aina's godsister got engaged

When aina was still tiny and until she became a toddler, she was babysitted by her godmother, Puan Norizam whom aina affectionately called 'mak' (aina calls me mama). Ayu, (Pn Norizam's only daughter)) became aina's godsister or rather her 'sister' whom both had never had. Ayu loves her, disciplined her and pampered her. So does her father, En Sulaiman (godfather) whom aina referred to as bapak (aina calls dh babah). Apart from them, aina has abang Jim and abang Nik as godbrothers. The distance between our homes is four houses apart which had made easy for aina to escape my disciplinarian routine.

Ayu is a daughter whom all mothers had hoped for. She is a good mannered, intelligent and responsible girl. On this engagement occasion, I pray that Allah will bless ayu with kindness and love.

mak's lonesome eid adha

 

Mak has 6 grandchildren. Only 1 (her eldest grandson) visited her during edul adha (apart from her youngest granddaughter who  stays with mak). Her eldest granddaughter is studying in Bristol, with her grandson-in-law and her only greatgranddaughter. Mak's 2nd granddaughter attended her bf's sister's wedding in Kulim accompanied by her 3rd granddaughter. Mak's youngest grandson is studying in Hamilton. Mak's only son is performing haj in Mecca. So does her daughter-in-law. Mak's only daughter is with her. So does her son-in-law.

Maybe next year mak will have everyone celebrating the raya with her..

rindu meamor dan lambaian kaabah di edul adha

Tahun ini tahun kedua, musim raya keempat tanpa putera tercinta di sisi. Hanya kasih sayang, doa dan skype di pagi raya yang mampu mententeramkan rindu, sebak dan pilu... Mana ada insan yang ada iman di hatinya yang tidak berasa rindu pada Kaabah...Edul Adha tahun ini sangat meruntun kerinduan pada putera dan Baitullah. Semoga Allah mengizinkan lagi percutian bersama putera tercinta dan kunjungan insan kerdil ini ke Mekah pada tahun hadapan... insya Allah..

 

aslam on mbti

Without introverted intuitives, it is said that Israel would have had no prophets. Under deceptively conventional appearances lie perceptive minds that travel the breadth and depth of universal mysteries, contemplating its multilayered complexity, seeking the trends that will define the future. With time, clarity of vision comes. When it comes, they are propelled towards the vision and all their actions lead to it. They are perseverant behind a quiet exterior and will often come back with their vision long after everyone believes they have let it go.

What they see is so clear and obvious to them they are often surprised to find that others cannot see it as well. They may find it difficult to articulate the necessary steps towards implementation or to explain how each goal fits into the larger picture.

Their mind usually travels from the past to the future, seeking to fit a particular situation in a large context. It picks up patterns, symbols and images from different seemingly unrelated fields, identifies similarities and provides meaning. This can help solve problems by juxtaposing ideas, finding analogies or simply by rooting out the quintessential reality, discovering the origin in universal stories and human experiences, culling wisdom from the infinitely small to the infinitely large. Their mind naturally travels from the microcosm to the macrocosm.

They regularly have to face the difficulties of bringing dreams into reality. The time and effort it takes is always more than what their intuition initially suggested. They are determined, perseverant, inspired and often see things just around the corner, into the near or far future.

sighed..

perseverance

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill.

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns.

And many a fellow turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow,

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man.

Often the struggler has given up,

When he might have captured the victor's cup.

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar.

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,

It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

Anonymous

attended a wedding by lake titiwangsa

I have always enjoyed attending dh's family and relatives' gatherings. Although I am an 'in-law', all the time they made me feel welcome as part of the family. I enjoyed the teasings, jokes and laughters - they are all still the same (i've been married to dh and known his big families for more than 20 years!). Doctors, engineers, businessmen, accountants, lecturers, teachers, drivers, odd-jobbers, pensioners etc etc are all behaving alike - full of humbleness and ukhwah. I very much hope meamor and his generation will follow suit.. no matter what their backgounds are and how far their distance apart..

And when its time for us to leave for home..while waiting for Aina who strolled around the lake.. I became the subject of dh's photography!

doaku mengiring...

my cuteprincess is eleven on 6 nov ..

 

 aina.. the taekwondo kid..

 

she is a rare and priceless treasure..

 

who brings special happiness..

we had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun..

(back row) mun mooi, mrs teh, wai ling, mooi kwai, mrs hanif loke, azirah, me, yati, cheok giam, kalsom, wei foonf, carolyn & gaik leng 

(front) rose chay, siew leng and kwee ling

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

 
 

New Friends and Old Friends

By Joseph Parry

Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.

New-made friendships, like new wine,

Age will mellow and refine.

Friendships that have stood the test -

Time and change - are surely best;

Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray,

Friendship never knows decay.

For 'mid old friends, tried and true,

Once more we our youth renew.

Cherish friendship in your breast-

New is good, but old is best;

Make new friends, but keep the old;

Those are silver, these are gold

when will i see you again..

remembering a beloved teacher

I was hardly fifteen.. being cared and loved by a new teacher.. somebody i have never known before. All the love, guidance, presents, attention she has given me, sacrifices she has made for me and her loving memories can never be matched till now and which I can never repay.. she even addressed herself as mama.. how touching..

How ingratitude and naive I was to just let go and forgotten them all these while.. it takes only now (so long after) for me to really understand and appreciate.. sorry so much cikgu maria .. but there were other unavoidable circumstances also..

It is my wish now that we will meet again.. i just met my old friends (cikgu maria's other students).. they helped me to realize it.. i am now in student affairs dealing with students of adolescent age.. and one has made me realized it..

God has given me such a lot.. i should be giving out some also..

These are some memories linked to cikgu maria.. so sweet and beautiful..

One of cikgu maria's poem which i still can memorize which carries a lot of pain inside..

 
ku titip pesan surat rindu pada angin menderu

housemaid arrived

What a relief when the housemaid finally arrived. Though it means a tight purse, but I am in dire need of :

• Nursery maid
  
• Kitchen maid
  
• Between maid
• Scullery maid 
• Lady's maid
• all the above-in-one maid 

meamor ngigau skype

Its 8.30pm malaysia and still early in Canada - 8.30am. Meamor skyped lying from his bed... "mama boleh nanti postkan perencah dan rempah. Hari itu masak ikan talapia fresh giler...." He asked me again "mama apa dia ikan jenahak in english?". I do not know and humbly replied "ntah mama tak tahu, apa dia?". Meamor said "its golden snapper. mama tak tau sebab you are not canadian!". Poyo betul budak ni... And he went to sleep again... Or he ngigau ke ape?...

I promised to dhl him his favourite famous amos, chilli sauce and some herbs and various pastes and gravies. If he ngigau i wonder if he will remember these when he awakes.

where am i?

Only child

An only child is a child with no siblings, either biological or adopted. Although first-born children may be considered temporary only children, and have a similar early family environment, the term only child is generally applied only to those individuals who never have siblings. An "only child", however may have half-siblings or step-siblings who come along considerably late (after he/she turns, say, 12) and still be considered an "only child". Children with much older siblings may also have a similar family environment to only children.

Families may have an only child for a variety of reasons, including: family planning, including financial and emotional or physical health issues, stress in the family, time constraints, fears over pregnancy, advanced age, infertility, personal preferences, and death of a sibling. Additionally, some parents decide to have only one child because they simply prefer it that way. Under the the One-child policy in Mainland China, subject to local relaxations, urban parents are prohibited by law to have more than one child.

In Western culture, only children are often subject to a stereotype that equates them with spoiled brats.

Birth order

is a person's rank by age among his or her siblings. Typically, researchers classify siblings as “eldest”, “middle child”, and “youngest” or simply distinguish between “firstborn” and “later born” children.
Birth order is commonly believed in pop psychology and popular culture to have a profound and lasting effect on psychological development and personality. For example, firstborns are seen as conservative and high achieving, middle children as natural mediators, and youngest children as charming and outgoing. In his book Born to Rebel, Frank Sulloway argues that firstborns are more conscientious, more socially dominant, less agreeable, and less open to new ideas compared to laterborns. Literature reviews that have examined many studies and attempted to control for confounding variables tend to find minimal effects for birth order on personality. ^[4][5] In her review of the scientific literature, Judith Rich Harris suggests that birth order effects may exist within the context of the family of origin, but that they are not enduring aspects of personality. ^[6]
Some research has found that firstborn children have slightly higher IQs on average than later born children. ^[7] However, other research finds no such effect. <sup>[8]

What is the personality of a child if she could be categorized not only as only, but also firstborn and also the youngest when/but she also has sisters and brothers? Unpredictable.</sup>

sedih dan luka - seasonal affective disorder?

I read my eldest niece's blog a while ago and i feel deeply sad. Looking back, my life is quite full of sad stories and one of them is associated with my sibling huhuhu. But I have always - "Life is short - it's been a great reminder to not take life or myself so seriously" and my life goes on the way it is now. I pray to Allah that both my brother and SIL will successfully perform their mabrur haj. Amen.