Dah lama tak datang Singapore ni, but he efficient quiet & clean impression is still there.....
Am at Hyatt...and am savouring my few days away fromm my brood..though i do miss MAryam tagging along on my flight and all.....miss the kids too......
more later....
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Friday, 21 March 2008
Yey For Fiqa - again...
Hmm...i donno how this happened, but the chronology of it all...
Fiqa is in Tunas Puteri - which is the equivalent to Brownies ...
So they have this "kawad kaki" competition - which is basically marching in the hot sun everyday.
I told her - no such thing...you are busy enough as it is with all your other activities and extra classes. She was not allowed to participate.
Suddenly the other girl ie FArah who was supposed to be the platoon leader, had to go off and train for the Wilayah netball team, so Fiqa was the alternative to become the platoon commander.
I received a call from her teacher requesting t buy tudung Munawwarah for the team - so that they kemas macam Syafiqa.
Hmmm....with only one week practise, Fiqa's team emerged the girl's champion for zone BAngsar and Fiqa won the Ketua Platoon terbaik award.
Dia kata dia boleh jerit kuat-kuat sebab dah biasa jerit kat adik dia......oh well!
Fiqa is in Tunas Puteri - which is the equivalent to Brownies ...
So they have this "kawad kaki" competition - which is basically marching in the hot sun everyday.
I told her - no such thing...you are busy enough as it is with all your other activities and extra classes. She was not allowed to participate.
Suddenly the other girl ie FArah who was supposed to be the platoon leader, had to go off and train for the Wilayah netball team, so Fiqa was the alternative to become the platoon commander.
I received a call from her teacher requesting t buy tudung Munawwarah for the team - so that they kemas macam Syafiqa.
Hmmm....with only one week practise, Fiqa's team emerged the girl's champion for zone BAngsar and Fiqa won the Ketua Platoon terbaik award.
Dia kata dia boleh jerit kuat-kuat sebab dah biasa jerit kat adik dia......oh well!
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Till death do you part...from my archives in uks 2001
Elisa and mommies dearie....
It hurts me a lot to see Ameera change moods..due to missing her
grandfather. It makes me really depressed.
Even on the day my father died..i had to pull myself together to be strong
for the children. Because it would not help to scream and go hysterical
because it would just scare the children.
I took all three of them and showed them my father lying on the bed. And
reminded them of their hamster and how it had died. Syafiqa remembers and
said becoz Allah ambil nyawa dia. But she started to cry... Ameera just
blinked. She kissed her toki though , as did the other 2.
I felt like screaming.......
After that Ameera went through a stage of denial. She refused to talk about
toki or kiss him before he was buried. Anyway, we took them to the grave, to
put flowers and siram air....to read fatihah. Of course Aisha does not
understand anything.
The day after. Ameera asked me why did toki turn into a hamster when he
died. Oh boy! Do i have a confused 3 year old.
Aisha says Toki tidur.....and she gets extremely clingy to my breast.
Syafiqa wants a detailed explanation about how and where toki grew up, how
did he meet nekmi....why did he die.....will we see him in heaven.
But they know where toki is. I bring them to the grave once a week. with
flowers....and doas semoga Allah rahmatinya......
It is the practise in Taman Tun that when someone passes away, the mosque
pasang Yasin on the loud speaker. I always hear the yassin being read and i
always ask my hubby or brothers to go check out who has left us.
I never imagined that the yassin was played 3 times for my father.
Now every time i hear the yassin on the speakers from the mosque, i get
goose bumps. And Ameera just switches off. She will retire into a corner of
the room and play with her upper lip.And she will insist on sleeping in my
mother's room.
Syafiqa sees no problem - she says takpe..kalau sad crylah..then you will
feel better. But she gets nightmares.
I still don't know how to handle the kids. I still have not found the
perfect words to comfort them. But i play it by ear.
I think many people lose their loved ones. I guess i yang sibuk nak
advertise my feelings. But all in the name of sharing my experience with the
kids.
Sorry if i overdid my writing..i do get carried away. The writer in me.....
Azizah....all the best on your new turnpoint. Keep heads up....may Allah
guide you on the best path.... do share withus your experiences.....
Thanx guys for bearing with me.....
It hurts me a lot to see Ameera change moods..due to missing her
grandfather. It makes me really depressed.
Even on the day my father died..i had to pull myself together to be strong
for the children. Because it would not help to scream and go hysterical
because it would just scare the children.
I took all three of them and showed them my father lying on the bed. And
reminded them of their hamster and how it had died. Syafiqa remembers and
said becoz Allah ambil nyawa dia. But she started to cry... Ameera just
blinked. She kissed her toki though , as did the other 2.
I felt like screaming.......
After that Ameera went through a stage of denial. She refused to talk about
toki or kiss him before he was buried. Anyway, we took them to the grave, to
put flowers and siram air....to read fatihah. Of course Aisha does not
understand anything.
The day after. Ameera asked me why did toki turn into a hamster when he
died. Oh boy! Do i have a confused 3 year old.
Aisha says Toki tidur.....and she gets extremely clingy to my breast.
Syafiqa wants a detailed explanation about how and where toki grew up, how
did he meet nekmi....why did he die.....will we see him in heaven.
But they know where toki is. I bring them to the grave once a week. with
flowers....and doas semoga Allah rahmatinya......
It is the practise in Taman Tun that when someone passes away, the mosque
pasang Yasin on the loud speaker. I always hear the yassin being read and i
always ask my hubby or brothers to go check out who has left us.
I never imagined that the yassin was played 3 times for my father.
Now every time i hear the yassin on the speakers from the mosque, i get
goose bumps. And Ameera just switches off. She will retire into a corner of
the room and play with her upper lip.And she will insist on sleeping in my
mother's room.
Syafiqa sees no problem - she says takpe..kalau sad crylah..then you will
feel better. But she gets nightmares.
I still don't know how to handle the kids. I still have not found the
perfect words to comfort them. But i play it by ear.
I think many people lose their loved ones. I guess i yang sibuk nak
advertise my feelings. But all in the name of sharing my experience with the
kids.
Sorry if i overdid my writing..i do get carried away. The writer in me.....
Azizah....all the best on your new turnpoint. Keep heads up....may Allah
guide you on the best path.... do share withus your experiences.....
Thanx guys for bearing with me.....
Wrote this in 2001 after my dad passed away..
Assalamu'alaikum wth....
Thank you dear friends for visiting me and writing to me to share my grief.
There is so much i wish to share with all of you. How my children handled
the departure of their dearest grandfather( he had been baby-sitting them in
the evenings for the last 2 weeks of his life).
The feeling that this was all just a dream......
Probably it would have been different if he had been sick.
Probably it would have been different if he was really old.....
He was 55 ( just retired 2 months ago) and full of life.
He had lost weight, looked relaxed without the stress of work and
travelling.
He was enjoying the times spent with my daughters. Which he would not have
had the oppurtunity to do if he was still working.
He had just done his umrah last Ramadahan and his Hajj earlier this year.
May Allah bless his soul. May Allah have mercy on him.
Semoga hajinya haji mabrur.....
What i realised throughout all this is that i have no regrets. The last 2
weeks of his life was filled with togetherness. We spent a lot of time on
being family. I still remember him giving a hug & a kiss the night before he
died. He was helping me with a working paper for a Munawwarah project. He
died peacefully, he looked exactly like he was asleep.
I believe that we should all appreciate the people around us. Love and
cherish. Of course we argue and have our misunderstandings...but we should
hasten to forgive and make things right. If you feel a burst of emotion,
show it and say it. Kadang-kadang ianya alamat yang ajal seseorang itu akan
tiba.It's just that we don't realise it.
Because if you don't, you may regret it...it may be too late.
Allah akan mengambil nyawa setiap insan - it will happen to you, your
spouse, your parents, your child......we should all be prepared.....it does
not happen in chronological order.
Yang pergi tidak akan kembali. Tinggallah kami untuk meneruskan kehidupan di
alam ini. Doakan kekeutan kami. Doakan kesejahteraannya. Dan ambil iktibar
bahawa kematian boleh berlaku anytime any place any age. Just prepare
yourself.........
regards,
ina ali
Thank you dear friends for visiting me and writing to me to share my grief.
There is so much i wish to share with all of you. How my children handled
the departure of their dearest grandfather( he had been baby-sitting them in
the evenings for the last 2 weeks of his life).
The feeling that this was all just a dream......
Probably it would have been different if he had been sick.
Probably it would have been different if he was really old.....
He was 55 ( just retired 2 months ago) and full of life.
He had lost weight, looked relaxed without the stress of work and
travelling.
He was enjoying the times spent with my daughters. Which he would not have
had the oppurtunity to do if he was still working.
He had just done his umrah last Ramadahan and his Hajj earlier this year.
May Allah bless his soul. May Allah have mercy on him.
Semoga hajinya haji mabrur.....
What i realised throughout all this is that i have no regrets. The last 2
weeks of his life was filled with togetherness. We spent a lot of time on
being family. I still remember him giving a hug & a kiss the night before he
died. He was helping me with a working paper for a Munawwarah project. He
died peacefully, he looked exactly like he was asleep.
I believe that we should all appreciate the people around us. Love and
cherish. Of course we argue and have our misunderstandings...but we should
hasten to forgive and make things right. If you feel a burst of emotion,
show it and say it. Kadang-kadang ianya alamat yang ajal seseorang itu akan
tiba.It's just that we don't realise it.
Because if you don't, you may regret it...it may be too late.
Allah akan mengambil nyawa setiap insan - it will happen to you, your
spouse, your parents, your child......we should all be prepared.....it does
not happen in chronological order.
Yang pergi tidak akan kembali. Tinggallah kami untuk meneruskan kehidupan di
alam ini. Doakan kekeutan kami. Doakan kesejahteraannya. Dan ambil iktibar
bahawa kematian boleh berlaku anytime any place any age. Just prepare
yourself.........
regards,
ina ali
Monday, 17 March 2008
Bonding ideas....
1. Pray together -solat jemaah & tadarus Quran is very bonding
2. Sing Tilmiz Doa Nasheed in the car together
3. Act silly little plays together ( how come i am never casted as the heroine in these little plays and my hubby is always the bad guy....Maryam is always the damsel in distress)
4. Do housework together ( but need to control your temper coz the tendency to nag is very high)
5. Wash the porch (and in my case the cat house) together...we can have water fights.....(but the neighbours will all stare.....
6. Update Facebook together (ha!ha! had a real good time with my kids sending silly gifts to my friends & choosing funny animals for my Profile....)
7. Dating with hubby ( my kids get very excited when they know we are going dating......i think they enjoy the fact that they can have 'fun' without parental frowns.....
8. My hubby makes scrumptious pancakes..so once in a while we have breakfast in my bedroom...all 6 of us.....
9. Watch sitcoms (kid sitcoms) together..i had a fun time yesterday watching Suite Life of Zack & Cody...memang corny....
10. Book club - i discuss my kids books with them.....characters & alternative endings...who is the real bad guy in fairy tales and movies....how Cinderella had no authority to disobey her step mother and leave the house empty.....stuff like that
11. Tea together..i alternate daughters to have tea with me at the nearby cake shop......while i scrutinise & interrogate them....it may take me only 15 minute sto finish my latte..but in that 15 minutes i learn a lot about my child....
2. Sing Tilmiz Doa Nasheed in the car together
3. Act silly little plays together ( how come i am never casted as the heroine in these little plays and my hubby is always the bad guy....Maryam is always the damsel in distress)
4. Do housework together ( but need to control your temper coz the tendency to nag is very high)
5. Wash the porch (and in my case the cat house) together...we can have water fights.....(but the neighbours will all stare.....
6. Update Facebook together (ha!ha! had a real good time with my kids sending silly gifts to my friends & choosing funny animals for my Profile....)
7. Dating with hubby ( my kids get very excited when they know we are going dating......i think they enjoy the fact that they can have 'fun' without parental frowns.....
8. My hubby makes scrumptious pancakes..so once in a while we have breakfast in my bedroom...all 6 of us.....
9. Watch sitcoms (kid sitcoms) together..i had a fun time yesterday watching Suite Life of Zack & Cody...memang corny....
10. Book club - i discuss my kids books with them.....characters & alternative endings...who is the real bad guy in fairy tales and movies....how Cinderella had no authority to disobey her step mother and leave the house empty.....stuff like that
11. Tea together..i alternate daughters to have tea with me at the nearby cake shop......while i scrutinise & interrogate them....it may take me only 15 minute sto finish my latte..but in that 15 minutes i learn a lot about my child....
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Changes......
As much as everyone is busy about the new changes in our country....i think we should step back and rethink our own personal manifestoes....
Have we done what we have set out to do and are we actually doing the best for ourselves and our family.
We may be busy setting goals and rethinking and criticising the world around us...and yet we forget ourselves.
Are we better people from yesterday ?
Are we better Muslims then we were 20 years ago when we were free laughing teenagers?
Age has no meaning.
We may turn 37 or 57...we may still have the smooth skin we had 20 years ago or maybe now even smoother.
We may still smile the same bright smile - but it should be a smile which has value - added with the experiences and the knowledge we have gathered over the years.
"Never wait till lightening strikes you before you make a change - coz you may not survive the lightening...."
A beautiful 17 year old is easy to find.....but a beautiful 40 year old with wisdom and knowledge in her heart is one to be treasured.....
WIll we be that 40 year old?
I have 3 years to rethink this.....
Have we done what we have set out to do and are we actually doing the best for ourselves and our family.
We may be busy setting goals and rethinking and criticising the world around us...and yet we forget ourselves.
Are we better people from yesterday ?
Are we better Muslims then we were 20 years ago when we were free laughing teenagers?
Age has no meaning.
We may turn 37 or 57...we may still have the smooth skin we had 20 years ago or maybe now even smoother.
We may still smile the same bright smile - but it should be a smile which has value - added with the experiences and the knowledge we have gathered over the years.
"Never wait till lightening strikes you before you make a change - coz you may not survive the lightening...."
A beautiful 17 year old is easy to find.....but a beautiful 40 year old with wisdom and knowledge in her heart is one to be treasured.....
WIll we be that 40 year old?
I have 3 years to rethink this.....
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Customer Service woes....
Aduhai...
Just tired even thinking about complaints about customer service....how and where to draw the line between "customer always right" and " i have to keep my business sane and make wise business decisions".
Believe me it is not easy to please hundreds of women every day who all feel that your business and your staff are out to get you.
Some customers are just a pleasure to deal with, wheras some can be extremely difficult and demanding.
Some staff are just plain tight lipped and serious and yet helpful....but some are just too eager to please that after 3 customers, they are just plain exhausted....that by the time customer number 5 comes in they are just too tired to help out...
And yet, that is the time they are judged.
Come on...every one has their bad days.....
As an employer, i have to weigh between customers' demands and the condition of my staff...SMILE girls even if your feet are falling off, even if your headache is killing you....even if you have family problems. YOU MUST BE PROFESSIONAL AND SMILE - even if the customer is asking the most difficult from you or if there are 35 people asking you for things at the same time.....
Hmmm......have to really sort this out....
Just tired even thinking about complaints about customer service....how and where to draw the line between "customer always right" and " i have to keep my business sane and make wise business decisions".
Believe me it is not easy to please hundreds of women every day who all feel that your business and your staff are out to get you.
Some customers are just a pleasure to deal with, wheras some can be extremely difficult and demanding.
Some staff are just plain tight lipped and serious and yet helpful....but some are just too eager to please that after 3 customers, they are just plain exhausted....that by the time customer number 5 comes in they are just too tired to help out...
And yet, that is the time they are judged.
Come on...every one has their bad days.....
As an employer, i have to weigh between customers' demands and the condition of my staff...SMILE girls even if your feet are falling off, even if your headache is killing you....even if you have family problems. YOU MUST BE PROFESSIONAL AND SMILE - even if the customer is asking the most difficult from you or if there are 35 people asking you for things at the same time.....
Hmmm......have to really sort this out....
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
CUTI!!!
Yesterday 3 MArch had a cuti day ( that is holiday...) from the ever-so hectic Munawwarah schedule. But i spent it cleaning up the house and learning how to use my newly acquired Bosch Dryer. WAAAAAH!!!!!! Very impressive - i get warm fluffy towels in a matter of hours. No need to rely on my prayers for sunlight on the days when i wash towels.
MMMMMM!!!!!!
I have yet to test the "reduced ironing function" for the kids school uniform..how far it works....we shall see.....then we can save loads of hours from loads of ironing.......
Boy.....loads of work but i feel refreshed coz i maneged to sort out quite a bit yesterday...and i managed to buy the girls their revision books, bought the shop groceries, bought malay novels to improve my kids BM ( and mine)...and also cooked lunch for a group of hungry kids ( and a husband).....
Okay...tonight i will sort out the ironing or the no-need to iron if the dryer works as well as mummy claims it does....( if i can stop Maryam from pulling down my pajama pants or lifting my shirt in her attempt to get me to lie down and breast feed her.......cheeky kid).
MMMMMM!!!!!!
I have yet to test the "reduced ironing function" for the kids school uniform..how far it works....we shall see.....then we can save loads of hours from loads of ironing.......
Boy.....loads of work but i feel refreshed coz i maneged to sort out quite a bit yesterday...and i managed to buy the girls their revision books, bought the shop groceries, bought malay novels to improve my kids BM ( and mine)...and also cooked lunch for a group of hungry kids ( and a husband).....
Okay...tonight i will sort out the ironing or the no-need to iron if the dryer works as well as mummy claims it does....( if i can stop Maryam from pulling down my pajama pants or lifting my shirt in her attempt to get me to lie down and breast feed her.......cheeky kid).
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