My Day

The smallest act of kindness,

is worth more than the grandest intention.

How beautiful a day can be,

when kindness touches it...

Mother's Day gift from my daughter-in-law, Kartina

Thank you very much, my Sayang. Your warmth, thoughtfulness and love is a wonderful blessing... bringing joy into my life.

Baru siap...

Apa yang baru siap tu?

Yasmin's Graduation photographs taken at Star East Photo Studio.

my girl and I

my family

Sayangnya Firdaus had already left for Manchester before Yasmin's graduation.  Otherwise, the above photo would have been complete.

Dalam sibuk-sibuk, Mama and Ba pun sempat bergambar untuk kenangan ...

Mimi' Graduation

3 November 2012 - An important day for Mimi Maisara.  It's her graduation from kindergarten. The mini hall at RECSAM was packed with proud parents and their children ( and an equally proud grandmother included!)

Majlis Penyampaian Hadiah Dan Sijil 

Mimi Maisara

Cameras flashed and video-cameras recorded.  Naturally, the little participants were bursting with pride ; walaupun ada seorang dua yang a little bit embarassed ... yang menangis refusing to perform pun ada ... while the others were having the time of their lives. After the awards were announced and certificates distributed, the kids entertained us with a mini concert.


........ aci .. aci.. bukaaa pintuuu...

Mimi Maisara

(second from the row of "hantu's" - on the right)

eemmm.... apasal Mak Tok tengok lebih kepada muka kucing ja dari muka hantu? hehehehe...

Majlis Merisik And House Warming

First, they hanged out with a group of friends ... lepas tu ... they started dating.

After a period of time, they’re now ready to take their relationship to the next level … Marriage.

Great! It's a big step, one not to be taken lightly.

So… 

First tradition – “Merisik”   (asking the girl’s father for her hand in marriage). Merisik is like a rite of passage.. an introduction.. the 'getting-to-know' .. and  a bonding experience between two families and a standard part of an engagement.

 everyone relaxing while waiting for the 'guests' to arrive

 Yasmin ditemani bestfriendnya Sarah (left) and cousin Nur Hanie (right)

Bersempena dengan majlis merisik ni, Faiz and I took the opportunity to have a small 'house warming' dinner pada sebelah malamnya memandangkan kami belum lagi berkesempatan menjemput kawan-kawan ke rumah semenjak berpindah almost 5 months ago.

Shahabe Catering prepared the food as well as table setting arrangements for the day.

Faris's family members arrived after Asar prayers dan majlis merisik pun bermula.

 sementara perbincangan sedang diadakan, Faris, my brother-in-law and my nephew spent their time at the gazebo watching sports

 apabila semua sudah sepakat, tiba masa untuk menyarung cincin

Gifts from Faris's family ...

Dibalas dengan buah tangan from our side... hadiah dari my aunties and my kind neighbour, Puan Sharifah.

"Nak meminang cucu, kena tackle bakal Tok Mertuanya dulu", quoted by my biras Muhammad Bin Abdul Rauf through Facebook. hehehe... 

 

 Yasmin and my mum

 the engaged couple

 Faris's twin sisters at the sides, his Mum beside him and his Nanni beside Yasmin

Left: newly-weds Kartina and Farid, Faris, Yasmin and my sister Ani

Menu for the day: 

Nasi Tomato, Kurma Kambing, Daging Goreng Bawang, Ayam Kapitan, Acar, Dalca, Bubur Kacang, Karipap, Kuih Seri Muka, buah Tembikai, Sirap and Teh Tarik.

Dah kenyang .... senang hati...

 Left: Nur Hanie, Sarah, Yasmin, Ani & Tina

 Yasmin's group of friends from USM who came for the house-warming dinner... such a fun and havoc group!!

my friends (from left) Kak Hajar, Kak Norma, Kak Bibah, Adila, Rina and Aunty Mazham

Rasa terkilan skit sebab tak terpikir nak dapatkan photographer for the night.  Ramai yang attended the dinner tapi no pictures untuk dibuat kenangan. Haish....

Alhamdulillah, Part 1 dah selesai.  Now start dengan persiapan kerja-kerja kahwin la pulak.  

Takpa... chill... 

... moga dipermudahkan segala urusan, insyaAllah. Aamiin.

Alternatives

Firdaus, my dear son...

We don’t always get what we want. When things don’t quite work out as expected, it's OK to be sad... but don't dwell too long on your sadness and let it knock you off your path. Take a BIG DEEP BREATH and know that everything will happen in perfect time, insyaAllah.

There's no use letting the things you can't control dictate your level of happiness. How you choose to see and accept the recent situation will greatly affect your emotions, thoughts and actions from this point forward.

Your mindset will determine different outcomes in your life. So instead of fighting against a situation which you have no control over, let it go. Change your mindset and map out new visions ... new alternatives ... into your life. Choose to see your new changes as a blessing in disguise.

Remember Sayang, this is only a minor detour; not a denial. The best is yet to come... yakinlah !

Naluri Dan Gerak Hati

Well - the first week of 2012 has been "interesting"!

A LOT of momentum so far!

Aaaaaaaand, in the middle of all that - I managed to get a few things done.


1.1.12 ~ Sessi berkenal-kenalan dengan keluarga Tina di Bandar Perda sekaligus merisik.

7.1.12 ~ Day trip to KL untuk berkenal-kenalan dengan Tina's Dad and family di Selayang. Selepas menjamu selera dan berbincang, cincin pertunangan pun disarungkan and we were on our way back to Penang again. Letih… tapi sangat happy !! Alhamdulillah.

… and the countdown begins !!


Farid, my dear son…

I'm happy with your decision and I'm proud of you.

Decisions require instinct and intuition. A person's world is only as big as their heart.

Be noble minded! It is our own heart, and NOT other people's opinions of us, which forms our true honour.

There is no instinct like the instinct of the heart. Listening to your heart is not simple. Finding out who you are is not simple. It takes a lot of hard work and courage to know what you want. Always have a strong mind and a soft heart, my luv.

If you begin the day with love in your heart, peace in your nerves, and truth in your mind, you will not only benefit it yourself but you will also bring benefits to your family, friends, and to all those whose destiny crosses your path.

Whatever task that you undertake, do it with all your heart and soul. Always be courteous, never be discouraged.

Last but not least, pesanan Mama, do not look for approval... except in the consciousness of doing your best.

I love you.

Breaking News

With 2012 right round the corner, Farid my eldest son, pleasantly surprised me with his decision to get married. Nak awal tahun pulak tu !!

I was dazed with conflicting ideas regarding his wedding preparations. Mana tidaknya... my Mum with her flamboyant ideas of 'this and that' (in full agreement with my Dad!) ; Faiz pulak nak buat yang simple (which I know would sync with my in-laws) ; Yasmin ada idea-ideanya yang tersendiri for a "Wow" wedding ; Kaled, my anak angkat and wedding planner, with his plans ; Ani, my sister hinting about a trip to Bandung to shop for stuff .... tinggal Firdaus jer yang belum join in to present his ideas!

Ini belum lagi mengambil kira plans pihak 'sebelah sana' - which we have yet to meet for the first time! Baru dok pilih tarikh yang convenient to visit Kartina's Dad in KL and her family in Butterworth.

It's amazing - sehari dua yang lepas, myself and anak-anak sibuk bincang about having a "House Warming" khenduri sempena berpindah ke rumah baru. Now, topik house warming pun dah pegi ntah ke mana dah ! Tenggelam terus!

My 2012 year is definitely starting with full swing in anticipation of the upcoming wedding.

Semoga Allah memberi kesihatan serta kekuatan untuk kami mengendalikan majlis perkahwinan ini sebaik mungkin, insyaAllah.

University Interview and TSA Test

Friday, 28th October 2011
12.10pm - Firdaus attended a university interview at Taylor's College, Subang Jaya.


Saturday, 29th October 2011
12pm - Firdaus sat for the Thinking Skill Assessment (TSA) written test at Sunway College, Subang Jaya.


uihh... anak yang nak interview and exam, mama yang kecut! Faiz relax jaa... siap boleh lena lagi kat dalam kereta at parking lot. So... mama curi-curi pegi mengendap anak mama ni kat mana?

sedang pikir apa tu, adik?

Clearly know where you wish to go...
and you'll naturally make the effort...
that gets you there, insyaAllah.

Nikon D7000

...click... click... click... click...


Anybody can shoot a snapshot. But is it a good photograph?

Kenapa tiba-tiba cakap pasal photograph ni?

Sebab...

... Yasmin has got herself a ...





... Nikon D7000 (16.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR), sempena joining Photography for her final year semester. Excitednya dia !!! Tak sabar-sabar nak start lessons next week! Equally excited is her younger brother, Firdaus, who is back for the weekend. (Mama pun excited jugak, pepagi hari dah google cari tutorials for beginners and sibuk membaca !)

We look at things everyday tapi apa yang kita nampak tak seperti apa yang dilihat oleh the ‘eye’ behind a camera in producing an image. Nampak macam senang jer snapshooting away tapi sebenarnya a huge amount of work goes into deciding what composition gets included or excluded in the photo to be taken... the lightings... the positions... colors.... time of day and dozens of other artistic elements to acquire the perfect photograph. Itu sebab Photography is not only an art, but also a skill.

Itu belum lagi cerita nak pegi cari lokasi-lokasi yang menarik for the shoots, dan kemudian hauling a load of equipment dan sebagainya. (tapi tak per... not so soon for my Yasmin!)

I hope ‘Uncle Wan’ (En. Ridzuan Ismail) will be a big inspirational mentor to her while she slowly finds and create a talent in Photography.

Semoga dengan menyertai Photography, she will have a new set of photography friends at her level to chat, learn and grow in sharing knowledge together, insyaAllah, sebab peers can come in handy when you need someone for a quick advice or information.

Perhaps later, kalau rajin, boleh create a blog to share knowledge and post photographs. (Kalau rajin laaa... )

Tooth Extraction

Monday, took Farid to the dentist. Dah seminggu lebih complaining sakit gigi geraham. Upon checking, Doktor kata perlu di cabut. Aduihh.. kecut perut aku! Itu baru dengar cakap dari Doktor. Tapi bila tengok Doktor 'in action' mencabut gigi tu ...

.. uuihh! sungguh menggerunkan! ..

Career

New semester, final year has begun for my daughter, Yasmin.


Begitu juga for my youngest child, Firdaus.. who started his 2nd year A-levels.


Belajarlah rajin-rajin anak-anakku. You have both come a long way up to this stage, berusahalah dengan bersungguh-sungguh to complete your studies demi mencapai cita-cita.

Lepas ni, for my girl, nak membina career pula. While for Firdaus, you have another major step to go.

So...

What's the best career for you, girl?

Jawapannya: The best career is one with meaning.

To be truly happy in your career, you need to find the right kind of work for YOU.

Not something you think you SHOULD do
or
something somebody else WANTS you to do.

Some women like to lead...
others prefer to follow.
Some are independent..
and others prefer to be part of a team.
There is no right or wrong.

Ask yourself..

"What feels right for me?"
"How can I use my unique and natural talents?"
"How can I bring out the best in myself and provide it to others as a service?"

Kekadang when people (especially those whom we regard as valuable or important)... ask us what our ambition is?... what we intend to do later in life? ... and kemudian 'pooh-pooh' us upon hearing our answer, that is the quickest way to kill a dream! Mulalah muka ter-berubah (terkebil like a deer tiba-tiba kena suluh dengan headlights kereta..), cakap pun dah nak ter-babble and blurt garblish nonsense, kan?

haha..
chill..!!

Stop the struggle and allow the truth of who you are to rule your life! It may be difficult to allow yourself to be the real YOU for many reasons. We may feel insecure about the validity of our choice. We may be wary of what "Others" will think.


Haishh...! Jangan macam tu, my love. Dare to take the steps toward finding your own true path by answering the questions above. You'll discover what comes naturally and what activities make you the happiest.


Best of all, you'll feel genuine satisfaction and pride when you spend your days doing something you value.


The next time someone asks you "lepas ni nak buat apa?"... have a strong confident answer for them, and answer with pride "I am going to be a Spa Director, insyaAllah" (contoh la kaaann...)

Hari Raya Aidil Fitri 2011

Aktiviti malam raya ...

Ani and Yasmin preparing bundles of sayur kangkung for tomorrow's Mee Udang. cakk! Min!! camera-shy pulak dok menyorok belakang sayur tu!!


Photos on 1st day of Hari Raya 30 August 2011

family di pagi raya

Left: Farid, Yasmin & Firdaus... Jewels of My Life

centre: my sister, Ani

Sementara guests belum tiba, kita makan dulu...

Farid helping himself to the Mee Udang

Among the early guests to arrive were...

my younger brother-in-law Hafiz, his wife Ina and youngest daughter Nur Izzani

...and their twin sons Hazman Hafiz (left) and Hazwan Hafiz

my nephew, Atif ...

... his wife, Shela ...

... and their son, Aidil

Right: Dayana , my niece

As promised in previous entry...


my special guests for the day ...

Farid's girlfriend, Kartina ...

... and Yasmin's boyfriend, Faris

2nd Day of Raya - Perhimpunan keluarga anak menantu cucu cicit Tok Hashim (my mother-in-law's father) di Alor Star, Kedah. The photo taken here is my husband's family. Unfortunately, my father-in-law was not well and did not attend this event. Otherwise, the photo would have been perfect.

BBQ on 2nd Raya night

from left: Farid's friends Kaled and Hairi - 'orang kuat BBQ event' setiap tahun.

Another important BBQ event member, Shafiq, came a while later. Hey! Lupa snap photo dia, ke? haish...!

yang atas buai tu Kaled's Mum, Kak Maria and Kartina on the left. Hairi BBQ-ing dengan penuh bergaya

Faiz and my mum sedang menunggu dengan sabarnya

my sister, Ani

from left: Zel, Firdaus Najib, Ramdzi Malek, Farid, Hazwan Hafiz, Julia, Faris

ok... kasi chance... last photo... Farid & Kartina