I trained to analyse numbers. This only serves as a personal family anecdote so we may improve ourselves. 

Further disclaimers: Always pay yourselves first, 20% of your gross income being the ideal sum. Always settle your zakat too, the 1.5% belongs to Him. 

Now that we have that clarified, let's get to the gist of what I meant to share...

The Other Half prepares our annual budget/ income and expenditure forecast every end of October after the national budget is presented. We will then review it together, debate on some areas we can try to cut back on (usually the column on provision for my shopping, sigh!), provide for contingencies/new forthcoming expenses, then fair the agreed numbers. So far, he has not asked for me to sign for acceptance of the budget *phew!*

In all our 5 years of being married, our expenditure had escalated mostly due to growing head count. Our income has been somewhat stagnant. Results: we have to do something constructive to increase our income and find multiple sources of income.

With impending GST, even more stretching of the Ringgit is required. It is not an area married couples like to discuss (neither do we!) but vital that we set aside that one or two hours per annum to plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail, right?

Last year, we revised all our medical, life and endowment policies to factor in rising cost of private health care. This year, we added new provisions for school fees with all incidental cost and charges for both kids. 

Minor lifestyle changes will have to be introduced come 2015 too, which includes lesser artisan coffee, more cooking of family meals and buying clothes only during discount. We will try our best. Give credit where credit is due: Cutting out impulse purchase of toys and books have been our greatest achievement so far. 

A budget is a quick snapshot of our finances. With clear numbers, it is much easier to provide for everyone's needs and possibly some treats within our means. That also gives us a better idea of what to pray over (opportunities, extra income etc.) and count our blessings!

The daily expenditure spread sheet captures almost every single ringgit and sen, so we can track if we are on or off budget. How scary, right? 

In all honesty, it keeps us financially disciplined. We know before we purchase anything if we can afford it, or not. The next level is determination to want to keep to the budget, and not stray from it. 

Budget 2015. We have done ours, and we would highly recommend that you do yours too! Have fun!

p/s: templates are online for free, please download one that suits you. 
Friday 7 November 2014

Productive


The above happened. 

Two hours later, my entire wardrobe had undergone "goodbye chiffon, goodbye viscose, goodbye rayon, goodbye polyester" spring cleaning. Naturally, a wish list for new cotton items emerged. I am one of those people who have high static charge and polyester clothing always "zaps" my skin. 

I have tried increasing humidity in The Flat, open the windows for fresh air, use cotton inners and so far, almost all my attempts have failed. Wits end as to how to reduce static electricity in me!

If you know of any reliably good cut and quality Muslimah cotton abaya, shirt, pants and instant shawl, please drop me a comment. Thank you!

Wednesday 5 November 2014

The Shopping App

One of the most dangerous useful app I have downloaded is this:


I love it! I get to browse, make a wish list, shop and pay within a mobile-friendly interface while feeding Bean during one of his "breastfeeding marathon". 



Caution: Highly addictive. Proceed with care and diligence! 

Zalora has also improved in terms of email and phone notification for tracking and delivery, so taking the stress of guessing delivery time is passé. I have recently tried both cash-on-delivery and ipay88 mode of payment with zero trouble. 

Returns are easier now with pre-packed Poslaju docket all enclosed for convenience. A store credit is issued upon successful return, no questions asked.

My wish is for all mums out there who are sitting and waiting at endless piano classes, swimming lessons, school run intervals with no time to shop brick and mortar style to perhaps consider downloading this app for convenience sake. 

Happy shopping, my lovelies!

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Honest Answer

Every now and then, my PIL ask about my desire to return to work full time (in an office, gainful employment, chasing my dreams and bringing home the dough). 

The answer used to be a confident "yes" when I only had The Little Girl but that is quickly changing with Bean around. When she was about 8 months old, I even went as far as updating my résumé and meeting up with my head-hunter from Singapore, only to withdraw when my PIL objected to the offer and counter-offered with another opportunity (an ideal offer of working from home with flexible hours and almost non-existent deadlines, bless!)

2 kids later, my scenario has changed. Recently, they have asked again about my plans on catching up with my career path. It has left me with some insecurity and jitters.

How am I going to cope (with full time employment outside) with housework, cooking, laundry, homework and their studies, music and piano practice, swimming lessons, soccer dates, play dates etc. if I were working full time and not allowed to hire a helper? It is a catch 22 puzzle for me. 

As a result, by and by, my own hopes and dreams dissolves into nothingness, replaced beautifully and bursting with potential of what my children can possibly achieve.

Now I understand the meaning of sacrifice.

Now I understand what one does for unconditional love.

Now I accept that I have so much more to learn, through my children.

Syukur alhamdulillah for this opportunity, as I better myself, through my children.

Maybe, I have to communicate this change to my PIL...and maybe ask why they never ask The Other Half the same question...

Finally, I am growing. Up.

Monday 3 November 2014

Al-Fatihah: Abang

Every 3 November marks the anniversary of Abang's passing. 

Once annually, we would gather at 11 am  at his Pusara to clean, pull out random weeds, plant a new potted plant, place some fresh flowers after giving our Salam and reading him Al-Fatihah. We would also say some supplications at the end of the individual prayer.

We would then sometimes fill the awkward silence with nervous chatter, updates and sweet memories of him. That covers our tears and heartache, as we try not to cry at Pusara.

Today was no different. We did what we do annually. Thank you for holding us together in unity even after leaving us. We all love you still.

Al-Fatihah, Abang. May Allah swt place you amongst the best of His Believers in Jannah, Amin.
Saturday 1 November 2014

Gratitude: Faith

Today, I am thankful for having Allah swt with my family.

Before marriage, I was the most selfish person I know. I clocked 12 hours daily on average, including most weekends. It was an empty life devoid of love, compassion, tolerance, mercy and all the other great qualities in life. 

What was void, I overfilled with busyness of meetings, transactions, work travels, personal hobbies and shopping. I pretended to live. 

When meetings were over, work was done, travels completed, and I arrived home late at night to an empty flat, emptiness was waiting for me.

It was a lonely place.

It was a dark place.

But I survived. I merely existed because I was curious enough to search for the way out towards Light, and perhaps Love.

Finally, one day, I truly looked for life. Meaning of life. Source of life. Owner of life. Life and everything within. Life before life. Life as I know it. Life after life.

The answer, was Allah swt.

The answers to all my questions, were in The Holy Quran. 

SubhanAllah!

Thank You for showing me The Straight Path. Please keep me true and close to You. Amin.

If you are on your search for faith journey, I wish you my very best. May Allah swt send you Taufiq Hidayah and Ease. Amin.