Through my eyes...

When kids don't meet our expectations

2011-04-27T11:25:00.003+08:00

When Zayed was a toddler, he could kick a ball before he walked, and I went " he'll be a great soccer player!", he took to the water well and I said "he'll be a swimmer!", he ran after birds, touched cats and rabbits and I said "he'll be close to animals!". Practically, everything mummy never was but secretly hoped to be.

Now, he is 3 yrs old. He is slow in his Gross motor, so he is not good in sports. He is scared of water, so swimming classes are very stressful. He runs away from mynahs and sparrows and only finds pleasure in feeding fishes. Frankly, I got a bit disappointed. Then, I cleared my mind and looked at my son again.

True he may not be good in sports but he could still get his daily exercise. He may not be a swimmer but he loves to go to the pool. He may not be a vet, but he loves animals. BUT.....

His imagination is vast, far bigger than I've known any 3 yr old's to be. Simple lego blocks transform into the treasury building, MRT trains, stations, leaning towers, alphabets, numbers, dominoes, zoo, gardens, food, drinks, etc in his tiny hands.

He could beat box! I am not kidding...He could hold a tune far better than his parents. He makes music with his teeth, tongue, throat and god know what else in his mouth. He tries to play the tunes in his head in my husband's keyboard. He loves to sing and could remember lyrics after hearing the song just twice. I realised then, that my son does not have to be what I could not be. He could be what he wants to be. May God let me have this mindset for years to come.

And so, I change my search. I look out for ideas and opportunities for my boy to exercise his imagination. I want to give him opportunities to maximise his music potential. And so, if u know anyone who teaches beat boxing for pre schoolers, just let me know, cos I've got a rapper in my house. :)

Zayed, my intelligent child who is often misunderstood. We love you so much and will always be there for you.

Loss and Gains of 2010

2010-12-31T01:02:00.003+08:00

As 2010 comes to a close, I look back at my major gains and losses for the year.

LOSS

1. Lost the closeness with some of my friends due to lack of contact.

2. Lost some really close people whom I considered family. They taught me the lesson that closeness may not stand through time and may not be mutual always. Made me realise that all that talk about close friends keeping each other in check does not ring true with everyone. Sometimes, people move away without giving you a chance to explain yourself.

3. Lost my mind, self esteem and sense of self several times.

4. Literally lost a family member. Dad, you are still missed. Wished you were here to be proud of Zayed's speech, cognitive and creative abilities. Wished you were here to carry Talha and pamper him like how you pampered Zayed. Wished you were here for me to tell Talha that "this is aappaa"...

GAINS

1. A beautiful child named Talha who is a true blessing from God.

2. A wonderful family of four which feels complete. Hope Allah keeps us close always.

3. A wonderful sister-in-law who is right for the family.

4. Opportunities to strengthen relationships and friendships.

5. "Mummy" friends who understand the phase of life that I am going through.

6. A new found love and admiration for my husband who does all he can to keep me mentally and physically steady. God definitely knows my best pair.

With that I finish this year on a pleasant note. May 2011 be a better year.

My wishes for the new year :)

1. A trip with just jalees and me to spend some much needed time alone.

2. A break from life and an all girls trip somewhere with one or more crazy gals!

3. To move far away from depression and get back the confident and clear "me".

4. To be always there for my boys and see them grow as beautifully as they do now.

Happy 2011 everyone!

A Peek into my life

2010-09-16T15:30:00.008+08:00

14/09/10
3.30 am
- Feed Talha
4.10 am
- Talha wakes up again. Latch him lying down and sleep. Wake up on and off to latch as and when he wakes up.
8.00 am
- Wake up with a stiff extended arm. get Zayed ready for school
8.50 am
- Carry Talha (8.3 kg) in baby carrier and walk Zayed to school in the scorching sun.
- bring Talha to clinic. take q no and walk back home
10 am
- bathe Talha and feed him
10.50 am
- carry Talha and fetch Zayed from school and bring them both to clinic.
- see the doctor for Talha, buy lunch and walk back home
12.00 pm
- change Zayed, feed Talha, feed Zayed with a whiny Talha sitted on my lap and get them both ready for sleep.

constant factors
- scorching sun, housework, feeding talha, answering zayed, making sure zayed is safe. keeping talha entertained. cryings, screamings, whinings, etc.

15/09/10
- sleepless night
- wake up late and get Zayed ready for school
9.10 am
- leave home for school with Talha in carrier. heavy downpour starts.
- put raincoat for Zayed while balancing a jumping talha. carry umbrella in one hand and firmly hold Zayed in the other.
- try to hold umbrella steady in the strong wind and rain.
9.20 am
- reach school with all 3 of us wet. answer stupid old ladies questions of why I came and why never bring umbrella since they didn't see my wet umbrella which was outside.
- walk back home in heavy rain
9.35 am
- get ready, get Talha ready, feed him
10.45 am
- fetch Zayed from school, take a cab and go to mum's place.

constant factors
- housework, feeding talha, entertaining zayed and talha, answering zayed, making sure they are safe. crying, whining....

And that is only 2 half days worth of stuff. A peek into the life of a stay at home mum. Notice there is no mummy in the schedule? Noticed the absence of breakfast, lunch, etc? These are slotted in immediately at an opportune moment.

save the terms "tai tai", "new age complaining mum", "free", etc. cos u don't know what you are talking about.

DAD

2010-05-19T14:52:00.003+08:00

Daughters are usually closer to their dads. I was not daddy's girl. At least not that I remember in all my years. My dad was the typical indian muslim man who viewed his daughter as a responsibility, as a duty to be fulfilled and had the notion that daughters are not meant to last unlike sons. Maybe he had his ideas due to him looking after his 4 younger sisters and getting them married off in the absence of his parents. My dad's attitude towards me, as I remember, revolved around this notion of his.

Ironically though, among the 3 of his children, I inherited most of his personality. From his friendliness, passion for org.anising events and functions to his rebelliousness, confrontational attitude and hot headedness. My dad didn't know how to behave to his daughter who had similar traits as him. Our relationship was nothing rosy. We can be in the same house and not exchange a single word the whole day.

Things changed after my marriage as I fit into his married daughter category. In the last few years of his life, he tried in vain to patch the big hole between us. The love he couldn't show me, he poured it on my son, Zayed. The conversations he couldn't have with me, he had with my husband, his only son-in-law, whom he was extremely proud of.

Now, he is gone forever. I never thought I'll miss him. But, I see him in my Zayed. I see him in his toys, t-shirts, shorts,etc.

A particular incident keeps on coming to my mind. Once, we were at Gleneagles hospital to visit a relative critical in ICU and my dad bought me breakfast at delifrance. He is the coffee shop type, so I did the ordering. He tried to eat the croissant sandwhich I got for him using the knife and fork and was desperately trying to pretend that he's comfortable. Then, he saw me gobble my ciabatta down with my hands and he followed suit thankfully. It was just me and him at the table. A very rare occurence. We didn't know what to say and we were trying to make conversation. If he had viewed me in a different light, we could have been the best of buddies. We could have had more talks over teh tarik, our favourite. Some things are just not meant to be.

So, here's me missing you dad. Hope your shortcomings will be forgiven and Allah will be gracious towards you. See you soon.

just

2009-11-08T12:18:00.001+08:00

what do you do when you feel lost in your life? look back at times that made sense? Ponder on the what ifs and should haves and might bes? Does it do any good anyway? Low on morale and ibadah and both are fuelling each other making me feel worse.

super burn out.

Just...

2009-10-12T16:27:00.002+08:00

Left my boy at my mum's today and spent the entire day in front of my laptop. We're having minor renovation works and I'm here to so-called supervise. I had a heartache when they hacked down part of my wall to install a connecting door. Maybe I'm just too emotional.

Here today, gone tomorrow

2009-10-06T01:37:00.003+08:00

I just learned yesterday that a friend of mine has lost her unborn baby at 7 months. The last reference to her child in her FB account is of her hubby sharing that they have decided on the name of the boy. Just days before the child's heart stopped beating. Heart wrenching. I have no words of consolation for her. Hope she comes out of this ordeal stronger.

Allah knows best.

Zayed the terror

2009-10-03T00:05:00.002+08:00

Today we went visiting to a family friend's place. The sister's brothers' kids were also there and the house was filled with kids of different shapes and sizes. And ALL of them were intimidated by little Zayed.

Why? Cos he was showing his excitement and love by biting and pinching them, that's why. haiz...dunno how he picked up these actions by intuition.Nobody bites, pinches, pulls his hair or hits him. But, he just loves the reaction he gets!

Ethiroli....Jaggubhai

2009-09-30T00:56:00.004+08:00

Was watching Ethiroli earlier and I couldn't agree more with Sridhar. The topic was about Vasantham being a sole channel for Indians and has it succeded? Sridhar brought 2 wonderful points.

1. Pay the artistes instead of giving them a miserable allowance.
True. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. And there's an abundance of them on Vasantham.

2. Promote the local stars who have made it and are popular, such as Vadi, Elamaran, Shabir and Ebi. You don't get Gurmit Singhs and Zoe Tays overnight.
We need to do efforts to push forward our talents and not treat them as another potato in the sack. You want stars? You need to put in the effort.

Hope Vasantham and Oli does more to promote our local talent, Rafi who is the music director for Sarathkumar's new movie Jaggubhai. It's the big thing many local artistes dream of. Some got burnt through a reality programme sometime back. Whether the songs are nice or not, I'll buy the Audio CD for sure. Just to support Rafi. Way to go. You make us proud.

Eid 2009

2009-09-29T00:01:00.003+08:00

Eid this year has been quite uneventful albeit different. My cousin brother decided to get solemnised on Eid in order to obtain the date 20 09 2009. So, it was visiting the parents from morning till afternoon and the wedding dinner at night.

The past week saw us choosing the homes we want to visit and not suprisingly, friends take a precedence over relatives. I have my close nest of relatives who are my mother's sisters and their children. Then, there is my dad's eldest brother's family where I was brought up during my early years. Finally, one of his younger sisters and her daughter whom I grew up with. Some of the children of the not so close relatives have ended up as friends and I'm thankful for that.

Other than these, I give 2 hoots about the rest. I have not seen them lend a helping hand, listening ear or watchful eye when my family needed and most of them are there for the sake of it. Frankly, I don't even see them. Once a year, they come to my mother's place and chit chat but that's about it. I respect those who know that their close relationships stop with my parents. However, I can't stand those who believe that I have to lug around my kid to their place just like how they expected of my parents. There is even one who screams at my face at functions demanding why I don't visit them at Bukit Panjang. We did visit them out of respect when we got married. But, we were left alone at the table and the silence was more than awkward.There was nothing to talk. Nobody knew where to start.

So, spare me the torture and wake up. I don't feel close to you and hope the feeling is mutual.I respect you and let's leave it at that.

Life

2009-03-31T16:49:00.001+08:00

Sometimes, you need a break from life itself......

Marriage, Life and Love

2009-03-27T17:33:00.002+08:00

As I put out your old clothes,
I realise how you've grown.
Slowly, Quietly, Little by little,
Healthily, Happily,
My very own.

The day will come,
when you'll spread your wings far and wide,
flying towards your dreams.
A time of grey tresses, thin bones, poor eyesight,
but faces that still beam.

Our kids have their own partners,
like you are mine in this journey of life.
So, let us grow old together,
hand in hand, step by step
still madly in love with the face aged with lines.

-Yasmin

The Other

2009-03-05T00:42:00.002+08:00

Last night, Hubby, myself and zayed got into a lift with a man and a lady with her son who looked about 6yr old. The boy was actually commenting on people at the lobby but the mummy was not bothered. Then, in the lift my boy was pressing the buttons at the handicapped corner. I usually let him do that as it doesn't register unless you press enter. Furthermore, hubby was monitoring him.

The lift door opened at level 7 when no one pushed the button and nobody was outside.

Boy: I think I know who press the button. It is the Indian Person. (Mummy doesn't do anything)
Me: (Shocked) Excuse me, my baby didn't press the button. Don't anyhow say ok? (My floor arrives and we walk out)
Boy's mum : (straight faced) Actually, he wasn't referring to u all.
Me: (Blood Boil and straight faced) Oh, pls. What do you mean? We're the only ones here. U better check what your boy is saying.

How can the mummy support her boy's stereo typing remark! Even if he was referring to an indian family on the 7th floor, it is inappropriate since he didn't see anyone. And there are 5 families of different ethinicities residing on that floor.

At one point in time, Singapore used to be made up of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others. Now, that's not the case. The "others" are much more.There are Japanese, Filipinos, Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Thais, Myanmarese, Nigerians, Nepali, etc. We should be the ones teaching our kids to respect everyone or at the least not be rude, irregardless of difference in language, race,religion or colour. To think, someone from my generation, who is educated, could react that way. Haiz...

A gentle reminder

2009-02-09T03:02:00.002+08:00

"Why should anyone wish to witness a scene that Allah did not wish him to witness? He does not know what it would have been like if he had witnessed it or which party he would have belonged to if he lived at that time. By Allah, Allah's Prophet (s.a.w) saw people who were thrown right into hell, so you should thank Allah that you were spared such trial and were honoured by firm belief in Allah and His Prophet (s.a.w)"

Al-Miqdad ibn Amar
Men around the Messenger
by Khalid Muhammad Khalid

Copycat

2009-02-04T01:02:00.002+08:00

I can't believe it happened again.

Shoe thrown at Chinese Premier

Next time we'll need to leave our shoes outside when we attend talks by political leaders.

Small Steps

2008-12-16T16:31:00.001+08:00

It was the evening of 15 dec. Daddy was seated on the sofa, busy reading something. Mummy was nowhere to be seen. Zayed looked around the hall. The ball is no longer interesting, so is the tupperware and rattle. The toy box in the blue room is an option but the mysterious kitchen would be better. However, it is out of bounds. Ah Ha! the coffee table!

Zayed crawled quickly to the coffee table and pulled himself up. He was standing now, staring at the huge screen with fleeting images. Out of nowhere, mummy came and sat next to him looking nonchalant but ready to break his fall. Zayed knows that the coffee table is out of place. It has been moved forward preventing him from taking out the shiny dvd player. Oh how he would love to wack it on the floor. Terrible Mummy....

Suddenly, he moved his right leg sideways. Mummy seemed interested and Daddy looked up from his book. What was to happen next? A full minute and several hesitations later, it happened. Zayed took his left leg and very slowly and steadily placed it next to his right. Followed by applause and smiles from the room.

My baby has taken his first step......Alhamdulillah.

Something

2008-12-10T18:57:00.001+08:00

I have been feeling under the weather lately. The exact reason to which I can't pin point. It could be the lack of sleep, lack of exercise, attending to my super active baby or it could be my brain rotting away...

I am physically occupied everyday. Tending to Zayed takes up more energy than I could muster and he keeps me on adrenaline until I have a helping hand. Once hubby returns, all that adrenaline and alertness transforms to tiredness and every muscle in my body refuses to move another inch to do the housework that is waiting to be done. So, that is how it has been all this while. However, mentally and socially, I am feeling the gap. Don't get me wrong here, I love looking after my baby and I wouldn't have it otherwise. But, I guess it is time I did something. Perhaps, freelance or part time. Anything, that challenges my mind and that active spirit of mine.

Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me the opportunity to choose what I want to do if I do. Can't possible say every woman has this opportunity. He has given us enough and at times more than what we have asked for. Now, I need to do something to make me come alive. Bring out the lady in control that I used to be. Something.

BOLT

2008-12-07T01:05:00.001+08:00

Today, I went on a date after a really long time. Before you get weird ideas, my date is none other than my hubby :p . Ever since Zayed was born, it has been so difficult to have private outings as there is something springing up almost every weekend. Thanks to my mum who was ever so willing to babysit my darling, we sneaked out to have some quality private time. Hoping to do this often :). We caught BOLT and I think it's a very cute movie! A must watch for pet lovers.

Random

2008-12-05T18:18:00.001+08:00

I'm back. It's been sooo long. Hope to 'pen' whatever I can before the little emperor wakes up.

We came back from our vacation to find that Bombay and Bangkok was in a mess. During our vacation, we didn't get ourselves updated so I was shocked to hear our very own was held hostage. Of course, even more to realise she was gone. Personally, I can't understand how killing the innocent could be in line with Islam and make them Martyrs. As the news unfold, I see stories of politics, revenge and power. I really wish that people would stop using the name of religion to get what they want. Anyway, such mischief dates really far back to Caliph Uthman's (rah) time, where rebels killed him mercilessly in order to overthrow his power.

There was a time in history where wars were waged for every problem arised. All races and religions have their share in the history of wars. At that point in time, Allah sent revelations on how to fight fairly and taught mankind the rules of war. However, this era, is a time of intelligence. You have to use your mind more than your might, the pen more than the sword. The current attacks has yet again strengthened the world's stereotype that Muslims are violent and the religion condones terrorism. It hurts me that the religion I practise and love so much is subjected to such accusations. I guess Allah has a plan and we just have to wait and see what happens. Indeed, he is the Biggest Planner of All.

On a lighter note, Zayed had started to crawl. He is super active and it is so difficult to contain him sometimes. Alhamdulillah, he's growing well and brighter and he lights up everyone's day :)

I have finished my first pronounciation course for a madrasah, alhamdulillah. Being certified helps to boost my confidence to teach what I have learned. Looking forward to facilitating my next batch of students. Insha Allah, we could learn from each other.

Allah knows best.

Well done Singapore!

2008-09-17T01:25:00.002+08:00

I think I speak for many when I say I'm prouder of our paralympian medallists than our olympian medallists. Call me a spoilsport, but I like a Singaporean who can speak Singlish if not English!

Well done, Yip Pin Xiu and Laurentia Tan! It's a pity that they are recognised lesser than our imports.

Article from http://www.channelnewsasia.com

Blessed

2008-09-15T00:57:00.000+08:00

Today, I got the good news that a dear friend of mine is going for Umrah (minor pilgrimage) with her husband next week. Alhamdulillah! I feel happy for her to be blessed with the opportunity and especially so in the holy month of Ramadhan! Insha Allah, their trip would be smooth and their supplications would be answered and may they return as better muslims.

Insha Allah, Allah would give Jalees and myself the opportunity to visit the sacred land too.

Britain's Got Talent finalists

2008-09-10T18:16:00.000+08:00

To all Micheal Jackson and Bhangra fans out there. Simply wonderful yaar!

Kuruvi

2008-09-07T23:31:00.004+08:00

Have been wanting to write but lacking the time or energy to do so.

The "new year" video clip in Kuruvi was such a disappointment. I was fascinated by the brilliance of the song. To my malay readers, this tamil song has a fair bit of malay words! Serious, you got to see it to believe it :). Anyway, coming back to my disappointment, I thought that it being a Vijay clip, it should have good dance moves and was interested to see how the Malaysian rappers got featured. Reality was that Trisha and Vijay seemed like 2 country pumpkins in Malaysia. It is one of the stupidest videos I have seen. Such a waste. I think the clip would have made better sense with Rameshwara dancers in the background. They did a much better job during the segment with Udaya in Dhool 2008. I would like to share their video but sadly I can't find the clip.

The actress Trisha featured in the video, can't lip sync for nuts! She can't act, lip sync, dance and is no where near sexy. I wonder why she's so popular in Tamil Nadu. Beats me. Maybe, it's fortunate to be a "good friend" of Vijay.

Tough times

2008-08-30T01:23:00.001+08:00

Just learned that a close friend of mine is getting a divorce. I am still in shock as the 'D' word has not reached so close to my presence. After enduring mental and emotional harrassment from her in-laws, her husband (ironically) has filed for divorce because she's not agreeing to some things that he and his parents want. She tried to save the marriage but her hubby refuses to see things clearly and so the dotted lines are signed. Although, I feel that she may be better off without her in laws, the whole thing makes my heart heavy as they have a kid just a month younger than Zayed. A really adorable child. May Allah give them the strength to go through this ordeal and put the child in the right path. May HE guide them and protect them and make their hearts light.

The above incident also reminded me how fragile a marriage is. I guess all of us have to be thankful to God and think back about times that we have quarreled with our spouses over petty stuff. We have to be thankful for leading 'normal' lives and for our kids to have 'normal' upbringings. We have to remember that there are other families and kids going through tough times and yearning for things that we have taken for granted. May Allah protect us all and make us those who are thankful for his blessings.

Delete and Remove forever

2008-07-23T20:42:00.000+08:00

I like this delete and remove forever feature with regards to comments in your blog. It's just so cool. Kinda removes the kicks from those who want their 30 sec of fame in your blog.

NP ICS

2008-06-30T02:22:00.001+08:00

Ngee Ann polytechnic Indian Cultural Society (NPICS) marked their 25 th anniversary with a charity drive for the Spastic Association of Singapore recently. It was an event that I wanted to attend but couldn't due to family commitments. Coincidentally, some of the ex committee members didn't attend the event either.

Recently, 1 of them was asked why we gals were boycotting NPICS? It was funny when I heard it cos the idea of boycotting is just so strong. Later, when I thought about it, I was quite disturbed at the statement. True enough. Most of us were deeply involved in NPICS during our poly days. Some even skipped lessons and got expelled due to their poor time management! Such was the love for the club and its events. We were patriots and would swear that we were the best there is and best there was. However, when we graduated, NPICS and its events has moved to different levels in our priority lists. For some (including myself) it is not even in the priority list.

Looking back, NPICS was a place where I grew up. It was a stop in my journey of life. There were a lot of laughter, tears, friends, enemies, relationships made, relationships broken and the list goes on. It is a place where I learnt the good and the bad as well as the Do's and the Dont's of life. Some of my current close friends I have were made during my poly days. I am in constant contact with my 4 gals from my Business Studies batch (non NPICS) and some of my NPICS friends have moved along with me. It is always nice when I see the rest though at weddings, birthday parties and other occassions. Thanks to facebook, I'm at least in basic contact with some of them.

So, when the topic of boycott comes up, it is weird. There is nothing about the society to boycott. The current society belongs to the current members and we graduates of 8 yrs ago and above have moved on to other parts of our lives. We're no longer students or ICS members or active Alumnus members. We are husbands, wives, fiances, fiancees, fathers, mothers, post graduates, different citizens and so on. Just because we are not part of the society does not mean that the friendships that we have made are lost. For me, they are 2 different things. Funny thing is I can't even remember who were those whom I had tiffs with when I graduated. It is like so yester year, so immature :) But then again, we were raging in our late teens. Our hormones were mixed up like crazy! I really would like to meet all of them who were a part of my 3 yrs in poly. Maybe, one day I'll organize something and see whom I can catch up with.

NP ICS member (1997- 2000)

Muslimah (Muslim Women)

2008-06-28T01:51:00.001+08:00

There have been reports and documentaries revolving around the issue of muslim women being oppressed and the religion is unfair to women. Indeed, I have been ignorant in the past but the little knowledge I have acquired over the years have pleasantly surprised me. A few points I would like to share to the best of my knowledge:-

1. Safar and Marwa

When Syedattina Hajar (Hagar) and her son, Prophet Ismail a.s (Ishmael) reached Mecca (then known as Becca), they were overcome by thirst. Prophet Ismail a.s who was an infant was crying terribly. Distraught, Hajar put him on the sand and stood on a rock on a nearby eminence to see if any help was in sight. She then ran to another vintage point but likewise there was no one. Half distraught, she ran from 1 point to another 7 times and rested on the further rock. Then an Angel spoke to her saying that God has heard her baby’s cries and asked her to lift him up. She saw a well of water at her baby’s heel which is the Zam Zam well which is still around till today. The running between the 2 points (Safar and Marwa) is part of the Haj and Umrah ritual that all pilgrims have to perform from then till now. Think about it. For the past thousands of years, people have been re enacting this run which was done by a woman! May Allah be pleased with her.

2. The second Caliph umar bin Al - Khattab (r.a) once asked people to refrain from fixing heavy mahrs. A woman then stood up and challenged him with the Quranic verse 4:20. Umar then withdrew his words saying that he was wrong and the woman was right.

3. If you’re a mother or expecting, think about how you feel that Paradise lies beneath your feet :)

4. A woman’s sins are forgiven when she delivers her baby.

5. Women are to dress modestly to avoid unwanted attention.

6. Women are excused from prayers and fasting when they have valid reasons (eg. Menstruation, post natal bleeding)

7. When a woman makes an effort to keep her husband satisfied, Allah is pleased with her as she is helping the man to be on track and not stray away. It is not the duty of a wife to do household chores. However, every act that a woman does in the name of Allah, (Sweeping, mopping, washing clothes, etc) earns her rewards from Allah. Imagine doing household chores and getting rewarded for it by your creator.

8. A woman is to be looked after by her husband or her son or her father or her brothers or her male relative. She does not need to work. But if she choose to do so, her money is her own and no one else have a right to it :) Those attending your marriage preparation courses will be familiar with this.

9. There is a whole chapter in the Quran (Surah 4 – An Nisa) which talks about women and their rights.

10. In addition, there are a lot more sayings of the Prophet (s.a.w) asking children to take good care of their mothers.

If you are a muslim woman, be proud of it. If you adorn the tudung, wear it with pride.

Allah knows best.

Zayed

2008-06-24T20:15:00.001+08:00

We named our son after 2 important companions of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). So, it is disappointing when people ask me if we named him after Zayed Khan. My immediate reaction would be: Zayed Khan?! Who is he? What is his relation to me? What's so big about him?

My apologies to those who name their kids Sharukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Kamal, Vijay, Bipasha, Kajol and what nots. I just don't feel so much of love for the frivolous cinefield to name my son/daughter after them.

Tired of receiving such comments, hubby decided to share our reasons behind our decision to name Zayed. Please visit brinjalees's blog post Zayed part 1

I have added a link at the side to Zayed's photo album on facebook for the benefit of those non facebook readers of my blog :)

Developmental Milestones

2008-06-21T12:38:00.000+08:00

I was tempted to join back the workforce many a times. Those who know me could testify that I was going crazy being at home. I'm glad I wasn't hasty as being a full time mum is a whole new ball game altogether. It's so much fun! I could leisurely plan my time to go for exercise and religious classes and leave Zayed at either my mum's or in law's. When I feel like it, I can just stay at home and talk at length with my little one.

It's nice to see your little baby go through the developmental milestones first hand. I'm proud to say that when Zayed first started vocalising, smiling and making eye contact I was there to spot it and experience it. I'm the one who tells my hubby and the rest how my baby has grown. If my mum was looking after him, she'll have all the fun. Call me possessive, I want to be the one to see my child grow and not get daily reports.

So, the latest is that my darling has started to babble! Babble and babble and babble and when irritated screams his lungs off! He has started to grasp things and he so cleverly puts it in his mouth. Of course, he drools buckets in the process. Yesterday, when I was bathing him, he started splashing away in his mini bath tub. The little rascal got me all wet! If this isn't life, what is?

Just for laughs

2008-06-20T02:23:00.002+08:00

Presenting (drum roll) ..... links to posts from the bloggers in my circle which might crack you up. They surely made me laugh. :)

Office lingo by dullneon - Especially for the civil servants out there.
Happy Dance by 5eeker - Bringing back memories from Perfect Strangers and Fresh Prince
Biking Lessons by Jalsa - The naked do's and dont's

And of course last but not least

Rehnuma by Nunbun - Rehnumaaa.... (Does the dance with a glazed look)

Enjoy!

Life

2008-06-18T00:54:00.000+08:00

When you think of doing something bad, the path is clear.
When you think of doing something good, the path is met with doubts, objections and obstacles.

Iqra with Tajweed

2008-06-16T22:54:00.000+08:00

Attended the first session of Ust Zulkifli Bachik's Tajweed class earlier this evening. It's actually the second session but the 1st class was repeated due to poor attendance. It was heartwarming to see some of my ex colleagues in the same class. Alhamdulillah, I've been given the opportunity to share an experience with them and maintain contact.

Taking a leaf from Ust Saifur Rahman's class : It's important to have friends and especially good friends like how the Prophet (s.a.w) had friends like Syeddina Abu Bakr Siddique and Syeddina Umar (r.t.a.h).

I learned basic tajweed from Ust Malike and Ust Jalil previously and what strikes me is that there is always something new! The same letter alif could be recited and improved upon every class I attend. Alhamdulillah, I guess that's the beauty of the Quran.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A person who recites one harf (letter) of the Qur'an, obtains one virtue; each virtue multiplies to ten virtues. I am not saying that (ALM) is one harf. But, Alif in it is one harf; the Laam in it is one harf and the Meem in it is one harf."
(Tirmidhi, Darimi).
(Hayaat-ul-Muslimeen. by Mohammad Ashraf Ali Thanvi).

There is a tamil saying, " What you've learnt is equivalent to a handful of sand and what you haven't is equivalent to the size of the world". There is also a hadith, but I can't find the exact words. It is about for one who thinks he knows all, there is another who knows better. Every class I attend humbles me as I learn new things and get myself corrected. For now, I have to brush up on my problematic letters. Especially, the ain. It is always either too thick or too light. Insha Allah, I'll get it perfected.

Inspired

2008-06-14T00:15:00.008+08:00

I would awake every morning,
just to see your smile.
A smile that is so innocent,
it makes my heart go wild.

I can't rest a single second,
when I hear you weep.
I would stay awake beside you,
watching you sleep.

A conversation in your language,
makes my tiredness seem to cease.
So let me lie on your palm,
and my whole life is at peace.

Yasmin

Bintan

2008-06-12T17:27:00.002+08:00

We came back from our escape to Bintan last monday. Having caught up on our well needed sleep and rested our minds from the surprises and shocks we've had over the past few months, we came back ready to face our tasks at hand. Other than resting we did quite a few activities. Archery, fireflies tour, walk on the beach, carrom and eating out guts out at the expensive restaurants.

I tried my hand on archery and it was freaking painful. Holding the bow,pulling the string till the ear and releasing with aim is quite a feat without trembling. After 10 arrows, my arrows were going above the target and into the grass. It's a good sport for the mind and soul and I'll like to try it again. Hopefully, this time with better luck :)

We were fortunate to catch a substantial amount of fireflies during the evening fireflies tour. The night was bright and our guide wasn't so optimistic that we'll get to see them. They were so small and yet so bright, Alhamdulillah! In the darkness, they looked like twinkle lights on a Christmas Tree blinking away. Of course, I was a scaredy cat and was too afraid to touch them. Hubby had a few resting on his hand and they looked so pretty. Thought it was cruel for people to catch them in bottles though. Fireflies have an existence and they shouldn't be caught and left to die just because we want to see more. They're not souvenirs either. Once the motorboat engine was turned off, the silence of the night at the mangrove was deafining. It was quite scary to be in a small motor boat in the middle of the mangrove in the dead darkness of the night. Quite an experience.

The highlight of the trip was definitely Zayed. When we came back, he took a while to realise we were back. Once he did, he started scolding us! Insha Allah, we'll bring him with us on our next trip as he'll be bigger.

Lessons Learnt

2008-06-06T23:45:00.001+08:00

Just learned that one of my cousins had a miscarriage and she had to deliver her 5 month old baby girl. Saying that I understand how she feels is really far fetched as the pain she may feel is unimaginable. I recall the time when I knew that Zayed had his chord around his neck and I remember the panic attacks I had when he wasn't moving. I could only breathe easy when he gave me his usual squirms or nudges. Guess Allah has better things in store for her and may HE bless her with another opportunity to be a mother soon.

I have been intending to blog for quite some time but just can't get the time or energy to do so. Whatever time that I have apart from looking after the little one is spent on doing housework or resting in front of the TV watching my favourite sitcoms. For those who have commented on my updating speed: Please be patient with me :)

Attended the second lesson of Ust Saifur Rahman's class today on the 4 Caliphs of Islam. Alhamdulillah, I have the opportunity to be his friend and it's heartwarming to see some of his personality displayed through his lessons. There is always some really major things that strike me and stay with me whenever I attend lessons. The lessons (in my own words) that struck deep in my heart from these 2 lessons are:-

1) It's not useful to just know the 99 names of Allah which explains his attributes.
It's important to try and follow his attributes. Taking an attribute a day and living it fully would make us a better person. Knowing how his attributes make us a better person would give us an idea of HIS magnitude and in turn help us know him better and love him.
Insha Allah, that would make us a better muslim.

For those who are unaware, HIS 99 names are actually attributes such as The Merciful, The Gracious, The Generous, etc.

2) It might be difficult to live like how the Prophet lived. However, we should be able to live like his companions did as they were "normal" people like us.

Each of his companions had some striking attributes that we could learn to emulate.

3) Make the Quran a daily book. Read it everyday if only a single page or as many or little as you can. When the connection is established, it being a living miracle would be close to you and be your guide rather than just be a book.

The Quran may be in a language that is foreign. But learning more about it and a desire to be close to it, would in turn make it closer to us. Insha Allah, it will be our companion when we are in our graves.

Fitness...

2008-05-26T01:07:00.000+08:00

Post delivery, the next thing on the list is to get my personal life back on track. As I'm not working currently, the list of personal things-to-do is wide. So, I decided to sign up with Amore to keep myself fit and of course to lose some weight in order to look the attractive mummy that I want to be. I chose Amore as it's an all women fitness centre which would allow me to exercise freely without worrying about male presence since I adorn the hijab. Its members are all female but some of their instructors are male.

Their membership is lesson based and every lesson/gym session you attend is considered a lesson. So you prepay for a number of lessons and you could plan your own exercise schedule. Members could attend any lesson at any of their centres and that flexibility is quite appealing. To date I've attended 2 of their lessons and this is my take on them.

Cardio Latino @ Jurong Point
The instructor is quite 'cheenah'. I guess she is used to conducting her classes in mandarin and was taken aback when she saw me. I had a hard time making out what she was saying and my only hope was my imitation skills. She gave up at the last part which was the lie down stretches. She would look at me and say 'relax' and then she would have 5 to 6 sentences translated into mandarin. My little knowledge of mandarin told me that she is definitely saying more than 'relax'. I'm not not sure what was happening as Mandarin classes were supposed to be held at thomson plaza branch.

Rating(for full score o f 5)
Instructor - 2
Relevance to title- 2
Workout - 5
Fun factor - 1

Jazz @ Jurong Point
This was F-U-N! Conducted by a cute Joakim Gomez look alike young kid who looked eurasian or malay :p Very humourous and full of life. You get to do choreographed jazz dance moves and it brought me back to my dancing days in poly. But it's not tiring though.

Rating (for full score o f 5)
Instructor - 7 (so cute!)
Relevance to title- 5
Workout - 3
Fun factor - 4

Will update on other classes as I attend them.

First Ever Mother's Day

2008-05-12T19:50:00.000+08:00

Wishing all mummies out there a Happy Mother's Day. Yesterday, for the first time in my entire life, I was included in the celebrations! Woohoo! Baby Zayed surprised me with a bouquet of beautiful carnations in the morning (my hubby did the travelling of cos) and attached to it was a letter written by him (thoughts were his, writing was my hubby's). :p What a nice way to start the week. Excited about my cardio latino class tomorrow at Amore!

The priceless look and smile

2008-04-17T11:34:00.000+08:00

Halloz! I'm back. Being a first time mum is not easy for me and it took me so long to start to get the hang of things. While I am thankful to Allah for giving me an opportunity to raise Zayed, there are setbacks and it is not all rosy. So here goes. In my personal opinion:-

Difficulties in the first month
1. Post natal blues
Trust me, you can go crazy if you don't watch yourself. Gynae mentioned that almost every woman goes through this. It is just the extent that varies. Be prepared for mood swings, lots of crying, irrational thoughts and so on. Harmful when you feel like suicide or infantcide. For those who are wondering, I did not reach that level. Thanks to God.

2. Confinement
As if the post natal blues is not bad enough, they confine you in the house with it and the screaming child. Almost went bonkers.

3. Breastfeeding
Differs from woman to woman and child to child. Don't trust 100% the stuff you read and hear. Learn to let go and accept that when you can't breastfeed as much or little as you like to, just go with the flow.

4. Post delivery pain
Of course, on top of the post natal blues, confinement, breastfeeding and crying baby.

5. Understanding the baby
Need to give them and yourself time. It might take a while but you will get the hang of it. I did! :)

6. Superstitions and traditional beliefs
If you don't believe in them, it's hard to accept them when they are imposed upon you. Eg. You could only wash your hair on the 10th, 20th and whatever stupid date. It's crazy, I''m sweating like a pig and I can't wash my hair! Gimme a break. Anyway, I went ahead and washed my hair, can't really reverse it once I'm done right.

Of course, the above is nothing compared to the joy you'll feel when the little one gives you a smile or his 100% attention. As my baby's love and my hubby's love is too complex to elaborate, I shall stop here by saying that motherhood is tough but it's worth every pain. Glad I got through the first month. Insha Allah, many more months to go, more challenges and of course more memories.

My Precious

2008-03-15T12:02:00.003+08:00

Where do I start? A lot has happened over the past weeks that everything seems so surreal. Just going with the flow and living each day as it comes, doesn't help with grappling the reality that things ARE different and nothing is going to be like it was before. Insha Allah, all moves towards the better path.

The Delivery
Muhammad Zayed Jalees was born on 3 Mar 08 at Thomson Medical Centre. He had double loops of the chord around the neck and my contractions were stressing him. I was induced on 3 Mar morning and after various injections and drips to speed things up, Alhamdulillah, he was born at 3.05 pm.

It has been quite tiring looking after him. We are trying to get to know him better and look out for some predictability. The first few days were hard and I was trying hard to keep my mind stable to prevent myself from slipping into depression. By God's grace, things are better now. Night times are harder but at least we know that he seeks comfort and we are exploring ways to pacify him. Insha Allah, he'll settle in with us soon.

The Demise
My father in law passed away a few weeks before Zayed's birth on 21 Feb. A sudden death that was not anticipated by anyone. Alhamdulillah, he was buried on Friday afternoon, with Jenazah prayers (conducted by hubby). Death is indeed unexpected but the suddenness of the event has left the whole family in shock. May Allah bless us with strength to go through these harsh times and may he ease the hearts of those affected and help them forget the pain.

My Soul
I have found out how important it is to marry the right person. Now as I look back at my past broken relationships, I feel blessed that I have married Jalees as I strongly believe that there is no better match for my emotional swings now. Jalees has been my pillar of strength and my soul and he has been handling my cries, Zayed's cries while coping with his own. I feel so blessed to have married him and at times I feel helpless being unable to soothe his heart completely of the loss of his father. I could only pray that his heart would feel better soon and give him a shoulder to lean on.

Some initial shots to share :)

Engaged

2008-02-18T20:30:00.001+08:00

Our baby is engaged! Nope, I've not promised our son to another baby girl :) Engaged is a term used when the baby gets into position ready to be delivered. For first timers, they are usually born about 3 to 4 weeks after they get engaged. I've passed all my necessary tests and the only thing left to do now is wait. The little one weighs about 2.2 kg now (35 weeks) and he would be busy strengthening himself and putting on weight from now onwards (Insha Allah).

However, his chord is near his neck and I'm supposed to monitor his movements to make sure he's fine and he's not struggling. Hopefully, Allah gives me clear signs if something is not right. We were upset at first but a CTG scan showed that his heartbeat was strong and the chord was not tight. Will be meeting my gynae next week to make sure he is doing fine. Please pray for our little one. Insha Allah, your supplications would help us.

Adrian and Collin rock!

2008-02-16T15:02:00.000+08:00

My favourite team from my favourite country winning my favourite race! What a wonderful way to finish the season. As I watched the duo running to the finish line, I had tears in my eyes, feeling proud for my countrymen. They played the game well with intelligence, resourcefulness and most importantly good sportsmanship and teamwork. Well done guys! You have done us proud!

Danish newspapers reprint controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoon

2008-02-14T12:19:00.000+08:00

Read with dismay the above article. Don't know why people love to provoke for no rhyme or reason. What has the arrest of a few got to do with republishing the cartoon which would provoke millions around the world. I guess that's how "sensitive" Danish newspapers are. Then again, they also know that there will be a group who would run like headless chickens killing everyone in their path for the cartoons. Isn't that what these people get a thrill out of? Provoke these mindless dudes and release statements saying Islam condones violence?

Let's look at a simple truth. If someone draws something and says it is the Prophet, why would you want to believe? If I were to draw a stupid looking pic and say it's your mum and dad, wouldn't you brush it off saying it's clumsy and stupid? Nobody living now is able to draw the Prophet. There is no distinct image of him like that of Jesus (Prophet Isa), Buddha, Krishnan and so on. So why get angry over a 'child's' drawing? Dismiss it saying it is not him and get on with life. Mindless people will provoke. It takes an intelligent person to deal with it.

May peace be upon the Prophet and his family and companions.

Just a normal post...

2008-02-08T14:08:00.000+08:00

Halloz...Happy Lunar New Year to all my Chinese readers! May the coming year bring you guys prosperity and happiness and progress (like the Singapore pledge..lol...)

The little one is now 33 weeks old going on 34 next week. He weighed 1.95 kg as at 32 weeks and Dr said he's growing strong. Alhamdulillah.. I could feel his bones moving around my belly and though it was not comfortable initially, I tried getting used to it. Must admit that I am enjoying it now. Nice to feel his bones and I try to catch him sometimes and he would move away as if to play with me :) Hubby is proud of his 'strong boy' and we are thankful to Allah for his good progress and mine.

Looking so forward to holding him and cuddling him and seeing him grow. I can now tell people I'm delivering next month! Cheap thrill..haha! Please pray for my easy delivery and for our good health.

Blog under construction

2008-02-03T20:14:00.000+08:00

Tired of the old look and too lazy to update now.

Pregnancy Pains

2008-01-08T14:36:00.000+08:00

The deal with pains during pregnancy is that they lie dormant for some time and when their intensity hits suddenly, you'll be left wondering where did the pain start from. At least for me it is. Breathlessness, Hip pains, leg pains, hand pains, headaches and not forgetting the annoying aches at the pelvic area.

Yesterday night, I could have sworn that my left leg was chopped off. One moment I had my legs stretched out to improve blood circulation and the next moment I had my nerves pulling so tight that I couldn't move. Hubby got worried but successfully tried to keep his worry under control and rise up to the situation. That leaves me more confident that he'll be able to help me when my contractions hit :)

After a few rubs of medicine, managed to put on a pair of socks and place my legs on a pillow. The pain slightly diminished to manageable level but kept me awake the whole night. However, I surprised myself during the episode. I wanted to cry so badly but I kept on telling myself that my pain endurance is higher than that. Somehow, I was meditating this in my head, "This is not painful enough to cry... I can handle this...My endurance is much higher...If can't handle this, how to handle contractions...I'm fine... God help me..." Alhamdulillah, I managed to get my mind control over body and my leg feels much better now. Now, I wonder what will come next.....

Pampered

2008-01-07T11:59:00.000+08:00

The past 2 weeks I had been pampered beyond my limits. There has been a lot of great food and new experiences and I am not sure how I am going to keep up with my healthy weight gain.

Hubby had a surprise on Christmas. No, we do not celebrate Christmas and surprises do not need a reason :p We unanimously agreed to boycott Orchard and headed for Great World instead. During a sumptuous dinner at the House of Sundanese food, Hubby produced GV Gold class tickets to I am Legend. I've always wanted to experience Gold Class and I sure hoped to catch the long awaited movie of the world's sexiest man, Will Smith, on the opening day! We made our way to the Gold class lounge only to be disappointed to pay 4 bucks for a pint size of coffee! Deciding to be the normal middle class we were, we went to the normal counter and got the same popcorn and mineral water for half the price. Gold class was superb! Really loved the blankets and the seat rest. Just what I needed for my aching legs.

On New Year's Eve, we had wonderful malay food at our friends' place and caught National Treasure after that at Bishan. Not a bad movie, more entertaining than what I thought it would be. However, it was not my favourite genre. Not complaining since I was not in a mood to watch a serious movie that day.

Last Saturday, we proceeded to Straits Kitchen at Grand Hyatt to celebrate Mum in Law's birthday. Decided to phase myself at the buffet counters as they really have a lot of good stuff! Mum in Law got extremely shy when the staff sang her a birthday song and it was quite funny to see her blush so much :)

Yesterday, Hubby brought me to Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts to celebrate our wedding anniversary and I was spoiled for choice once again. It was a good buffet spread, not as huge as Straits Kitchen, but it was of a different kind. More western and less asian. The ambience was classy and the place looks really nice after their renovation. One thing to try at Carousel are their desserts! They're heavenly.

In Remembrance

2007-12-15T07:47:00.000+08:00

I had the pleasure of attending Ust Saif-Ur-Rahman's talk on Haj at Darul Arqam yesterday evening. Apart from the transformation of self that he shared about, one other note struck my heart. He mentioned that Allah has ordained prayers for us so that we'll remember him.

"When you have performed the act of worship, remember Allah, standing, sitting and reclining. And when you are in safety, observe proper worship. Worship at fixed times has been enjoined on the believers. (4:103) (As translated by Pickthall)

"Recite what is sent of the book by inspiration to you and establish regular prayer, for prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds. And remembrance to Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that you do" (29:45) (As translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali)

We pray 5 times a day [at least we're supposed to :) ], but how many of our prayers are in remembrance? Usually we're following a routine, systematic physical movements. Yes, it's true that some of us pray asking for forgiveness, some pray asking for assistance and some of us pray in thanks. But do we realise that when we're doing our prayers, there is this very 'being' whom we are talking to who is closer to us than our jugular vein? If we had a way to MMS or SMS Allah, how many times would we send a thinking of you message to him? My baby kicks, punches (and now he even dances) inside me and I feel him. Then I ponder, I could feel this physical being in me which is a miracle but why does it take so much of effort to feel the Almighty who is promised to be closer to me than my baby ie. my jugular vein? Why is it so difficult?

It was we who created man and we know what dark suggestions his soul make to him for we are nearer to him than his jugular vein (50:16) (As translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. It's important to note that the 'we' in the sentences arise due to direct translation and do not denote plurality)

We see his signs everywhere around us. From the flowers in my living room, to the bird that chirps outside and the rise and descend of the sun and the moon. I thank Him for these signs as they provide an opportunity for us to stop and reflect on his creations and for a few seconds feel Him in our hearts as his grace touches us. No doubt when we try harder the next second, we might not feel it. However, I'm confident that when we keep trying to re create the few seconds, we keep moving closer to him, Insha Allah.

Al Ghazali - The Alchemist of Happiness

2007-12-05T21:53:00.000+08:00

There will be a screening of the documentary film on Imam Al-Ghazali this Saturday, 8 Dec 07 at 8 pm. This is a once in lifetime opportunity as there would be a special lecture by Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad who is also the executive producer of the documentary. Insha Allah, it would be an informative evening on the life of Imam Al Ghazali and perhaps we could get to know this great scholar better and his search for the truth. For more details and for registration pls visit http://www.simplyislam.com.sg/alghazali.htm.

Insha Allah, see you there.

Toddler Abd-El Rahman Omar Mandour

2007-11-18T16:44:00.000+08:00

A glass window separated my hand from hers. We couldn't hear each other but words had no role. Her eyes displayed her sorrow and her hands were placed in supplication requesting us to pray for her son's recovery. She's none other than Mdm Doaa. There sat the 17 mth old cuddled in his mum's protective arms, looking zonked out. Amidst all the medication and tubes, his eyes darted to the colourful balloon I was carrying showing the heart of any child his age. He is none other than darling Abd-El Rahman Omar Mandour.

He has Mucopolysaccharidosis, a genetic disorder that causes progressive cellular damage that affects the individual's appearance, physical abilities, organ and system functioning, and, in most cases, mental development. (Info courtesy of http://nasibriyani-lounge.blogspot.com)

I met them earlier this year on 9 Aug at Bencoolen Mosque. We were there for my colleague's wedding and Allah gave me the pleasure of meeting them when I went to the prayer hall for Dhzuhur prayers. I knew the moment I saw him that something was wrong with him. He didn't look "normal" but still giggled when I played with him, his smile so beautiful like the morning sun. Mdm Doaa had sat beside me and naturally we became friends while waiting for the call for prayer. She mentioned that they came from Egypt for her son's operation in NUH. She requested me to pray for him. Last week, I saw a Berita Harian article placed in Sultan Mosque asking for monetary donation for a Bone Marrow Transplant operation which featured Abd-El Rahman. With the help of a kind sister who translated for me, I noted the dad's name and HP no and contacted him.

I had to see the child again and made my trip to NUH with hubby. I am quite sure that the medical costs would have hit the roof. It must be very hard on Mdm Doaa seeing her toddler undergo various operations and now her husband would be involved in the operation as well (he is the boy's donor). I am making a plea to everyone who is reading this to help them by donating whatever amount you could and if you can't donate, at least pray for them. You could contact the dad, Mr Omar at 90864144 before the end of the month or contact NUH, ward 47 for more details or clarifications.

May Allah be with them and help them through these tough times. Ameen.

First Steps

2007-11-03T14:43:00.000+08:00

After endless conversations, discussions and scenarios, hubby and I have decided to put our thoughts into action. Most of our friends know of our views towards the Indian Muslim scene in Singapore. In our bid to create a place where all Singapore Indian Muslims could feel a part of irregardless of their ancestry, we would like to start various activities to help them in whatever ways they want to be helped (sorry - for money, there is the Community Chest). We're talking about self-development, networking and basically getting our folks in the community to help our own folks. And this community is quite a large one, if you see it as a single entity. So we need your support for some of the activities we plan to have.

SUPPORT - LOTS OF IT!!!

a) E-mail addresses : To inform of activities/initiatives
- A "cause" has been created in Facebook (sign up today!). For those who are on Facebook, we welcome you to join the cause "Activities for Singapore Indian Muslims"
- For those not on Facebook, e-mail me at yashila04@hotmail.com if you would like to support us. We will keep you posted on activities and initiatives.

b) Cash or Kind
- We don't want to hold on to your money. When we inform you of activities, we would open for donation and everyone would be given a full statement of accounts of the event. Trust me, hubby and I would like to pay in full if we could but with the baby on the way, we are a bit tight :(
- In kind : could be offering your venues for discounts, or volunteering to give snacks, drinks, etc

c) Organisers
- Anybody could offer to volunteer to help out in the activities. If you want to do it for Allah's blessings and our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w's love, just e-mail me. It's a simple initiative and it would be great to do these things without the complications that arise from affiliations or agendas ;)

First Initiative: Planning to have a talk for 'O' level and 'N' level students, sometime in Jan 08, Insha Allah. If we have enough support we could make it happen.

Insha Allah, in future we could be those who feel part of the Singapore Indian Muslim community which is proud of its diverse ancestry and proud of it.

Hari Raya Open House

2007-11-01T00:59:00.000+08:00

Our Lounge

Successfully had a hari raya open house last saturday. We were so tired at the end that we only woke up at 12 the next day! It was lots of fun having friends over and thanks heaps for all who actually made it! Only regret is that we couldn't spend enough time with everyone. For those who didn't attend, here are little snippets of our humble home. I'm not a very good photographer so my photos don't really do justice to my decor. :)

Tempie

2007-10-24T14:37:00.000+08:00

Applied for temporary positions at a statutory board yesterday. The whole form took me almost an hour to complete! It was the exact form that applicants for permanent positions have to fill up and makes me wonder why they can't have a simplified version for temp jobs. After struggling to fill up my grades for diploma and O levels (decided to skip my degree results), I came across something weird.

You know the last form which asks if you are a ex smuggler, illegal immigrant or have been dismissed before and so on? There was a statement asking if I have resigned from government service or stat board before! I read the question 4 to 5 times as I couldn't understand why that statement was with all the negative statements. Was it that bad to resign? As bad as being an ex convict or being dismissed?!

After answering yes, I had to give details. Not knowing what details they wanted, I just gave them my job position and job scope. Hubby mentioned that they might have referred to force resignation as civil service do not tell people to F off. True, but there was no indication of that either. So confusing....

Secularism vs Religious

2007-10-08T00:14:00.000+08:00

Had this thought when I was drafting the following post. Decided to post it seperately since my hubby always accuses me of "written diarrheoa" (everything coming out in 1 chunk)

I know people who are caught between secularism and Islam. It's like they live 2 lives. The moment they enter a mosque or religious session, they are religious, when they are out, they consider themselves secular. When Islam is supposed to be a way of life, how come we view secularism and Islam as 2 different things when they should be co existent? I'm not saying that people have to walk around in caps and tudungs and Quran in hand. There is more to Islam than what we display. It's supposed to be YOU in all situations in life. I guess that's what we should strive to be.

Recently, I attended a sharing session about entrepreneurship organised by a local muslim committee which was targeted at muslim professionals. The only indication in the whole session that the target audience were muslims was when 1 of the speakers (who was a non muslim) made a joke saying that since it is a 'halal' event, he shall replace his bacon and eggs message with Murtabak. Other than that there was no indication that the event was being held mainly for muslim professionals. There was not a word of salam, Bismillah or even a short dua at the end. I was a bit disappointed as the event was organised by muslims for muslims.

I guess all of us have been guilty of the above at one point or another. Ponder about the following questions.
Have you
1) Been scared/felt awkward to say Assalamulaikum (peace be upon you) to a fellow muslim in a certain situation?
2) Scheduled dinners/movie outings/group outings which span across prayer timings? Especially Maghrib?
3) Held back from wearing the tudung because of fear of loss of promotions or job prospects?
4) Defensive when people ask if you are religious?
5) Held back praises or remembrance of Allah in your blogs? (I'm so guilty of this)
6) Think that in order to be religious, only religious studies will help and none other could be integrated?
7) Had problems integrating other skills such as IT, Business and so on for way of religion? Maybe because you think they don't go hand in hand?

I guess the list goes on. One thing I've learnt is that our non muslim friends are more conscious about us being muslims and are actually quite understanding and accepting. I told my friend once that I couldn't attend a dinner as stated because I wanted to pray and come, I was pleasantly surprised when she obliged and she even advised me to come later as the earlier part was just ceremonial. Now, I don't hold back when I talk to my non muslim friends and I freely say Alhamdulillah or Insha Allah and they understand what I'm saying. Some agree with me and even reiterate that what we have is indeed God's blessings. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I'm an example to follow as I'm also striving to be a better muslim everyday. I have a whole lot of non muslim friends and it's nice to note that I could still be close friends with them and still try to be a good servant of Allah.

I seek forgiveness from anyone who is affected by this post as it may touch some people's sensitivities. Insha Allah, we could all strive to be better muslims and not fall into the confusion of trying to lead 2 different lives.
Islam is not a burden, it is a way of life.

Eid Mubarak

2007-10-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

The fasting month is coming to an end. Alhamdulillah, I managed to finish reciting the Quran. Now starting over again, hopefully with better tajweed and recitation this time round than the last. I am sad that there are some people who think that when they finish it once, they are done with the Quran and they chuck it one corner. Then there are others who recite it again and again and again, all the time in the same manner with no improvements. When asked, why they don't upgrade themselves, their answers seem to indicate that they do not see a need or they are happy with the way things are. Too leceh? Time consuming? Ego? Perhaps. Only Allah knows.

I wish that people could start subscribing to the thought that reciting the Quran from the start to finish is not enough. It's important to recite it properly, perfectly to the best of our abilities. The Quran is not a story book. It's more than that. If efforts can't be put in to improve the way we recite, than what does it say to how we approach the religion? Only Allah knows.

Anyway, Eid Mubarak to all! Happy holidays to all non muslim readers of mine!

RESIGNED

2007-09-23T22:54:00.000+08:00

Yup, it's true. This time, without another job in mind. I can sense some rolling their eyes cos its not as if I've quit my job of 10 over years. You see I'm a firm believer of continuous learning and once I feel stagnant in a certain place, I've effortlessly moved to other places and with salary rises of course. Alhamdulillah. I've had experience working in a travel agency, top class hotel, civil service and a special school.

To think that I may not be going back to full time sends shivers down my spine sometimes. While I entertain jokes of being a tai tai and living of my husband, I've never thought that I'll take this decision in my life. Since young, we've wanted to study and be in certain positions and never once would we have said, "I'll quit and stay at home when I'm before 30". Well it has happened and the reality has not sunk in yet.

Well, life has its twists and as priority changes, lifestyle changes too. One thing is for sure, I'm too active to stay full time at home, so I'll be doing some temp jobs, ad hoc jobs and maybe try relief teaching. Plan to start recitation classes at home and maybe do stuff that I've always wanted to do.

One last thought to all: Tomorrow when you people are slogging it out at work, pls remember that I'll be sleeping soundly at home on my comfortable bed. Good day to all. :)

Turning 27

2007-09-01T16:14:00.000+08:00

There comes a point in life when you don't sense a difference as you get older which is after 22 and before 30. You feel pretty much the same and somehow 24 is like 25 which is like 26 and 27. However, life has not been the same though and priorities have continuously changed and life itself has changed. I remember telling my hubby the other day that we used to celebrate birthdays religiously when we were young and somehow in our teens, our friends took over. Giving us surprise birthday parties and group dinners. At one point in time it is the boyfriends/girlfriends. Not that my husband doesn't celebrate with me now, but birthdays have become more of a private day out with my loved one rather than the ruckus I used to have and enjoy. Somehow as we get older, some of us tend to enjoy more private times with selected people.

The funny thing is, many years later we will come back to the same noisy birthdays when our children celebrate it for us! I just find it so amazing at how a simple thing like a birthday could go through so much of stages and come back to where it starts from. Guess that's life.

Of course, I still know people who throw surprise birthday parties year after year, till now. (Yes, they do and I can't believe it!) They enjoy shouting surprise, buying cakes, placing candles and singing at the top of their voices in crowded places and somehow I tend to feel uncomfortable in such situations even if it is not my birthday they are celebrating. I just feel embarrassed and tend to think why some get stuck in a certain phase of their lives and why some have difficulty moving on. Of course, it's my personal opinion and if one is happy doing it, let them be.

Ramadhan is around the corner and I wish everyone a peaceful fasting month. May we get closer to Allah and be one of those who will trod on the straight path. Insha Allah.

Fullerton, She's a beauty

2007-05-31T19:05:00.000+08:00

Just came back from an overnight stay at The Fullerton Hotel under their movie mania package. The hotel is one of the most beautiful ones in Singapore and it's a wonder how they managed to turn an old post office into a breathtaking building. We watched 2 in house movies and ate all the snacks that we could stuff ourselves with. Potato chips, Nachos, Popcorn, MnMs, snickers, Mars and Pepsi. Whose complaining? Its all part of the package! Now my sore throat is much worse :)

We also had in room dining from their Asian Specialty menu which was delivered in fine dining style. Table, plate set up, cutlery set up, flower vase and all. It was just wonderful. It was a good escape from the stress that we had been facing the past couple of weeks. So reluctant to come back.

I can't wait to move into my new flat. Sigh.

Falling down and getting up

2007-05-27T12:55:00.000+08:00

Finally, the semester has come to an end. It has been a tough 6 months. Problems after problems, changes after changes. When I've settled down in one routine, it changes again and the adjustment process has been continous. It is tiring, trying and at the end of 6 months, I am left emotionally, physically and mentally drained. The only thing that has kept me going is this verse from the Quran.

"On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear" (Surah Al Baqarah, Verse 286)

I've lived my life with the faith that HE'll see me through the tests HE puts me through.

On the other hand, I've been at my most happiest the past 6 months. Blessed with a good husband, family members whom I can count on, friends who readily give a listening ear, well paying career and now my new flat. A place furnished the way I like to call my own. I guess life is all about ups and downs and each situation is an experience, be it good or bad. There is a lot of learning to be done that at times, my brain gets saturated. I'll learn at my own pace and may HE give me the strength and knowledge to do so. Ameen.

Being an Indian Muslim

2007-05-07T00:56:00.000+08:00

Jalsa's post entitled F.Y.I got me recalling the stereotyping that I was a victim of and still am in some situations. Being an Indian Muslim in Singapore, I end up being a minority within a minority. In a place where all Malays are considered muslims (to an extent that there is a term malay/muslims) the term Indian Muslim brings about lots of confusion. I have to answer painful questions such as whether my Mum or Dad is a Hindhu. I was appalled when I was asked the above by a degree holder who happened to be an ex teacher. The not so educated ones, I could close one eye but a graduate from the Singapore education system?!!!

I am proud to be a muslim and doubting my lineage like that is not exactly my favourite topic of conversation. My instant reply is that my forefathers have been muslims for as far as I can remember and I'm not sure who was it who converted to Islam and from what religion. The answer to which there is no response. Guess it is too much for pea brains to understand.

Now that I am wearing the Hijab (Tudung), I am faced with a new stereotype. Malays who see me start rattling of in Malay. Not even pausing to check if I am responding or not. When I reveal that my Mandarin is actually BETTER than my malay, I am asked with extreme annoying innocence, "But you muslim what?, How come you don't speak malay?" My dear brothers and sisters, China has one of the largest muslim population in the world, and I'm quite sure they don't speak malay.

This is something that most mosques in Singapore have to start realising as well. There have to be directions in English as there are more non-malay muslims in Singapore than they can imagine. As for me, I've memorised that tandas wanita means ladies toilet, solat wanita means ladies prayer area and atas means upstairs.

Next, the ever cute cat. You see, I'm terrified of those cute little creatures for reasons unknown to myself. So when I reveal that I'm actually scared of cats, people ask me, "But you muslim what? Muslims like cats what. How come you are scared?"

*slaps forehead. Gimme a break

Mizuno Run

2007-04-22T13:01:00.000+08:00

Went for the 10 KM Mizuno Run this morning. It was one of those things I signed up for without thinking. And nope, I didn't train for it, not a single bit. After jogging, walking, brisk walking, jogging again, brisk walking, crawling, walking (you get the idea), I finished it without taking a cab back! Woohoo! 3 cheers for me!

A run in the morning is definitely refreshing although I'm left with a headache. During the run, I saw so many birds of different colours at Mt Faber, saw the glow of the morning sun through the blocks at Bukit Merah, bloom of flowers by the roads, a squirrel scurry up a tree and realised that I've not been taking the time off my normal routine to enjoy what God has painted. Truly, he is the greatest artist of all!

I not stupid

2007-04-20T22:54:00.000+08:00

When I think about how my English has worsened over the years, I get saddened and sometimes insecure. My grammar and vocab are way out of sync and I do not what's the actual cause. I believe it is the cause of my working life and of course my own laziness.

While I was doing my degree, I was often looked upon as the person who would do the final checks in a report, write the executive summary, etc. I was the 'England Powderful' woman! After my graduation, I went on to work in civil service and my choice of words became a majority of abbreviations. A classic email would look like this,

fyi, PS nds it asap 4 mtg tmrw. abv fyna. DS incl in sub list. ntd wz thks. Rgds.

Translated: For your information, Permanent Secretary needs it as soon as possible for meeting tomorrow. Above for your necessary action. Deputy Secretary included in submission list. Noted with thanks. Regards

After which, I joined a special school where naturally I do not have the opportunity to exercise much of my language. At this stage, my grammar is so screwed up and my vocab limited that sometimes a particular word gets stuck in my mind and I can't seem to get it out. To make matters worse, I can't find the time to read. That definitely contributed a great deal to the deterioration.

Somehow, when you're studying, the thesis, projects, exams, readings, presentations and lessons keep your mind alive and challenges your language. There are a lot of opportunities to exercise your brain to analysis deep and ponder about how to get it across in the most excellent way possible. This is something I didn't realise and I guess I took for granted. Can't wait to get back to school and get my language back on track.

Blog under construction

2007-04-16T23:14:00.000+08:00

Looking at others move with the times and modify their blog page, I've decided to follow suit and add some colour to my blog. Pink! Well, bear with me for a while before I find the time to change it to a more bearable colour.

To all pink lovers, Pink is nice. But too much of it is not my cup of tea. I'm more of a dark red person.

Siblings

2007-04-05T23:20:00.000+08:00

Today I had a good swimming lesson with my student. My boy who screams and shouts when he is near the big pool was carried in by me despite the loud protests. He hung on to me like a koala bear and screamed and yelled for dear life for about 3 mins before his sister joined him. Soon after that, he was laughing and splashing water on her (with one hand holding me, of course). His sister (a non ASD child i.e normal ) was playing with him by tickling him and splashing water and somehow that calmed him down. It was funny to note how she added life to the swimming pool which usually looks like it has special needs as well. For once, the swimming pool looked like a swimming pool. She played with my other 2 students as well, asking me questions that a normal 7 yr old would ask. "why aren't you wearing a swimsuit? Why is he singing like that? Why is he doing this?" and so on. But look at the way she treats her brother and one could easily tell that the 2 enjoy each other's company. Hopefully, as she grows up and understands that her brother is not like the others (which i think she has a faint idea of), she would still accept him as he is and still love him like she does.

300

2007-03-24T01:30:00.000+08:00

Watched 300 the other day for free. It was a good movie filled with muscles, 6 pack stomachs, breasts, blood, fight,etc. Overall, it was a movie filled with sex and violence. I personally do not prefer men who look like heavyweight or Mr Universe participants. Which explains why I was not drooling over the actors. For ladies who prefer that type of men, you should catch this movie cos there is a lot to see.

Story wise it was interesting and it was a movie well taken. I couldn't believe that the movie was based on a real life story and there were actually 300 Spartans who fought with Persia in history! However, the movie was not as mind blowing as Apocalypto. Then again, Apocalypto is difficult to beat and is a masterpiece on its own.

Rest and Relax

2007-03-13T23:36:00.000+08:00

Now that we're done with marriage preps, next in line is renovation preps. Looking for some dude to convert a few square metres to a rest and relax place. No, we are not engaging 'rest and relax interiors'. With their prices, we can rest but can't possibly relax. Its very tiring for us to look for Interior Designers as we can't go through the process of discussing how our home will/should look like with many fellas. Don't know how some people do it. We talked to 2 at the Singapore Expo yesterday and I was down with a headache. Hopefully, we choose one good dude and pray that he doesn't change colour once the dotted line is signed.

It's already tuesday, going to be wednesday and I haven't touched my school work yet. So much for catching up on my paper work, during the hols. sigh.

Holidays or is it?

2007-03-10T10:41:00.000+08:00

It has been a stressful 10 weeks. Too many new roles to adjust into and too many expectations to meet. Got stressed because of work and have a long way to go in juggling roles of a teacher, homemaker, daughter, daughter in law and importantly myself. Thanks to Allah, the role of a wife fits in nicely though. I have neglected myself quite a bit and the lack of individual time is getting to me. I've realised that spending time with yourself is just as important as anything else. No doubt when my hubby is around, I don't feel like being by myself. However, when he's at work, I can't seem to be work free. Be it stoning away, pacing up and down, enjoying that tub of ice cream, chatting on the net, surfing or watching TV, spending time with yourself can be so relaxing and calming. I miss myself sometimes. I miss the times I used to just sit down in front of the TV and just surf the channels aimlessly, pace up and down the house day dreaming or just stand by the window watching the passer bys go by their daily duties. I did those for the past 2 days when I was on mc. After 10 weeks! I've quite a bit of time management to work on. Hopefully, things get better. Hopefully, I get better.

Happy Holidays! (what's left of it)

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2007-02-17T00:39:00.000+08:00

Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Nee Ya! Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Nee! Let's give a big welcome to the lunar new year of the pig!

Mrs

2007-01-29T01:06:00.000+08:00

After taking some time to settle into my new life, I'm back. Can't possibly say I've settled in fully but today is better than yesterday and the days just keep getting better. The common question I answer is "How's married life?" Not knowing how to sum up how I feel, I give the helpless answer of "so far so good" and a lot of other words that do not connect.

How is married life??? Hmmmm, just some thoughts.

I don't feel married, I don't feel like a wife, I feel like a girlfriend whose partner's happiness is her life; I buy what he likes to eat, what is healthy for him, what he might like me to cook, what colours he might like,what clothes he'll like to see me wear, what would make him happy; its not about me, its about him,it's about us; He's the first and last person I see everyday, somehow that doesn't seem unique, it just seems right; amazes me at how priorities have changed overnight; "Oh typical of a newly married to talk this way, wait till time passes", I hear some of you say; Well that's what we heard when we got attached; people said that soon we'll be at each other's necks; that day never came and we made sure of that; such success doesn't come easy, a lot of effort, time, communication and understanding is needed; Such is the foundation of our relationship; I'm sad for those who find these words missing from their lives but don't judge our married life by yours or your friends'; I pray that we'll be able to put in our heart, effort and time to make this marriage a fulfilled one where everyday is like being on honeymoon; I pray that we'll continue getting to know each other better and complement each other till the end of our time; it's not going to be easy but it's not impossible.

'A`udhu bi kalimaatillahi’ ttaammati min kulli shaytaanin wa haamma wa min kulli `aynin laamma'
We ask for protection and guidance from Allah. All praise and glory belongs to Him and Him alone. What we have is what he has chosen to give and the decision is His alone.

Feel free to view our photos :) Will link the second album soon.

Gone crazy

2006-12-14T13:02:00.000+08:00

Got a lot of stuff to do but just can't get down to doing it. Have been slowly doing my lesson plans. Paperwork for 3 higher level students is a mind boggling activity. On top of my paperwork, there are stuff to buy for our marriage and my moving in to his house. Then, there is the feelings part. Anxious and curious for school to start. Sad that I'm going to leave my comfort zone of 26 yrs. Excited and happy to get married. Scared to step into the next phase of life. Confused as to what to expect. Both my mind and my heart is in a total mess! But who cares! I'm loving it!!!! I've gone crazy....

South Indian Thriller

2006-12-05T00:02:00.000+08:00

This is hilarious!

YouTube- South Indian Thriller

I know that South Indians like Michael Jackson, but this is way too much. What was siranjeevi thinking man!

Interactive Printers (Best to avoid them)

2006-11-28T13:16:00.000+08:00

If you are thinking about printing your wedding cards with the card company "Interactive Printers", think a million times again. Our invitation cards arrived finally on sat after a long tug of war with interactive printers. They took 3 weeks to print what was promised to be delivered in 1 week.

The initial stages were fine. We chose our designs and we got back to them soon with the text and format. A few fax exchanges to check spelling and others and the cards were ready for printing on 6 Nov. They told us 1 week as we had only 450 cards to print and there were no gold stamping. After that, there was silence. No news from their side. When we contacted them we were told the cards would arrive earlier the next week. Then we were told, they would arrive on thur, 24 Nov. By this time, there was an air of tension in both our homes. Parents were anxious to give out the cards and counting down how many weekends they have before 6 Jan. So we called them to reconfirm and got the news that their JB side screwed up (Ya right!) so we could only have the cards on fri or sat. We were so damn pissed and I told them that we wanted it delivered on fri night no matter how late. As good as anybody's guess, the cards couldn't arrive on Fri but only sat at 1 pm. Then, their passports got stolen on sat morning (Oh god gimme a greak! whatcha think we were? Idiots?) and they could only make it at 5 pm.

We seriously wanted to cancel the cards and print new ones. However, due to our parents' anxiety we had to take the cards. The cards also didn't turn out 100% as what we wanted. Thankfully, they look fine and only we know the unwanted stuff on them. All we got from them were empty apologies. No compensation, no discounts and so on. The funny thing is, we had to always contact them to get the bad news. Never once had they been proactive in calling us earlier to inform of the delays. One way this incident happened for a good cause. Makes us realise that we could prepare all we want but the end result could always screw up.

My advise to all who are reading this : Marriage is an important thing, too important to take risks. Avoid Interactive Printers, get your cards printed somewhere else!

Click

2006-11-18T11:52:00.000+08:00

Watched CLICK on DVD yesterday and I was blown away by its brilliance. Regretted not watching it in the theatres and if I had, I guess I would have cried for sure. The storyline revolves around human tendency to take things for granted, desiring for higher things in life and not realising what they have.

Some wish that time would move faster to that specific date that thay can't wait for and some wish that time would move slower so that they could catch up with things. Some can't tolerate getting mundane things done like taking a bath, travelling in traffic, having dinner with the parents and so on. Most want to skip the unpleasant things in life like arguments with your spouse, scoldings by the boss, falling sick and many more. And of course the classic sin of spending so much of time at work to bring the bread home and a desire to make the lives of your family better which ends up in you missing the childhood of your children, romantic times with your spouse and many more little family events which end up being very significant when you are old. At that old age, nothing is going to come back and whatever was missed remains missed.

If you are guilty of any of the above and you haven't watched the movie, you should watch it. Amidst the humour there is a very strong message.

ROMM

2006-10-30T21:42:00.000+08:00

We went to ROMM (Registry of Muslim Marriages) on Saturday. Just him, his parents, me and my parents. Whats the big deal, you may ask. Well, traditionally, a typical indian muslim ROMM visit, will entail inviting all the heads of families (the important and the not so important ones, the dying and the living ones, the gossipping and the well wishing ones and the list goes on) There had been instances where a bus load of people arrive at the registry to witness the event. This usual arrangement had us thinking that when couples go to ROMM, they get married by civil law first just like what happens at the ROM (Registry of Marriage). After which, they get married by islamic law (Nikkah). WRONG!!!! THERE IS NO SUCH THING! Future marrying Singapore Indian muslim couples, pls note this. This is all that happens as long as ROMM is concerned.

Step 1 : Apply for your marriage online. Include date, time, venue and other details like witnessess, wali and so on.
Step 2 : Choose your available solemniser
Step 3 : Pay the registration fee, print the acknowledgement forms and proceed to ROMM (only the groom, bride and Bride's father's attendance is compulsory)
Step 4 : At the Registry, declare that the particulars given are correct and you are not forced into the marriage
Step 5 : Gather your fats and leave the place.

That's it, no need for congregation, expensive saree, jewellery, photographer, videographer, briyani treats and so on. It's amazing how much is being done for a simple application procedure! Phew...our people need to seriously wake up their ideas....

Engaged

2006-09-20T20:11:00.000+08:00

Henna work done by my bro

It's official. I'm engaged! Alhamdulillah, the event went on fine without glitches. Must add that the food was superb. Too bad, my aunts don't do big scale cooking, if not can get them to cook for our wedding. Food cooked on charcoal stove has a different, heavenly taste....

In short, it was a typical indian muslim function. There was the exchange of platter, the exchange of rings, the sugar feeding session, the curry puff and tea and the onion hoppers, prata with dhalcha to end it off. I was tortured with henna, make up and gold jewellery. Must add that due to my firmness, I got off with 50%. If not, I can't imagine how I would have looked like. Glad it's over.

Ramadhan is starting this Sunday. Wishing all a most blessed and peaceful Ramadhan. May Allah show us mercy and show us the straight path.

An indian saying 'A worn off record'

2006-09-11T17:13:00.000+08:00

It's been many years since the fateful incident happended in the US. Along with many other fateful incidents which do not pale in comparison. So, why is it that this date is highly commercialised and magnified to such a large extend. Never has a year passed without us looking at footages of the twin towers collapsing. The attack was definitely barbaric but we have to move on cos there are other current barbaric acts happening around the world. Sometimes, I wonder if they are showing repeated footages to get the public riled up and feed them with hate for the Middle East and to justify the wars that are ongoing in the region. Like the indians call it 'adding fuel to fire'. Like I have mentioned in all my previous posts, I do not take any sides, as both are to blame for killing innocent parties. BUT enough is enough of the footage. If I had a loved one who passed away in the incident, I wouldn't want to keep on seeing it happen as if it happened yesterday. There is more to life and life always have more to give to those who believe.

One down, many to go

2006-08-14T21:31:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah, the meeting between our parents went on fine. I had wanted to play the part of the shy bride and keep quiet. However, there were too many bouts of uncomfortable silence and I had to peel off my mask and start talking. Thankfully, my mother in law to be is also the chirpy type and in the end we were carrying on a conversation of our own with my sister to be and my cousin sis. I guess the lady who came with her may have thought "Oh my god this gal talks a lot!" Well, what can I say THAT'S ME! :). If I keep quiet then it isn't me. Feedback came that my mother in law liked the chirpy me, so it pays to be natural.

Next stop, the engagement ceremony. I was told that I would be fed with spoons of sugar from all the ladies from his side. Diabetes, here I come! With all this excitement happening, it is so difficult to concentrate on my work. (Any of my colleagues reading this? lol )

Coming in with the right leg...

2006-08-12T21:50:00.000+08:00

After 2 long years and 4 months, the day has come! Tomorrow would be the day where the first of many meetings is about to happen in my house. He is coming with his parents for a 'see the bride' meeting. This is an old tradition where the groom comes with his family and sees the bride to be then goes home and decides if they like the girl or not. BUT! Tomorrow is not exactly like that as he has been seeing me for the past 3 yrs. So, it is more of an introduction meeting between our families and something to just get things going.

My parents want to hold an engagement ceremony which I have no comments about. We told our parents to just talk about it among themselves as to how they want to go about it. As far as we are concerned, we just don't want any spanners in our wedding ideas. We understand that we can't get 100% of what we want, but it won't hurt to expect at least 80% right. Insha Allah, everything should go on fine....

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a body ache!

2006-07-09T19:25:00.000+08:00

Went to watch Superman at the Omni Theatre yesterday. My advise, don't go to Omni Theatre to watch any movie, unless you can get the super last 2 rows. Other than those, be prepared with an appointment with your masseuse after the movie.

We went around 6 pm to get tickets for the 8 pm show. The lady at the counter was not exactly GV standard. She showed a floor plan which stated only the first few rows were available. So we wanted seats E20 and E21. Then another lady came and said we can't choose our seats and they are allocated by the system. Then both ladies started conversing in Mandarin, and I asked if there is a possibility we would get rows C and D even though there are seats available in Row E. She said that the seats are allocated top down and we would get row E but not 20 and 21. After around 5 min of endless and pointless talk we agreed to give the system a try. Then the other lady printed out tickets for seats E20 and E21. So what was the big fuss about the allocation of seats anyway?!

Then there was a power shortage, because of which our movie was delayed to 8.45 pm. When the movie started, we had to watch the movie literally from side to side and the action sequences were nothing more than jumbled images and noise. You can't really make out anything. To make it worse, the movie wasn't all that fantastic and the storyline was a whole load of crap. The only thing worth watching was the cute superman in his extra tight blue suit and not to forget his tight red underwear.

Overrall, it was a disappointment as I thought the movie would be altered to be friendly to the audience at the Omni theatre. But all that was done was that the movie was enlarged. As if someone hit an increase in size and chose 300%.

1 red underwear for Superman in Omni theatre and 2 red underwears for Superman elsewhere.

How nice is nice

2006-04-11T21:37:00.000+08:00

Just a thought...

When someone is nice, say understanding or patient, people find it easy to deal with them or relate to them. Nice people are easy to work with, make changes with or reveal your difficulties to. Because they are nice, they would be flexible, understanding and make you feel totally at ease with yourself. However, nice people are often compromised. People tend to analyse differently and be lax with their decisions on the basis that since someone is nice, he/she will understand. Furthermore, more is expected from that person requiring them to be at the same level of understanding and tolerance for all matters at all times. However, if they are dealing with someone who is not so nice, they are on top of things and frequently avoiding undesired bahaviour to avoid negative reinforcements.
So, if you really look at it, not so nice people get more of what they want than nice people. Negative reinforcements work much better than positive reinforcements. There's definitely something wrong with this system. So is being nice necassarily nice?

On a Saturday morning

2006-04-08T11:48:00.000+08:00

Woke up with a terrible headache which followed through from yesterday night. All the Panadol extras are eaten up by dunno who in my house. So leceh (*tiresome in Singlish style) to go down and buy one. sigh.

Watched Inside Man yesterday. Very good movie. Very well thought out. Denzel looks like he has gained weight perhaps for the role in the movie. But I like him well built and definitely without a moustache. He looks like a donut coffee kinda detective. Other than that everything else in the movie is good!

Ice Age 2 on the other hand was a disappointment. Very Kiddish. Duh, what you expect from a cartoon I hear you say. Well ya, but some cartoons are smart. Like those of Dreamworks. And some of Disney's. Ice Age 1 was a good one. Ice Age 2 seemed to be trying very hard to make the scenes funny and the little squirrel comes and goes like some koundamani and senthil segment in a tamil movie. You can go and watch the movie if you are accompanying your 5 yr old if not go and watch Inside Man.

OSIM had changed their advertisement from i-sleazy to i-normal. Guess they got carried away with their upcoming minimal speech ads. Must have done some market research and realised that their i-Gallop ads are an i-flop and had to rethink their positioning. A sure case study for those doing their marketing degree. Damn, I miss my school days.

I could hear the washing machine screaming for my attention, so going off now, Chiao!

"Yell and Run"

2006-03-28T17:28:00.000+08:00

It was a quiet afternoon with birds shitting and cats lying down after their afternoon free meal. My colleague and me were talking animately about our day at work and was about to cross the zebra crossing when we heard a loud SCREEECCHH! It was coming from an oncoming scooter on the right which looked like it was trying its mechanical best to stop. We stared at the rider, the rider stared at his bike and managed to finally bring his scooter to a stop. Glad that the world was safe once again, we crossed the road.

Not known to us there was a comfort cab (SHA 5759) who had stopped on the left side of the crossing watching this drama unfold and of course waiting for us to cross. When we got to the other side, the driver wound down his side window and yelled at us. "Hey Teacher! You gave everyone a scare you know!" Before we could say "Ah", he drove off. The incident brings to mind a lot of questions. Why did he call us teachers? Why couldn't he even wait for less than a minute? Why are taxi drivers here so impatient and always in a hurry? Why did he drive off without getting a reply if he had the balls to wind down his window and yell? Why is his $2.40 more important than our lives?

Anyway, no errant driver goes unnoticed from me, so unfortunately for him, I captured his vehicle no in my memory. Which of course got transferred to my HP. Just sent Comfort Cab an email citing the incident.

Goodness Gracious me

2006-03-25T23:19:00.000+08:00

With so much talk about creating a gracious society and with initiatives like GEMS and courtesy campaigns, one fails to realise how far we are from being a gracious society. Take the bus in peak hours for an instance. Everybody wants to stand at the alighting door. Even if the bus is terminating at the interchange, all they want to be is at the alighting door. Then there is such a big space at the back of the bus and people squashed like sardines at the front. Then there is the poor pregnant woman at the front clinging on to her dear life and her baby's. Relax lah, the bus is terminating anyway. If u can't wait then why not bring your big fat ass to the front instead. Let's see how you'll like getting squashed.

Let's not forget the escalators. If u r not in a hurry then stand to the left, so that people in a rush could climb up from the right. And if you are walking fast in front then don't come to an abrupt stop in the middle of the pavement. It takes all patience to keep me from slapping the back of the person's head for such stupidity. The basic rule is, strolling citizens to the sides and normal people move along the centre. And of course the classic blocking of the doors to prevent people from alighting the trains.

There are also other disgusting actions such as spitting, letting their children urine on sinks (yes, they do. Next time u wash your hands be careful), littering and many more.

Do we really need the government to put up a signboard for us to listen. So no signboards, not bothered? Do we really need someone to tell something which should be common sense? With all these signboards screaming at us to smile, say your please and thank you, stop littering and the new one to thank the service staff. We are not getting more gracious. We are just getting more pathetic.

V for Vendetta

2006-03-16T00:20:00.000+08:00

V FOR VENDETTA = S FOR STYLISH

A must see entertainer. Scenes soon to be copied by tamil movies. YES! No more fighting scenes from Matrix. Yahoo!

Yeah Yeah Holiday (doesn't rhyme, ah well..)

2006-03-11T17:33:00.000+08:00

Woohooo! the one week holiday is here. I proudly woke up at 10.30 today. Feels good...Before we know it the week would be gone and it would be countdown to June holidays again. It's not that I dread my job but who doesn't like holidays!

Conducted my first English lesson at the mosque today. I had 2 students. Small but still something, I expected none and got 2! 4 actually, one went out and the other don't know what happened. So we'll wait and see what's the attendance like next week.

Things I would like to do this week includes watch movies, go out with the significant other, spend time with mum, catch up wif ma gals, go for massage, maybe write a few posts and ya get a lot of sleep. Ok la, in between do some work preparations...So much to do and so little time. Why couldn't it be 2 weeks.....

Rang de Basanti - A Generation Awakens

2006-02-19T11:45:00.000+08:00

**This is a post that went missing in my blog for no rhyme or reason. The effective date is 4 Feb 06**

Went to watch Rang de Basanti yesterday at Shaw Towers. It's quite refreshing to watch in Jade other than Bedok theatre not that Bedok is bad but because Jade theatre is more convenient and it is better. With Jade showing more Tamil and Hindi movies, it can definitely see me there quite often as I could use all the reasons I can to run away from dirt infected, spoiled seats, cocky attitude plaza theatre.

Review
Ok back to the movie. Brinjalees has a good review written in what I call an "intellectual" manner. What follows from here is a layman language review of the movie. No "chim" words from the dictionary for me :) Rang features Amir Khan (D.J), Siddarth (Karan), "the brother from Run" Atul Kulkarni (laxman), Madhavan (Ajay), Gorgeous looking Kunal Kapoor (Aslam). The movie features a british lady who gets the help of her Indian friends from Uni to act in her documentary about young revolutionaries who gave their lives for their country. Taking her Grandfather's diary containing his accounts of what he saw in those men, she tries to relive their lives using these happy go lucky fellas who agree to help just for the heck of it. Then again as they go deep into their production something stirs in them waking up what was sleeping underneath their false pretence of "I don't care about anything attitude" and makes them realise that they have a strong drive and they can feel strongly for things they believe in. Suddenly something tragic happens and they transform unknowingly into the characters they were acting as. They then become revolutionaries of the new age. You got to watch it to feel it.

Comments
The movie was excellent. Everything about it was. The scenes, the scripts,the casting, the characterisations, the lighting, the music , the acting, etc. Just about everything. I was impressed from the start till the end. What was thought to be a college movie turned out to be something inspirational. No doubt the basic storyline has been done in many movies trying to awaken the young generation of India. I guess it's the way it is done that makes a difference. Sad to say that the message of this story would definitely be forgotten once a crappy movie like some Vijay movie comes along (not sure who is the Hindi equivalent). But then again, maybe it will leave a mark on some others.

The songs were excellent. One of A R's best I would say. The songs were only played for a max of 2 to 3 mins in the movie which allowed the movie to keep its momentum going. Very modern and very hip. But they were songs of patriotism. Only A R could achieve such a mix.

It was good that the cast was not entirely star studded. Amir reminded one of his role in Mangal Pandey, so there was not much of an impact from him for me. Anyway, everyone knows Amir is an excellent actor. But lover boy Siddarth's characterisation of Baghat Singh was mind blowing. That fella's eyes are so alive. I guess some movie makers thought they could only use it for love scenes. But they are capable of saying more. He shows defiance, resignation, fear, anger, disappointment, laughter and many more with his eyes. Siddarth comes as a very quiet cool guy in Rang but his acting potential is shown. Comparing in cuteness and sexiness is Kunal Kapoor. Tall, tanned, well built he comes across as an emotional muslim guy who just wants to live a peaceful life away from hatred. Gals, you got to watch out for these 2 guys when u see the movie.

I end this post with a Banghra Dance.....

2 cents worth?

2006-02-17T16:30:00.000+08:00

It was supposed to be a very simple initiative. I had planned to conduct basic conversational English lessons for indian muslim adults aged 21 and above. Reason being that there are a good number of them who are tamil educated and they have difficulties being in english settings which is very common in Singapore. So no certs, no formalities, just simple lessons in tuition format conducted in tamil in a mosque for free. What was thought to be simple turned out to be emotionally tiring.

Of course I did get the "hey it's a great idea! good initiative!" and so on. But more than that I got a lot of people giving me their 2 cents worth of opinions rather than names of people who want to join.

Why this mosque, why not that? Why saturdays? Why 2.30 to 4.30? Which association are you going to place it under? why invite everyone? have you got people to start? why not just females? why not just males? WHY FREE? why not this? why not that? Things would be like this and that so how? It turns out I can't conduct free lessons as I need to pay for venue. But the class is not used anyway. So going for a very minimal charge of $5 per head.

I understand that in a high level place you get all this questions and inputs from everyone in middle management for simple things like "which tablecloth to buy" but even among the laymen? I expected people to spread the message and ask ppl to join as it costs them nothing. Actually, they earn minimally the blessings of going to the mosque every week. I welcome ideas and suggestions. But if people think they can do better in a different way which I am unable to do due to my own reasons, then by all means go ahead. Conduct another similar thing for your own strongly suggested audience, in your suggested place for a suggested price under your suggested association. I'll help spread the message for you as well.

Till to date I have only 1 person who said she is interested which happens to be my aunt. With all the hoo haas, still no names from the lot who spoke so much about changes. A voluntary work should not have strong conditions on it. I can only do things I want to do at a time which is convenient for me. That's why it's called voluntary work. Emotionally tiring....Looks like one can only think and talk at length about doing good for people. When one puts words into action, they are faced with the truth..

Oli's singles tour

2006-01-27T18:51:00.000+08:00

Was listening to Oli 96.8 just now and heard them yacking about the singles tour. It is supposed to be the first ever singles tour organised by Oli in collabration with Star City tours. So what's the first idea on this? Well, something along the lines of SDU perhaps, get people together, minimise the singles indian population, increase babies, help the population, blah, blah ,blah? Well guess what, the minimum age is 18! That's right, you saw it right. 18 yrs old! The deejays were making a statement, that the tour is not for matchmaking and is for networking among our singles and making new friends. Following that there is an advertisement, where we have a princess who is sad because she did not find her Mr Right in the long line of princes who came to see her. Then her mum assures her that she would find one in the Oli singles tour and she should go and sign up at once. If you ask me, I think there is a big mess in the branding.

Even the itinerary includes Workshops on marriage, lifepartners, new friends, dating and problem consultation.

All is well, but what are 18 yr olds going to network at a singles tour where they mingle for 3 days and 2 nights out of Singapore? The possibilities are unimaginable. A teenager is still trying to find oneself and goes through rebelliousness and reasoning and get a lot of hits in life before they are matured enough to make logical decisions. Even our Government recognises 21 yrs and above as adults. Networking by 18 yr olds on what may I ask? In a decent sense, what job they would like to do upon graduation, what NS is like, where to further studies? In a not so decent sense, bra sizes, how skimpy are the outfits, number of relationships or worse how far they have gone? I am not saying that out 18 yr olds are angels. But we don't need to pave the way for them right?

So for those who would like to sp[ice up your life, be sure to sign up for the Oli's singles tour. Have fun and happy dating! For parents who let your teens go, have fun worrying!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

Oh my hump, my hump, my hump hump hump hump!

2006-01-14T16:52:00.000+08:00

OSIM's latest "healthy living product" is called i-Gallop. The TV ad for this product shows pretty ladies in tight white pants humping the machine in sexy poses. And of course there are close up shots of their pelvic area showing in detail the efficiency of the rhythmic movements that the machine offers. Hey don't get the wrong idea! It's a health initiative. OSIM boasts it as "the revolutionary horse-riding exercise that will give you the shapely figure you want, effortlessly and lets you have fun doing it!" Well, having fun? I think that's subjective. This product comes in the line of other OSIM products which vibrates to exercise tensed muscles. As far as I could see, all the machine does is vibrate and nothing else. The big question is...Why do you need a machine when you could be doing the real thing?

What I meant was taking horse riding lessons. What were you thinking?!!!

Anyone who has used the i-Gallop, please give feedback on its pleasures ...Ooops, I mean results...

Manam

2006-01-07T20:46:00.000+08:00

Picture obtained from Vasantham.com

I have always been proud of our Singapore dramas. Most of them have class, excellent acting and not just the same old bullshit week after week. The latest series Manam starring India fame Naser is no different. Caught the first episode of Manam today which was about an "A" level student who lost her mind because of her demanding parents who wanted her to be a doctor. Excellent acting and the storyline is so close to our hearts. Any parent who watched it today would definitely sit down and reflect on themselves and their approach to their kid's studies. How many of us would have experienced or have known someone who was forced in a particular field because of their parents? We all know that those who were forced don't really do well even though they manage to scrape their way through thanks to their intelligence.

In Manam, things that we face in our daily lives are very well acted out and act as lessons to be learnt for those carrying out the same mistakes unknowingly. I believe MCYS and the Institute of mental health is also part of this. A drama series definitely to be caught by everyone. Every Saturday at 7.30 pm at Vasantham Central.

"Un"friendster

2006-01-04T20:21:00.000+08:00

Tried to just add a photo in my friendster account and had to spend a good 30 mins doing that one simple task. With so much of power packed and added features which reminds you of Mustafa Centre (everything also want to do but no focus), their server has gone bonkers. My one photo got mutiplied to 3 and deleting one takes a few page reloads. For a regular internet surfer like me, such time lag is totally unacceptable. If something does not load in 3 secs, that's it, I am off to another site.

By the way, Happy New Year!

From "Mirror Mind"

2005-12-25T18:50:00.000+08:00

Would like to share the below lines taken from Eric Y. Chen's book entitled "Mirror Mind". It's very appropriate for parents who have children with special needs and equally for parents who impose unreasonable demands on their children. A good read for those who wants to know what is going on in the mind of a person under the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Paying the Price (for caretakers) page 110

... A child is a present, a garden given by God for you to tend
If you choose this present, you are expected to return the favour
You must tend the garden and make it worthy of God
Not abuse it as a dumping ground for your desires and frustrations

Tending a garden takes time and effort
You may design the layouts and plant the seeds
But you are merely a caretaker, not a ruler
You can't demand that seed grows instantly or flowers change their colour

Accept or reject the present; there is no in-between
The garden is given as it stands
Come bad weather or pests; you handle
You reap what you sow, receive what you ask for

If you detest the present and yet accept it, resentment shall befall you
Rather than torment yourself and the garden
Make it a gift to another caretaker who enjoys it
A present is only meant for those who love to accept it

...One must tend to the garden, not lord over it
Always commit time and effort to do the best job you can
Have faith and patience not to rush the flowers to bloom
And finally, allow this garden to bestow its unique gift unto yourself

By Eric Y.Chen
22 year old Singapore writer

If you guys ....

2005-12-21T22:42:00.000+08:00

Massage
If you guys are into massages, try Qi Mantra at club street. Went to Qi Mantra for the second time today. Their massages are really good. I have been for massages in Bali and Bangkok and for a massage centre in Singapore, Qi Mantra is wonderful. Affordably priced, specialises in treatment massages, cosy rooms and skilled massuers. They have special treatments like ginger blast which improves blood circulation (remember tea aliyah, well this one, the ginger is spread on your body!), herbal punches (the good old indian "othanam" mixed with chinese herbs) and many more. Comparing prices and service of others, Qi Mantra is value for money. The only setback is that club street is quite a walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Just a word of caution, if your threshold for pain is low, let them know and they would recommend the appropriate treatments fo that. As for me, I can go for the complete blast as I have found out my pain threshold is high..wooohhhooo! If yours is high as well, should give the complete blast a try. Its a deep tissue massage which would leave your body aching for a while. But very very refreshing.

Self help book
If you guys are into self help books (which I am definitely am not), you might be interested to know there is a new pre self help book in the market. Someone I know has wrote the book and I think its quite interesting, check it out if you want. Entitled "Why me? Why not me?" this book has over 100 questions which helps to set one thinking and understand oneself first before indulging in the correct self help books to get maximum results.

Tepak Sireh
If you guys a planning a meal at Tepak Sireh (Sultan Gate), stop yourself. We went there the other day and the service was quite slack. I think it was because we were there like around 2 plus when the crowd was gone but still we had to wait for refills and we could hear the loud yacking of the service staff outside. Unprofessional...Food's not that great either. Not value for money. However, their high budget catering should be good as I had handled an event there once. Well, I think if you pay the price, you get the taste.

Siemens CL 75
If you guys are planning to get a Siemens CL 75, be warned that it is a complete ladies phone. NOPE! I DID NOT LOSE MY PHONE AGAIN! Hehe..Yup I am famous for losing my handphones and falling down while walkin. My long lasting Nokia 3120's LCD became 30% black and so I had to get a new one. So I magnanimously gave it to my mum and got the Siemens CL 75 instead. Only because it was the cheapest at the M1 shop and it was the nicest among the cheapest. Has girly features like mirror, flowery patterns, egg shape and so on. Quite a simple camera phone, not much of frills.

And ya, if you guys are planning to get 5 ladies for dinner, be warned its quite difficult. I didn't suceed the other day. Someone backed out and we were left with 4. Next time must call 10 so that we'll have at least 7 for dinner.

The never ending score

2005-12-12T22:11:00.000+08:00

A revenge game that originated many decades ago is still going on with the latest being the Sydney riot. There is only 1 rule to the game. You hit back the person who hit you and if you can't, you hit the closest looking fella. That's it. So when they are going for the Americans, Europeans, Australians and all other white skinned people are hit. And when they are going for the Iraqis, the lebanese, turkish, indians, saudis and all other "muslim looking" people are hit. And guess what, THERE IS NO END! YOU JUST KEEP ON PLAYING UNTIL EVERYONE DIES...

The world has gone sick. Everyone is hitting everyone and there is retaliation almost everyday. The basic thing to life no matter which religion you practise, is to be a good person. A good person is one who has good values, good thoughts, does not lie, cheat, steal and he doesn't do, say or even think of anything that may hurt or affect others and the environment. Which means you can't gossip, backbite, let off steam and sorts. That's right. Being a good person is extremely tough. So, all these energy and strength being used to wage war, riots, battles and sorts should be chanelled to changing one's self first. I guess since it is difficult to change one's self, it is easier to change others. Well, it is always easier to complain about others than admit one's faults.

I am not siding with anyone here. As far as I am concerned everyone's at fault. It is said that if one hits you on the right cheek you should show your left cheek instead of hitting back. It is said that one who indulges in violence will die in violence. It is also said that if a dog bites you the correct thing is not to bite it back. Ya, we all know this sayings. But it's easier to know than practise. It is going to be a never ending violence till the end. The world is getting worse day by day. Here we are, enveloped in a small area comforted with daily essentials not knowing when it'll be our turn. So, stop concentrating on your bank balance and start concentrating on your balance of good deeds. If we have to go, let us go as good people.

Oh, it's so difficult

2005-12-07T13:37:00.000+08:00

How difficult it is for 5 gals to arrange and meet for dinner? Quite easy you would say. Well, for more than 2 months, we have been trying and we still are. There is always something cropping up. Friend's wedding, family outing, friends coming over from US, dog dying, company dinner and dance... The situations that crop up are endless. Not that, it is done out of purpose but genuinely, reasons crop up preventing a meeting. In the end they did meet for a deepa raya meeting in which I wasn't there, because my friend got married. So just when we were giving up, I put on my Lara croft suit (with a bandana of course) and armed myself with the keyboard and made one last attempt at getting us together for dinner. So the date has been fixed after a 20 email correspondence, but will it be carried out as planned? Will someone's friend get married, will there be a dead fish or will there be some unseen forces that prevent a full attendance meeting? Remains to be seen.........

I am actually on holidays now. Have been looking so forward to it in order to have some fun. But 2 weeks have passed with just attending trainings. Brinjalees is so caught up in his school work and sometimes I just don't feel like going out. Everyday, I think about the day the holidays will end which is just so crazy. Ya I know I'm quite a paranoid chicken. Caught up in my aunt's wedding preparations and other volunteer activities and I see the days pass me by so swiftly. Before u know it, it is Monday and then it is Sunday again! One week gone just like that. Sigh. Anyway it's all good and I do have my share of fun. Like the time we went to JB for a day trip and Jalsa got caught for his processed chicken burgers. Rather u hear it from the horse's mouth so check the following posts from Jalsa and Brinjalees and have a good laugh.

Will be driving after 1.5 years tomorrow. Hopefully, I don't wreck this car as well.

My Brother

2005-12-03T00:17:00.000+08:00

Like I told my brother, I'll dedicate this post to his creations which are collecting dust in my pc. My bro has this interest to create stop motion videos, alter trailers and posters and replace the heroes with his face (yup me not kidding). Well the reason why I don't complain is that he does a fine job, taking into account that he has very limited software at home to work with. For a start I don't even have a Adobe Photoshop or any complicated software in my pc. What he has are those downloadable for free kind.

The clip and pictures below are not for distribution and only serves to showcase to whoever who is interested what my bro could do. In simple terms, don't sue me for copyright infringement. Enjoy!

Weapon Word

Gambit remade

Stranger

Misty

Dodging bullets?

Disney's The Miracle Worker (2000)

2005-11-22T21:36:00.000+08:00

This is a movie everybody has to watch. I watched the 120 min one by Disney released in 2000 which is a remake of the 1962 classic. The movie is about the life of Helen Keller. It features how her teacher Anne Sullivan enters her life of darkness and teaches her to come out and enjoy what everyone else is enjoying. Teachers would definitely love this movie and when I saw it I was tearing at various scenes. Very well acted, written, directed and everything. It not only allows an insight in the world of the blind and deaf but it shows the world through the eyes of a child with special needs. Their anger, their helplessness, dependence on parents and how doting parents spoil their child and do them more harm rather than helping them. It's a scenario where their love causes their child's downfall. The movie will definitely leave you thinking, feeling and a lot more.

Some info
(The links are just random, there is more information on the net for those who are interested)

Helen Keller was deaf and blind and she is still an idol for many around the world. It is amazing how a woman who was both deaf and blind could have had so much determination and perseverance that a well abled person lacks. Anne Sullivan was her teacher who played a major part in her life. Without Anne we would not have a Helen Keller to admire today. Helen was the first and last student of Anne Sullivan who was visually handicapped herself. She was with Helen throughout her life teaching her and gave her the much needed guidance to lead a meaningful life.

Their life stories have sparked many movie productions one of which is the Hindi movie "Black", played by Amitabh Bachan and Rani Mukerjee which was a box office hit.

What's with the head dude?

2005-11-14T18:40:00.000+08:00

I got into this cab that day and was greeted by a non Indian Taxi Driver uncle with a big Vanakkam. And so I thought, Uncle is being multiracially courteous and speaking the only (decent) tamil word he knows. So, I smiled back and replied him with another vanakkam. But, the taxi uncle could speak much more. He was practising his tamil with me and started rattling off and asking me questions. At the same time, he was translating his own speech and confirming with me.

Taxi Uncle : Nee enge irukke? Nann Singapore irukken? So gal ah, this means ah, where are you? I am in Singapore?, Right? Right?
Gal (me) : Yes Uncle, not bad ah you. Steady ah

Taxi Uncle smiles ever so widely at being able to show his tamil talents. There were 2 disturbing things though. Everytime he spoke he shook his head vigourously and at times (at traffic light signals of course) throws up his arms. And his speech was elongated and was in a sing song manner.

Taxi Uncle: Gal ah, how to say eat Chicken curry in tamil
Gal (me) : Kozhi Curry saappudu. (Lightly smiling and finishes sentence in 3 secs)
Taxi Uncle : Oh. KOZHI CURRY SAAPUDU (Shaking head vigorously in various rotations, stretches sentence singing to some tune. Finishes in 8 secs)

After 10 minutes, my threshold was reached.

Gal (me) :Uncle ah, why do you shake your head so much when you speak in tamil?
Taxi Uncle : (Sheepish smile) oh no need to shake ah? he he
Gal (me) : No need. you don't see my head shake do you?
Taxi Uncle : Ya no hor
Gal (me) : U know ah, u shake your head and say the words so long long ah, very funny u know. No need to do all that. Just talk normal can already
Taxi Uncle : Ok ok. hehehe

After that, the rest of the journey was in English.

Some facts about Indians

- When we do the classic Indian shake, it means Yes or OK. Whatever it is, it is an agreeable sign. No need to get confused.
- Not everybody shake their heads when they talk.
- Indians (especially Indian woman) generally are very animated people and yes we DO talk really fast. If you can't catch up, tell us, we'll slow down.
- Nowadays, actors and actresses DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT run and sing around coconut trees anymore. Song clips are shot outside India in China, Turkey, Singapore, Switzerland, Australia and mostly Thailand and Malaysia. So keep up with the times. Forget the coconut tree joke. It's no longer funny.

Fire and flesh in local dramas

2005-11-10T23:03:00.000+08:00

Lifeline If you were a civil defence officer you have my condolences cos I'm not sure how you would deal with your memories of CD days coming back. The drama goes in full force although in the first episode itself we see big fire, small fire, dead casualty, cut off leg casualty, sprain neck, fainting cases and trauma of seeing dead people. So I am not sure what is left to be covered in the remaining episodes. Gurmit Singh has always been a guy of good acting potential. Although Singapore has only seen him do comedy roles and in light hearted roles, he has the making of a character actor and he has taken advantage of Lifeline to display his acting skills. So Singapore, wake up! Phua Chu Kang has made way to OC Daniel (In trailer voice over style). Other members of the cast include familiar faces from other Channel 5 dramas and there are new additions from Vasantham and Surya as well to give it the multiracial feel. Did I mention that some of the actors are cute looking?

First Impressions : Fast paced drama with the usual love, friendship, responsibility, team cohesiveness surrounding it. Should come up with new ideas in order to keep viewers coming back as everyone can get tired of seeing people saved from fires and accidents week in and out. Maybe that's why the love scandal plot is there.

Tab TV
A totally unwanted PG rated show. Credit is given for the controversial topics chosen to be highlighted. It is necessary for Singaporeans to know what is the other side of life here and things may not be that "clean" after all. Topics that people have chosen to turn a blind eye and deaf ear are highlighted and discussed in detail with re enactment, discussion with professionals or parties concerned, public interviews and experiments. The initial episode discussed China prostitutes, Study Mamas and the impression that Singaporeans have of them. What dampens the brilliance of this show is that the PG rated scenes are so unnecessary. The re-enactment have a lot of unwanted sexual scenes in it. For instance, the previous episode, showed 2 people undressing each other and the male going on top of the other in dim red lighting. And there is another scene of an old Chinese man who was supposed to be having sex with various China girls. Same scene of him in his striped shorts and scantily clad China girls who comes and hugs him on the black sofa and he gets to kiss her all over. Repeated for 4 to 5 girls. Too much flesh and intimacy just to get the point across. It is so obvious that it was done to boost ratings and to appeal to those who need some "glamour" in their shows. I recall shows like Missing, 30 minutes and the likes who had covered various topics and had done proper re-enactments getting to the point.

First Impression : Good show but could be uncomfortable watching it with parents. What's with the guy who does the commentary? Sounds like a horny fella. The way he pronounces mama, China prostitute, honey and words like that is so disturbing.

Maja - Tandoori Chicken, Tikka and Briyani

2005-11-08T21:16:00.000+08:00

Vikram's latest Maja is the tamil remake of Mammooty's Malayalam movie "Thommanum Makkalum". Maja is a masala movie to the max. There are various masala ingredients such as villaneous parents, jealous relatives, the hero who beats up the whole village, the rich heroine who needs to be saved and much more. Vikram's formula of doing masala movies in between serious ones have worked well for him to keep his popularity and leave his fans guessing what he'll do next. He doesn't allow predictability to step in and have safeguarded himself from being labelled as an actor who is fit for a "certain" type of role only. Vijay on the other hand has already been labelled as the Gillie, Thirupachi and Sivagasi kind and it is gonna be difficult for him to experiment new roles which explains the flop of Sachin.

Asin has way too much make up in Maja and even under the thick layers her pimples protude out giving her face a ghostly effect. She looked much better in her previous pictures. Furthermore, she is there for the sake of it and her role does not carry much weight. Anyone could have done the role, even Namitha the belly dancer with a large spare tyre.

The dark guy who normally acts as a villain and is known for his crude talk and round black eyes comes as the comedian as Vikram's brother. Ok la I don't know his name. Let's just call him the "Pattaasu Baalu, courtesy of Thirupachi". Very good acting and he could dance too. Although, we found it hilarious to see him dance. Don't miss his romantic looks in the movie as well.

Summing up, it is a good entertainment movie. Don't expect anything serious, mind blowing or sophisticated about it. Got 10 bucks and want to relax and laugh? Then go for it. Go as a group if you want to watch it in the theatres. No point watching it alone as you are supposed to go as a group and be Maja!

Dedicated to all...

2005-11-02T23:25:00.000+08:00

Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya!

Tomorrow is the festival that marks the end of the fasting month. Actually, the festival starts from evening prayer today itself so technically, Hari Raya is today from 6.51 pm onwards. Well, we are so used to the western calendar anyway.

As I sit down sipping my sugarcane with lemon juice, I remain satisfied at the thought of what a fruitful month it had been. Managed to go a higher level than last year in terms of prayers and hopefully next year would be better with more discipline (Discipline and me is actually a very far alliance). Managed to clean up the house 2 days ago, so today was a breeze. Managed to bake 3 cakes and help out here and there.

Some crappy 70's song is going on in the radio on OLI 96.8 fm. Parents are so eagerly waiting for the Hari Raya wishing programme which is actually a "comedy". Highlights of the programme includes deejays begging callers to keep it short, callers reading out from extremely long lists and you could hear priceless customised wishes to uncle Mohammed who lives in Bukit Purmei, Uncle Ali who lives in Pandan, Uncle Yusof who lives in Yishun, Uncle Ahmad who lives in Bedok and not to forget Uncle Abdul who lives in Clementi. Well, just say you are wishing all your Uncles la! By the end of 5 minutes, the uncle category is finished and then comes the aunt category, cousin category and so on. And it is entertaining to see how the deejays try to diplomatically cut them off in order to allow the next caller have his or her airtime. And not to forget the housewives who have to answer the Deejay's lame question of what's cooking and have cooking been done? Hey guys, you are paid so much, think of something new to ask will you?

Anyway, it is a yearly tradition that we listen to this as a family and make fun of the callers and the deejays and those tongue tied people who got the line but their slip of paper flew off in the wind... once again Eid Mubarak!