Lumière

Finally the cards are readyyy :)

And it looks like exactly how I want it to be. Plain and simple. And this can only be achieved after so many amendments being made because the first draft sent by them was horrendous I've to say.

We named it Lumière which means "Light" in French. Having Kadkahwinku.com to make my card, I'd have to choose a name for it. It was really a struggle to choose a name. I don't want them to name it because this is my card, my invention kononnya sebab tak pernah ada orang buat engagement card kat situ kata akak tu. Tension arouse in choosing name, lagi2 bila Mad suggest nama bengong2 and I am striving for perfection. Tang ni sebok la nak jadi perfectionist.

In the end, we came to a consensus to pick the name. Light can be interpreted broadly. But to us, apart from his first name's meaning, light means something else. Something that happened in January :)

Few other things to be settled before September. Insha Allah, I can do this. *sigh*

By the way,

Salam Ramadhan Kareem :) May we not only attain hunger and thirst but also a heart and soul filled with Kalamullah, Insha Allah :)

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR TARAWEEH?

Remind yourself it’s a once in a year opportunity
For most of us, work, school or just about anything else becomes an excuse to wriggle us out of attending Taraweeh. The next time an excuse creeps into your mind, think to yourself – “It’s just once a year”. You may not get an opportunity to pray Taraweeh next year, so don’t give yourself excuses!Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying regarding Ramadan, “Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Sahih Bukhari: Volume 3, Book 32, Number 226)
Why pass up such an opportunity?

 Go to the masjid stress-free
Make sure all your work is taken care of before you head out for Taraweeh. Plan your day so that homework is finished, emails are typed out, the dishes are cleaned and the kids are tucked away in bed for you to be able to stand through Taraweeh without your mind being occupied. If you cannot finish off certain tasks before Taraweeh then set a time after it when you will be working on these tasks.

Go to the masjid with a group of friends or family
In this way, everyone makes it to Taraweeh without anybody slipping off under the bed covers and dozing off. If you are able to offer a ride to your friends in the neighborhood then there is insh’Allah, ajr (reward), for becoming a means for them to get to the masjid. Also, going along with a group adds to the enthusiasm! Finally, if you get to the masjid early with a group, you could cozy up in a corner and have a mini halaqa.

Get to the masjid early
This is important. You leave five minutes before the prayer begins, you get to the masjid breathless, you’re thirsty now and there’s no place to stand, you finally find a spot where you are squished between crowds of people, this spot is hot – disaster during Taraweeh. Do not take a nap after iftaar, leave for the masjid right away. This will ensure that you get to the masjid without any puffing or panting and you can get a comfortable spot. Leave a portion of your daily Quran recitation to recite during this time.

Have a light iftaar
Yes, we have all been hungry all day and seeing the delicious iftaar meal on the table makes you never want to stop. However, stocking up on all of it will do you more harm than good. It’s also against the sunnah! So go easy on your stomach and eat light. A full belly makes for a very uncomfortable Taraweeh. You may have a few more bites when you return from taraweeh if you feel you haven’t eaten enough.

Know what’s being recited
This is by far the most crucial tip for Taraweeh prayers. Often we begin to feel tired and restless during Taraweeh because we have no clue about what is being recited! This also takes away from the khushu’ in one’s prayer. There are long-term and short-term solutions for this.The short-term solution: Get to know ahead of time what the imam will recite during Taraweeh the next day. Ask the imam or just predict! That night, pick up a copy of an English translation of the Quran and read the word-to-word translation and perhaps some of the commentary on those ayahs. You’ll feel far more alert during Taraweeh when you’re able to pick up on some of the meanings of what is being recited.The long-term solution: Plan ahead of Ramadan. Enroll yourself in online or local Arabic courses and learn some basic Quranic Arabic. Also, try joining Tafseer courses to be able to understand the beauty in the meanings of the Quran. This works far better than reading a mere translation of the Arabic text – but you need to plan ahead!

Don’t neglect the fardh prayers
The Taraweeh prayers are a nafl prayer. Make sure in all the hype about Taraweeh, you don’t neglect your fardh (obligatory) prayers!

Avoid the ‘dip’
Often halfway through Ramadan, we begin to feel a ‘dip’ where the enthusiasm for Taraweeh from the first few days begins to wear away. Avoid it. You may try new things to keep up the enthusiasm such as going for Taraweeh along with a friend, forming a halaqa with a few friends at the masjid after prayer etc. But most importantly, remind yourself why you’re going for Taraweeh each day and renew your intentions.

Water is your friend
Carry a water bottle with you to freshen up in the breaks during the Taraweeh. To pump up the goodness and rewards, bring a few extras for others praying in the masjid.

Leave the scowling at home
Sometimes people in the masjid may get on your last nerve. It’s hot and crowded, kids cry and people push. But keep your smile on. Ramadan is all about clinging to patience.

 Du’a..Du’a..Du’a! 
It’s the month of asking for forgiveness and seeking His Bounty. Learn different du’as that you can recite during the long prostrations in Taraweeh. If there’s any time when you should really increase those du’as, then it’s definitely during Taraweeh!

(Source : Here)

Marhaban Ya Ramadhan

2nd day of Ramadhan and Alhamdulillah haven't missed terawih (Yet. Baru 2 hari so masih segar dan semangat). Semoga istiqamah kepada saya dan semua Insha Allah. Macam ada sorang Ustaz ni cakap, Ramadhan macam perlawanan bolasepak. 10 hari pertama is Qualifying Round, 10 hari next is semi-final and the last 10 days is final so SHOULD BE, throughout the month pun penting to persevere on in our ibadaah. Insha Allah. Syaitan takde, kalau malas tu, tu diri sendiri.

Terawih - same issue. Mak/bapak bawak anak kecik kat masjid lepas tu anak tu jadi tukang pijak sejadah/alas solat orang. I think, they should just stay at home. Daripada nak tambah pahala bulan Ramadhan, tambah dosa lagi ada la. I observed, and the reasons being :

1. Anak buat bising, orang lain tak khusyuk solat;
2. Anak kacau orang lain solat pijak sejadah, main-main lalu-lalang depan saf, pun orang tu tak khusyuk solat;
3. Anak menangis melalak nak susu, mak kena bagi tapi selalunya mak marah, cubit anak suruh diam. Salah tu. Kalau cubit lagi kuat la dia menangis. *facepalm*; and
4. Anak 2 atau 3 atau 4 orang meragam semua pegi kat mak, mak marah ayah sebab taknak jaga anak, tarik muka masam depan orang ramai yang memang dah macam tengah tonton Cerekarama hari Sabtu. Na'uzubillah. Dah berdosa mak ni kat ayah. (Sebenarnya yang mak dia lagi bengang, bapak dia bukan nak tolong ambik anak yang menangis tu, tapi pass kunci kereta kat anak sulung, anak sulung pegi kat mak, campak kunci "Nah, Abah suruh balik". Kalau aku pun aku bengang. Suami dia pun kenapa irresponsible? Fikir pahala kau sorang je nak berterawih, beban jaga anak semua pass kat isteri? Kesudahan Cerekarama ni, mak dia balik bawak anak-anak, tinggal bapak dia sambung terawih. Tak tau la bapak dia balik cemana lepas tu. Jalan kaki agaknya.)

Those are among the many things happened. And I believe that they don't only happen in my masjid but mostly everywhere. Yes, you have to chase for the pahala in Ramadhan. But consider other things too. Yes, you are encouraged to follow an Imaam for terawih but if you have small kids, better off just perform the solah at home. They will still be pahala for you. ALLAH IS THE MOST FAIR, remember?

Tu belum lagi yang budak besar2 dah darjah 4, 5, 6 main kejar-kejar belakang saf, sepahkan selipar orang dah susun atas shelf, budak kecik golek-golek main berenang-berenang atas alas kaki yang disangkanya swimming pool, budak perempuan menari-nari depan saf ingatkan semua orang tengah tengok show dia, and manyyyy more.

Tak boleh nak blame the kids, diorang eksaited jumpa member, selalunya pukul 9PM dah kena paksa tido, now dapat pulak lepak memalam sampai 10.30PM maunya tak happy.

So to the parents, or parents-to-be (including myself Insha Allah), be considerate. Easy. Jangan buat orang lain pun dapat dosa, sebab sepanjang terawih asyik mengomel dalam hati kenapa lah anak orang sebelah ni begar (degil) sangat.

Let this Ramadhan be better than before. Let it be a platform for PAHALA, not DOSA. Insha Allah. Wallahu'alam.

Selamat Berpuasa! :)

Breaking Promises

I had a deal with Mad, that he can't buy me birthday present which exceeds RM100. Whatever you wanna buy, up to your imagination and creativity. None of my concern as long as it it within the allowed sum. And he agreed. Good, because then I won't have to crack my head to think of what to get him for his birthday too ha ha.

These few days, with the increase in number for robbery cases, snatch thefts etc, he has been extra vigilant, more than I do myself indeed. Don't bring designer bags to work, checked (since I will sometimes take the LRT to work), and because it might attract the thieves. Got it.

And yesterday, another rule being reminded by him. No handbags with bright colors. This is not so easy to follow because if it isn't any other bag, I will always carry my turquoise Longchamp  -durable, easy, light. Perfect bag to dump everything inside. But it's turquoise. And according to him, it is unsafe for me. So instead, he asked me to use my black D. It's black, unattractive but it's D. So it is definitely out of the list of bags to be used to work.

So I got confused, and subsequently malas nak fikir and just thought that I'd use the Longchamp. Raihan even suggested to put handbag inside a plastic bag. Gary (colleague) suggested to use KK plastic bag. Why KK? Why not Tesco or Giant? No idea why, Gary was just being Gary, weird. Lols.

And today I went to attend a talk by Sheikh Yahya with Raihan. Apparently he can't join for he had to study. So he just fetch me and sent me home. As I got in the car, he started showing his weird I-got-something-for-you-and-I-hope-you'll-love-it attitude. He started his speech by holding my bag and commented on it - padat sangat la, I tak suka u pakai bag color turquoise la, muat ke barang la, etc.

And finally he said he bought me a bag. Not that expensive but affordable and most importantly I can use it for work. AS USUAL, he will put the gift dalam bonnet kereta lepas tu aku la yang kena turun, bukak bonnet lepas tu mulut nganga. Mana satu yang hadiahnya? Paperbag ni ke atau sepasang kasut bola warna merah bungkus ngan plastik? Plastik sangat kalau aku tak tau atau buat2 tak tau, kann? Kau ingat kau Azwan Ali? Tiber.

Tralaaaa! Cannot see clearly but whatever. I aint no iPhone user.

It's leather, it's affordable, spacious, light, tangkai pun tebal tak macam bag Dorothy yang I almost purchase nasib baik tak beli sebab tak berbaloi katanya sebab tangkai nipis macam benang, it's black so warna tak menarik perhatian perompak, it has no monogram all over macam LV, it has zipper yang selamat dan boleh dikepit celah ketiak kata Mad, and it has nothing but that one metal plate.

Yang paling penting, BAG NI BOLEH JADI TONG SAMPAH ISI SEMUA BENDA.

Kenapa di akhir blog aku tiba-tiba jadi Joyah?

Anyway, thank you so much, TM. You're spoiling me too much but I loveeee you still.

XX

P.S. There will always be portions of rizq for each one of us. Smile, believe, and be patient. Allah is The Most Fair and He is The Sustenance. Alhamdulillah syukur for everything =')  I take this as my portion of rizq, and I take you as one of the many blessings in my life.

Black Witch

Boston, Bayswater or Saffiano?