new tasks!

Assalamu'alaikum dearest,

Alhamdulillah, Allah is The Provider; Ar-Razzaq.

I have new tasks to do!! (*ehem* actually, "WE" have new tasks to do!) Whee whee!! Alhamdulillah indeed for the opportunity and chance!! Insya Allah, will elaborate more when I'm...not as tired as I am right now.

I just wanna lie down, with a book on my hand, until I fall asleep!

xoxo

ps: sometimes I wish my laptop can just type whatever thoughts I have in my mind instead of me typing them, because hands are just too lazy to type but mind is not tired to think and think and think and think, and with that I want to share and share and share and share!!

Apparently, there's PDF file about Gems & Jewels (luruskah the book title?) whereby you can listen to the quotes mention in the book. LISTEN to the QUOTES, instead of reading!! Wa-heyyy! How cool is that?? Saves time, energy, and for people who have tons of books queuing up to be read, She wished more books can also be translated into PDF file, so that instead of reading them, we can just listen to them on our iPods while driving, etc. Such a dreamer she is, eh? Who knows one day it'll happen!! Bah all you computer geniuses out there, quick quick, think of a way!

and all the random things...

I was driving... then I noticed as I reached home, my meter thingy showed a nice number -


So random. I KNOW!

Anyhoo, Ness and I made full use of the last day of the book fair. Heavens!! We wish the fair could've stayed a wee bit longer, cause we both just couldn't get enough of the sight of all the books!! And I bought this!!!


And masya Allah, the sea of people who came to ICC for the book fair was quite... overwhelming, to the fact that it's almost impossible to find *halal-not-breaking-the-rule* parking space, so we decided to park all the way down, at the stadium tertutup and walked our hijabed wearing *insert appropriate word* up the hill. And being the unfit one, I climbed with much difficulties, so much so, I was breathing quite heavily as we reached the place. She, of course, made fun of me! WUBS YEW ANYWAYS!

And the sight of Tahfiz students (methinks) was calming to me. Their uniform is so lawa!! So tertutup. So proper! melikes!! Even one of the stall owners asked if I were one of the Tahfiz students (I wish!!). Huhu... then I had to lower my gaze as I took the change for the book I bought. Haya' neez, haya'!

I was browsing through Bimbingan Mu'minin, and I was interested to read more on -

Sifat yang harus diperhatikan dalam memilih sahabat.

Ketahuilah, bukan semua manusia patut dijadikan sahabat. Rasulullah s.a.w. telah bersabda:

"Seseorang itu atas agama (perjalanan) rakannya, maka hendaklah seseorang kamu memerhatikan siapa yang harus dipilih menjadi rakan"

Allah s.w.t. berfirman:

"Dan janganlah engkau menurut orang yang telah Kami lalaikan hatinya dari mengingati Kami, lalu ia mengikutkan hawa nafsunya" (al-Kahf:28)

"Maka berpalinglah engkau dari orang yang tiada mempedulikan peringatan Kami, dan ia hanya menginginkan kehidupan dunia semata-mata" (an-Najm:29)

"Dan ikutilah jalan orang yang suka kembali (bertaubat) kepada-Ku" (Luqman:15)

Alqamah berpesan kepada puteranya, katanya: Wahai anakku! Kiranya engkau merasakan perlu untuk bersahabat dengan seseorang, maka hendaklah engkau memilih orang yang sifatnya seperti berikut:

1. Jika engkau membuat bakti kepadanya, ia akan melindungimu.
2. Jika engkau rapatkan persahabatan dengannya, ia akan membalas baik persahabatanmu itu.
3. Jika engkau memerlukan pertolongan daripadanya berupa wang dan sebagainya, ia akan membantumu.
4. Jika engkau menghulurkan sesuatu kebaikan kepadanya, ia akan menerima dengan baik.
5. Jika ia mendapat sesuatu kebajikan (bantuan) daripadamu, ia akan menghargai atau menyebut kebaikanmu.
6. Jika ia melihat sesuatu yang tidak baik daripadamu, ia akan menutupnya.
7. Jika engkau meminta sesuatu bantuan daripadanya, ia akan mengusahakannya.
8. Jika engkau berdiam diri (kerana malu hendak meminta), ia akan menanyakan kesusahanmu.
9. Jika datang sesuatu bencana menimpa dirimu, ia akan meringankan kesusahanmu (membuat sesuatu untuk menghilangkan kesusahan itu).
10. Jika engkau berkata kepadanya, nescaya ia akan membenarkanmu.
11. Jika engkau merancangkan sesuatu, nescaya ia akan membantumu.
12. Jika kamu berdua berselisih faham, nescaya ia lebih senang mengalah untuk menjaga kepentingan persahabatan.

Alhamdulillah, Allah Maha Pemurah, I have found the girls who have one and more qualities stated above, and by Allah's will, we meet up every Friday to recharge our Iman, insya Allah! That is why I hearts my Halaqah Muslimahs! And the feeling of having the girls in my life is just... indescribable.

Friends for me, come and go. But with what I've been through these past few years, losing a best friend, losing contact with school friends, and only keeping in touch with a few closest friends, I realize the difference between 'kawan' and 'sahabat'. And the jodoh to meet my HM girls, somehow I believe that Allah menggantikan what I lost with something that's so much better. Subahanallah, Maha Suci Allah yang mengatur kehidupan hamba-Nya dengan begitu terperinci!

Allah s.w.t. berfirman:

"O Prophet, say to whoever is in your hands of the captives, "If Allah knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (Al-Anfal:70)

"Wahai Nabi (Muhammad)! Katakanlah kepada para tawanan perang yang ada di tanganmu, "Jika ALlah Mengetahui ada kebaikan di dalam hatimu, nescaya Dia akan memberikan yang lebih baik dari apa yang telah diambil darimu dan Dia akan Mengampuni kamu". Allah Maha Pengampun, Maha Penyayang." (Al-Anfal:70)

At ease, in this lifetime, I do hope that you've found the kind of friends that can make you feel like a million dollar, so to say, the ones that bring that smile on your face, that give their shoulder when you cry, listen when you pour out, despite of your weaknesses, accept you for who you are and what you want to be, and guide you as much as they could so that you can be that someone you want to be with.

:) Salam ukhuwwah!

part-timer.

In the next three days starting tomorrow, insya Allah Ness and I would be a part of the ESQ Training crews. Not as participants, but as crews.

Insya Allah.

I don't know why, but I am excited!

More info, clickey here.

Note: it's the same organizer as the Kursus Solat that we attended a few weeks back with Ustaz Zaharuddin.

cinta tahap gaban.

I'm tired. It's been a hectic and informative and eye-opening week for me. would love to blog about it.but.just.not.now....

insya Allah will blog about it soon :)

anyhoo, just to satisfy her, so there.
(ps. the conversation is unedited (except for the jubah part) - huhuhuhuhuhuhu)

venue: YM window chat.

time: around 9-ish.

Hanisah Salleh: bah, BLOOOOOGGGGGG
.annisa. : hahahahaha
.annisa. : alum ada moodddd
Hanisah Salleh: ADA BAJU BARU!! (jubah)
.annisa. : lol
.annisa. : hahahahaha
.annisa. : yeah but im tired from the driving here and there..
.annisa. : on the way back everyones sleeping..
.annisa. : buyukkkkkk
Hanisah Salleh: "im blogging because ness said i mus tblog. here. done. *julurs at Ness*
.annisa. : lol
.annisa. : i'll copy paste.
.annisa. : CHEERS!
Hanisah Salleh: HAHAH BUYUUKKKKK

NYEH!

I WUBS YEWWW!

Welcome New Leeds-ians.

Salaam everyone,

we had a very busy day yesterday. Apparently the new Leeds-ians from Brunei came yesterday from London. And I thought there were only two of them, turned out there were EIGHT of them. I haven't learnt all of their names yet but I'm getting there.

Anyways, they are all undergraduates. Alhamdulillah, with the limited time span, and with their patience and endurance to walk the miles around the university and campus area, sorting out their accommodations and what-nots, and to top it off, we were all fasting, so I take it as a 'ujian', Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly. We managed to accommodate the three juniors who prefer to stay in a privately rented house rather than the student halls. Alhamdulillah, we have managed to help out as best as we can to make them feel welcome, and we had our sungkai session at Charco's. Perhaps they didn't expect that 'no rice' was available as Charco's is a knock-off (if I may say so) of Nando's - but at a cheaper price ;)

Alhamdulillah as well, the 'tour guides' were very helpful and happy to do it ;) To show the juniors around university area. Big thanks to M, R, G, A and M for helping out with the luggages and transportation.

Today, we went to the city centre since they needed to buy necessary stuff for their rooms. Boy, I remembered when I first came to Leeds last year, I was all alone sorting out what needed for university and for home. I guess being independent is a part of me already that I'd feel suffocated when I'm home where I can't do what I usually do, at my own time and pace without having to worry much about other people. I remember getting lost trying to find the train station, I remember exploring the university area trying to find the library, I remember a lot of things I've learnt about living in Leeds and I guess that's what's got to happen in order for you to experience it yourself.

Sometimes I do get the impression that people think that it's 'easy' to live here. But I gotta say, it depends on how you see it. If you're thinking - easy as in you get to make your own rules - then yes, it is. I love the fact that I have my own room, and I have it to myself, hence I can pray calmly, spend time with myself, and all that jazz. But on the other hand, there's other stuff to worry about, such as paying bills, rent, thinking of what to eat for dinner, buying food stock, having to carry them home (no cars here), this and that... but then that's what makes it so special. It's the experience that counts.

But that's just me ;)

The juniors with R - plus Auntie and Uncle (parents of Zaim (sp?) - I's cousin)



[pictures have been deleted]

Anyways, we're home now. Resting.

Somehow, seeing the new juniors coming now makes it more harder to leave Leeds, but at the same time, I can't wait to be home again, especially during Ramadhan because I've missed it for the past three years. I can't wait to wake up during sahur, and I can't wait to go to Pasar Ramadhan (or whatever they call it now) and buy begedils and kueh malaya. YUMS!! More importantly, I can't wait to see my halaqah sisters and join the halaqah!!! YAY!

What's for sungkai later? And what's for sahur tomorrow morning? Teehee.

Have a blessed day, everyone. Allah hafiz.

Kaka Hana: yes ka, I got your contact details in my inbox. Thank you for sending it. Insya Allah, will let you know prior to my departure to London ok. take care ka..

A lot like HR (love)?

or

Salaam everyone,

I have a thought, well, more like a question.

Is it just me or is finding a boyfriend/girlfriend/potential husband/potential wife nowadays feels a lot like finding a job in a competitive world where everyone is out there, regardless of your age, qualification, status, and etcetera and you, an "employee" have to "push" your CV (Curriculum Vitae) through to get noticed by potential "employer" (boyfriend, girlfriend, potential husband, potential wife).

Having been an interest to understand the beauty of Human Resources in the workplace, adding in the opportunity to study in-depth knowledge and exploring my understanding in this area has made me somewhat a skeptical twenty-something year old girl, who, insya Allah will finish her postgraduate study, after gripping in so tight the title of a 'student' for the past twenty years or so, who will return home after three years of studying abroad, celebrating her first eid after three years being away from family (insya Allah) and still very much 'single'.

There must be something wrong with me. Or better yet, perhaps the world of love I once knew before is changing so rapidly, that at times I feel so lost in it, not knowing what to do, where to go and worse, what to feel.

It's just like in the profession of HR, you have to keep up with the changing laws and practices, the current trends, the changing proportions of number of employees entering the market, what professions are 'hot' and 'in demand', what are the qualifications needed to get those 'hot' professions - an HR professional must have at least some knowledge about every perspective involves in the world of labour market. One way or another, any changes in the Employee Rights Law could very much affect how , for example, an employer treats an employee during interview session as part of the Selection and Recruitment process. One wrong move, the employee can drag you, the employer to court claiming having been 'discriminated against'. So, perhaps I have neglected to 'keep up' with the current trends of relationships, having to let go of my previous relationship so drastically because 'it was the right thing to do' at that time, that has made me feel so incompetent when it comes to relationships, and love.

Everyone knows that when you apply for a particular job, you send in your CVs, and a 'powerful' CV can attract the attention of the potential employer that makes that 'powerful' CV stands out from the rest, hence a 'powerful' CV must have the criteria to 'sell yourself as an employee' so that you are 'in demand'. Rules and regulations are what that keep the labour market a safe and perhaps systematic way of doing things, specifically, hiring the most suitable employee. But I'm not going to give you tips on how to write up a 'powerful' CV, well, not today, I won't, but who knows in the future, eh? Insya Allah ;)

So the question is, are there any rules in the game of love? Or are they so invisible that the rules are verbally understood by those who claim to be 'in love'?

Because if there are rules, then I must've missed the sign. Even if they are invisible, I'm sure I must've misinterpret them. Whatever the reason is, I'm just saying I'm dumbfounded.

Going back to my metaphorical example of love in HR terms, somehow being a single twenty-something year old, I'm wondering if I did anything wrong that put me in this position now.

*looking around*

Nah, I take that back.

The point is, it feels that now, it seems a lot more harder to find a decent guy without having so much expectation because at my age, I must be rational and at the same time critical to be thinking of questions 'about the future'. Just like when finding a suitable employee, the employer will be looking at the basic information that a typical résumé provides, because selecting the 'right' or 'most suitable' employee is a risk that the employer is taking, because the employer is concerned about what this candidate will provide for the employer in the coming years (future) and we all know business-driven employers only care about one thing and one thing only - PROFITS! No one wants to hire someone who will bring in loses to the company, yes?

Below is an example of how a typical résumé look like:

Note: I type this without having to refer to any CV in particular, but just one of my 'from top of my head' ideas...

(a passport-sized photo is usually attached with the CV)

1. General personal details; name, address, status, race, religion, age (to determine working experience)
2. Qualifications; having the highest qualification obtained is placed on top (which is pretty vital because your qualification is what gets you to the next short-listed process)
3. Working experience; if you're a fresh graduate, you are expected to perform at your level of intelligence/way of thinking hence there are good chances you'll be selected to be one of the short-listed candidates depending on 'how you sell yourself' in your CV, but on the other hand, if you have several years of working experience, this could be a huge advantage on your and your potential employer's part especially if the area you're applying for is inter-related with your previous working experience
4. Other Qualifications/Awards; such as IELTS, Best Student of the Year Award, CIPD Student of the Year Award, Best B&F Student Intake 17, Best Management Student...etc.
   
5. Previous school; now, I don't know how it is in Brunei, but in a competitive market place in the UK, sometimes where you obtained your degree is considered a huge thing - for example, if an employer has to choose between a graduate from Cambridge University or a graduate from *insert a university with a lower rating*, who do you think the employer will be most interested to take? But bear in mind about the degree rating, meaning, it's no use having a third class degree from Cambridge University as compared to someone from a *insert a lower rating university* with a first class degree, now would it?
6. Capabilities; here is what you put as what you are capable of doing. Usually, it's the typical 'Excel in Microsoft Office' and listing down all - MS Word, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint, MS this, MS that. Some might even put, 'Able to speak and write in English, Malay and Arabic fluently' - which could be advantageous depending on the job apply.
7. Hobbies; some might put what they like doing during their free times, but to be honest, it doesn't really make a difference. I think it's just one of the ways the employer wanting to find out if you are actually a 'fun' person who is not so workaholic. hahah.
   
8. References; this could be your previous employer's contact number in case your potential employer wishes to confirm all the details you give are correct.
   

But that's just my two cents.

Now, it seems easy yes? It seems do-able. With the right information, especially the ones that the employer is particularly looking at, chances are, if you are a potential candidate, you'll be lucky to get a call or a letter saying that you're invited for an interview at so and so date and time. (Must remember though, as much as you want to 'sell yourself' and appear creative, don't ever put in something that's not true because in most part of the world, they do have laws that could bring you to court for false statement)

So, having said that, I put myself in the shoes of an 'employee' looking for a potential 'employer'. It feels like nowadays, in order to 'get noticed' by these so-called 'employers', one has to play by the rules, hence the idea of 'it feels like we're applying for a job' (which, on the contrary, MAYBE we are applying for a full-time job - as a girlfriend, or better yet, as a wife), whereby for someone to 'notice' you, they have to go through the process of 'selecting, short-listing, recruiting and hiring'. Below are the 'steps' that I would think of how everything happens.

• the passport-sized photograph - in terms of perhaps, display pictures for those who are an active user of chatrooms, msn messenger, yahoo messenger and the likes.
• then the typical personal details - name, age, where you live, status, what you do.
• comes next is the qualifications - which derives from 'what you do', whether you're a student, a *insert something* officer, a researcher, *insert job title*, or unemployed; for some, this also means your 'physical qualification' - height, weight, how 'vain' you are (lol, kidding!) - pokoknya, semua mengenai fizikal seseorang that makes the 'employer' attracted to you
  
• follows by experience - in terms of how you bring yourself that makes who you are now, in terms of your maturity level, your way of thinking, your thoughts, the way you appear to others, your goals, your dreams, whatever it is about you that make you the person you are now... because at some point, one way or another, we all learn from our past mistakes that 'pengalaman mendewasakan kitani', perhaps the more 'experienced' you are, the more different your perspectives are on certain things.
  
• Other qualifications - could mean other 'means' that you, as an employee, owns. For example, perhaps you drive a limited edition Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 that for some could be a HUGE thing, or that you own a house, or that you have a distinct 'something' that only a few has - whatever it is, it could help in getting that 'extra' attention from the potential employer.
• Previous relationships - in terms of your 'relationship' history (although this doesn't necessarily being asked in the early stage of 'getting to know each other' - otherwise, "penyibuk jua orang ani, dude, I don't you all that well to be talking about my past relationships"
• Capabilities - hahahahahahha... i'm thinking - cooking capabilities (because apparently guys like girls who can cook (banar kan? restaurant belambak, kita makan kat luar je), house cleaning, able to speak and write Malay and English very fluently, a little bit of Bahasa Tutong and Arabic, and any capabilities that you can think of that you CAN do and HAVE.
  
• Hobbies - hahahahahahhah... the only thing I could think of is - RETAIL THERAPY BABY! (then guys would be thinking - habis la duit aku... kinsil tarus ni kinsil!!) or loves to increase knowledge by reading Islamic books or articles - whatever it is.
• References - this could be your best friends or closest friends or your clique, or whoever are personally close to you to find out how you are, digging up details about you from a third party.
  

lol.

But that's from the point of view of an 'employee' applying for a suitable job. What about being in the shoes of an 'employer' searching and selecting and recruiting and hiring the BEST possible, or perhaps the MOST SUITABLE employee for that post (a boyfriend or girlfriend/husband or wife)?

You'd be thinking, when you look at the CV just now, yes there are some vital information that you could use to select and short-listed your 'candidates'. Sometimes, it does get overwhelming when you have more than 'one applicants' who are interested to apply for a post in your life, which makes selecting and choosing the best one a wee bit difficult. So many choices to choose from.

Honestly speaking, being a girl, we all want to be loved. In fact, we LOVE to be LOVED. No questions there. But, there will come a point in your life that you'd be thinking, does he deserve me? Do I deserve him? In certain (unique and rare) circumstances, one might find love and stick to it all throughout the years (like G&G, Z&V) and hope that jodoh kesampaian (Amin), but for the rest of us, how is it going to end? Wallahu'alam...

If for example, you're just looking for someone to love (or be with because everyone else seems to have a partner except me), someone you can find comfort in at times where it feels like the world has neglected your existence and that person is the only one you can turn to, then perhaps you can throw all the rules and CVs and whatever and be with that person who can make you happy at that time being. And if you don't find yourself compatible with each other no more, feeling that there's no more love left, then you just up and go, and find yourself a new 'job' or rather, a new 'employer'.

But if you're looking for something more than just companionship and love, someone to settle with, someone you can trust, someone who can trust you, someone to care about, someone to understand, someone who's willing to compromise for the sake of staying together, someone worthy that you want to spend the rest of your life being next to that person, then I supposed, it comes back to that basic rules of trying to find the BEST, or at least the MOST SUITABLE candidate from a pool of potential candidates.

One piece of advice though - in your search for Mr. Right or Mr. Most Suitable, perhaps always keep in mind that there are no such thing as 'a perfect CV', hence there's no such thing as a 'Mr. Perfect'. Before anything else, you have to look at yourself, think of your good qualities and treasure them because they're your best bait, and remember your bad qualities and try your best to polish them away. Only when you learn to love yourself, that you'll learn to love others.

Ness mentioned something about love;

"Love is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it flutters away from you, but if you stay and open your palms, (un)expectedly, the butterfly will come to you and rests on your open palm" (or something like that)

What I'm trying to say is, in a quest of finding my Mr. Most Suitable, I have encountered the highs and lows of guys that have managed to both break me & my self-confidence and build me & my self-confidence. But each time it happens, I realize it's just one of Allah's ways to remind me that I need to grow up. "If it doesn't kill you, it only makes you stronger".

And with my new-found perspectives on how I would gladly choose my Mr. Most Suitable, I suppose, in simple terms, I guess I just leave it to the hands of Allah s.w.t. because He knows best, and He knows what's in my heart, and at the same time, I tell myself to make an effort in my quest to find and keep 'him' one day, insya Allah, as well as to never stop my munajah to Allah s.w.t.

For all my single sisters out there, La Tahzan, ukhtis. Your Mr. Most Suitable is out there somewhere, and insya Allah, when it is the 'right' time for you two to meet, then the waiting period seems so insignificant ;) Have faith in Allah s.w.t.

Seperti dalam firman Allah s.w.t.;

"Exalted is He who created all pairs - from what the earth grows and from themselves and from that which they do not know."
(Surah Yaasin, Ayat 36)

To end this already long post, I leave you with this:

Guys, if you are:

"a simple guy who is lovable, kind, generous, ambitious, willing to understand the complexity of a girl, loves to watch any kind of movies so long as it's with the one you love, make an effort to go that extra distance to prove your love, can sometimes be either 'crazy to the point of making an unexpected decision at the spur of the moment' and 'lame to the point that surprisingly your jokes make me laugh', sometimes have an interest to listen to nasheeds and at the same time can be a romantic r&b addict, not afraid of making mistakes, and (is around 5ft 7inches or more tall is an advantage), AND most importantly, know that you will not like (love) a girl for what she is, but for who she is and what she believes, that your ultimate goal in life is "untuk mencari keredhaan Allah dan mengecapi keagungan Cinta Allah dan RasulNya" and that your definition of bringing up a family has everything to do with the 'Islamic way'"

....then perhaps YOU are the guy that the so-few muslimahs have been looking for all our lives, who can help us to better ourselves as a muslimah. If we are compatible and if we hit it off naturally, together we can make it in this competitive world of 'relationships and companionships' in this dunya, and insya Allah, in akhirah... Allah knows best.

I, on behalf of my sisters, invite you to send in your "CVs" together with your recent photograph via email at: [email.stated.somewhere]

Or just leave a comment.

I don't bite. Serious.

teeheehee.

Have a great Friday everyone.

Allah hafiz.

Mood: RELAXED!



/edited

Ladies, if you're looking to expand your muslimah friendship, do join us and our weekly (insya Allah) Halaqah Muslimah discussing about Islamic issues. Ukhti Ness posted about it a few weeks back, clickey here to read about it, and clickey here to join our Google Group Halaqah Muslimah. Jazakallahu khairan, and may we all benefit from it, insya Allah.

“If six mannerisms are gathered in a woman, her goodness is perfected: Guarding the five prayers, yielding to her husband, pleasing her Lord, guarding her tongue from backbiting and gossip, forsaking worldly possessions, and being patient following a tragedy.”

[Ahmad ibn Harb]

:: Patiences, Prayers and Preseverance ::

....a first time for this.

Salaam everyone,

Kayfa haluki? (I think it means "How are you?" in Arabic - kalau salah tolong betulkan, Jazakallah ;) )

Alhamdulillah, I am very lazy puasa-ing today, insya Allah.

I'm only about 400+ words to reach my minimum word limit, and what I've been doing all day? Something else that has nothing to do with thesis at all. Sigh. I guess my motivation is going downhill today, temporarily, I hope... because I need to get over this by the end of this week, insya Allah. May Allah make it easy for me...

Anyways, for most of you who know me, I don't eat sushi - PERIOD!

In Brunei, the only TWO times I ate sushi was at Excapade, both in Gadong and Kiulap. Atupun, I ate anything yang ada TUNA-ONLY (in other words, "cooked" tuna in tin only please!) and the thought of eating the "raw" type is a big NO-NO. In fact, I will make a face every time people mention about bringing ME for sushi.

No thanks, I'll pass.

Kesian my friends. Them sushi lovers can't really bring me along whenever they have their usual sushi-frenzy.

Do I get jealous??

No, siree.

I defy.

I'll gladly excuse myself and choose to go someplace else.

BUT...

there's always a first time for everything. Apparently, the postgrads here are sushi-lovers and since it seems like everyone's leaving soon, so R decided to treat US for sushi yesterday. I joined, because, I thought, "hey, why not? I can stick to my usual tuna-only dish, yes?"



MAN, WAS I SO SO SO WRONG??

After thinking of what to eat, and when MY dish came... you can imagine the look on my face asking this question:

"Mana tuna nya?"

lol.




RAW, MAN, RAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

Raw Salmon, Raw TUNA!!!!

HOW 'TIS?

I was convinced by them that "it ain't that bad..."

Presentation-wise, it was gorgeous.

BUT RAW TUNA!!!!!

Mau inda mau, yes, I had to brave myself to eat it - FINALLY!

Finally, I can say - I've eaten SUSHI!

*pats self at the back* - you did something 'cool', you deserve a day off from thesis~

(any reason, eh?) ;)

ps. Congrats to Ness for making it a year since she don the hijab. Wubs wubs wubs you~

pps. It's nisfu Sya'aban y'all.

ppps. MAJAL.

Mood: Lazy

Khas Buat Babahku...

Salaam everyone,

It was just another weekend, another weekend for me means the deadline for my thesis is getting closer. But just like any other typical procrastinators, I took my own sweet time trying to finish up another 2,000 words to reach my thesis target, insya Allah...

And just like any other typical procrastinator, I jumped to the idea of having one whole day NOT thinking about my thesis, because A invited us to go to Chester (close to Liverpool) for one whole day shopping frenzy at Chester Oak Retail Outlet. It was planned a few nights ago, and G and I decided that we need a break from the work and spend the day having retail therapy instead, which we are actually best very good at, (un)fortunately.

I started the day just like any other day. Waking up for my late-night prayers, then slept for a coupla hours before waking up again in the morning to do the routine activities. But today, I had to wake up earlier than usual, hence I lost a few hours of sleep because we promised to be at their (A&Z's) house at a certain time.

The moment I woke up, checked my phone and I almost beat myself for almost forgetting that today is my babah's 54th Birthday. Ya Allah. I had it saved on my calendar but somehow I supposed with the things I have to deal with at the moment, that little fact kinda passed my mind :(

But it was never too late to wish him birthday, yes? So, before anything else, I texted mama and berbunga-bunga my text messages wishing babah for his birthday. Why I texted my mama instead of my babah? Because believe it or not, my babah seldom interacts with the kids unless there's something important that he wants to discuss about, any other day, he'd gladly pass the ringing phone (whenever one of us calls up during weekend) instead of picking it up and talking to us. teehee. funny, even mama teased him sometimes saying, "cubatah cakap sama anak atu..." but that's my babah... for those who know him personally, he might seems serious (well, he is, actually) but just like G said, a girl's first love is her dad. I guess I have to agree with her. Almost everything I want in a husband is in my babah. Dads are like a reflection and the best example of how we want our husbands to behave like (at least that's what I personally think).

Anyhoos, melalut lak citer hari nie. Point is, after texting, I called mama up when we safely arrived at Chester and when I said "Say 'Happy Birthday' to babah...", mama just directly passed the phone to babah.

*gulp*

So, as awkward as it must've felt, it actually felt natural. Babah and I talked for a good few minutes. saying that they're having dinner at Nyonya Gadong (aiii) and he even updated on the news of my sister being admitted to the hospital (which, btw, if you could please make dua'a for my sister so that she and her baby will always be in the protection of Allah, and lekas sembuh, insya Allah - Jazakallahu khairan in advance) and then mama was updating on a particular matter regarding application for a particular post.

Seems like everyone's healthy, fine and happy, Alhamdulillah, except that mama sarut suara - so mama, anak mama doakan semoga mama lekas sembuh jua...insya Allah...

[doa anakanda untuk babah mama & keluarga sentiasa dilafazkan di setiap solat harian, insya Allah...]

Right on.

I had headache all day, perhaps due to the lack of sleep and skipping breakfast this morning, but Alhamdulillah, soon as we reached home, after taking shower, wudhu and performing my solat, it feels like Allah has lifted the pain and now I'm fine and all smiley. Alhamdulillah... ;) amazing, innit?

Oh, and I've been blog-hopping these past few days and one of the blog-owners adviced that (in his own words):

"Menulis artikel jangan bergantung pada “ilham”, coz itu akan membuatkan kita tidak istiqamah. Tapi biarlah kita menulis atas dasar “tanggungjawab”. insyaALLAH, kita akan sentiasa hadir dengan artikel2 terbaru…"

:) semoga menjadi iktibar dan peringatan buat diriku yang sering lupa...

"O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do."
(Surah As-Saff [61:2-3])

hello yummies...

For 99p, you get this:



FACT:

A girl can never have enough shoes, enough bags, enough tops, enough tudongs/headscarves and anything with chocolate in it, on it and with it (and I'm not just talking about food!)

hush, cheeky!

daily dose.

Salaam everyone.

I finally got my daily dose rounds of blog-reading, which I didn't get to do much while I was in Brunei. It's *SO* good to be back (and how many times do I have to mention that?)

Recently, my youngest brother and I share the same taste of songs... in fact most of the songs I listen to now, I got it from him. He's such a fatty, I tell you. What more, he's taller than I am, and he's only 15!

Oh, I went out and have lunch with S yesterday. It's so good to be back. First, went to HSBC to sort out my debitcard. Met B along the way and he said that I gained weight! :0 Expected, I tell you. Although it's shocking to hear it from someone, he only replied saying, "hey, I'm a good friend, I tell you the truth" lol. Right! So from now on and for the next coupla weeks, neez is walking everywhere. City centre - walking. Uni - walking. Library - walking. Gotta burn off these butter chicken fats!! lol

Went to Spicemania for lunch and how many rounds did I eat? THREE!! Right, so much for burning fats, neez! lol. (Lets keep a happy post now, shall we?). S mentioned about the fact that it's still sale everywhere, so tempted to go, I noted to go 'window' shopping. Huh. Never, ever, ever say yes to my request of window shopping. I always always always end up buying something. Typical neez! lol

But it felt good. Weirdly enough, I only bought a top from Jane Norman and it only cost 9 quids! And I bought something which I personally think kinda special - of course I'm not gonna mention it here. It's too personal to be shared. (right, isn't this an invitation to read all about my life?) tsk. neez. tsk.

Jabirness much.

Catching up sessions with G and S felt so good. I never knew I'd miss Leeds this much. It's so good to be back! All the hassles and heartaches, I left them all in Brunei. Like N said, being away from home is like getting away from reality. And why I'm excited to leave MY reality and be here instead? Because, so much so, MY reality seems inevitable for me to put aside. Too many people and too many hearts are involved now for me to just drop everything, be insensitive and selfish and just tell everyone to bugger off. Sigh. If I were to be given an option, I'd opt for starting new and fresh somewhere where I know no one else but myself and of course - FPH. What's FPH, neez? FPH stands for Future Potential Husband. (Now why am I getting off the topic here?). On the other hand, I *do* have options, it's the question of whether I am strong enough to make the choices and stick with it and live with it. Sigh.

Jabirness much.

So many things in life. Choices. Ketentuan. Jodoh pertemuan. Feelings. I feel lost sometimes. But can you really help who you fall in love with? Sigh. (*whispers* - yes you can! because you hold the key to your heart, no one else)

Pfft. Easier said than done this!!

here comes the summer sun~

Salaam everyone.

Sorry for the LACK OF UPDATES!

Thanks for leaving 'comments'. *waves at mamat gua cina sasat perasan cina* lol good to see you coming out once in a blue moon~

I have reasons why I have been OCCUPIED these last few days and hence the lack of updates...

FIRST...



I love the number '17' that I requested to have it designed on my favourite drink - hot chocolate... (although it doesn't look '17' to me...)

SECONDLY,



Then I get to see my cute little niece - Aleeya


THIRDLY,



Then, butter chicken is SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD AND NYAMAN AND CHEAP!

....and FINALLY,



I get to take picture with Aiman who's currently in BRUNEI.

... get the hint?

I'M BACK PEOPLE!!!!

But for a month only as I need to do my research data collection for my Masters thesis for two weeks at BSP. And I'm currently using their wireless function as we speak. Started yesterday and it was a great first day - hey, it's only gonna be for two weeks so might as well enjoy it, no?

Sorry for the surprise. But I'll tell more in my next post. For now, I'm quite occupied with my research (yatah karang! :P) and there's no internet connection at home.

If you do see me around, please tagur-tagur, I can be quite 'blind' and 'in my own world' when I walk alone. lol. Bah, work's calling.

ps: thanks to Ness for being there at the airport. wubs you muchos!!!!

xoxo

i bruise easily.

so be gentle when you handle me
there's a mark you leave
like a love heart carved on a tree
I bruise easily...
can scratch the surface without moving me
underneath I bruise easily...

anyone who, can touch you, can hurt you, or heal you

anyone who, can reach you, can love you, or leave you

cheer up, little one.

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
If it was meant to be
You'll know it shouldn't be this hard

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
Today is just one of those days
When things just don't go your way

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
He must have a good reason for saying "not tonight"
Don't take his words straight to your heart

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
Sometimes things happen unexpectedly
Perhaps it's just one of Allah's ways to show you the sign

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
He could be just another excuse
For you to hide behind those bruised scars

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
Indeed it must be so hard for you to look tough
When inside you're crying in defeat of weaknesses

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
There have been better days for you
And there have been brighter smiles from you

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
I'll hold your hand and together we stand
We will make it through this rain

Cheer up, little one
Don't be so hard on yourself
Even though this heart has endured so much
But with Allah's love, you'll find your way back to Him
And mend your broken heart
.... so that you can love again.

girl power.

Salaam everyone,

I actually posted one post prior to the linky-linky one. But I deleted it. Because that was me randomly blurting out my thoughts without any red-lights, all green-good-to-go.

But no worries, you didn't miss much. I was just giving shout-outs to Caveman - among other things that is.

I'm bored. So welcome to "Sesi Mari Membaca Cerita Kisah Kehidupan Si Annisa"...

Yesterday, I was reminiscing all the lame chat-up lines that I have encountered throughout my adult single life. teehee. Maybe some of you have gone through the same phase/lines being used by the opposite being in order to attract your attention simply because 'they like what they see' *eyebrows up and down*


Scenario 1:

I was walking alone, it was midday (I think), and my intention was going to the town centre for shopping because I was bored at home. Walking, walking, walking, walking... then I heard someone saying, "excuse me?"... I ignored. (malas kan perasan at this point). Then, I heard him again, this time, louder, "excuseeeee meeee, misssssssssssss~". At this point, I stopped, wondered and turned around.

Behind me was a guy hurrying up approaching me, and smiling. "I think you dropped something", he claimed. I checked my handbag, myself and wondered, "apa ah?" (bangang jua ku tu). When he was close enough, I asked, "sorry?"

He said, "I think you dropped my phone number?"

Du-h.... lol

(never heard that one before. lol)

I smirked. I giggled as well. This guy! So, he was trying (well, at least I think he was trying) to impress me by, of course, saying flattering things such as, "... bla bla bla.. I was looking at you, and phew~~ I've got to stop her... bla bla bla... then I look at you, I thought to myself, you look even *insert flattery words here*... bla bla bla". Flattering sessions, biasalah. Of course, I denied. Saying, "no.. stop it. liar. bla bla bla" and still control ayu this! So he introduced himself, what he does (yeah, I notice guys will tell you their name, what they do and the whatnots even though you didn't ask for it - they just blurted it out) and where he lives. I listened attentively while thinking of excuses to excuse myself. In the end, he offered, "so... can I take you out sometimes?"

There it is!!

So, my reply was, "sure... if I have the time...", dalam hati cakap insya Allah plang tu. teehee. And asked for his number instead of giving mine. He willingly gave it, of course. So, we bid farewell and he said that he hoped to bump into each other soon.

Soon was definitely soon enough because later that day, as I was trying to avoid the same road I met him, (un)luckily enough, he was heading home. What are the odds? I smiled but I was cursing myself for taking the alternative road, brilliant much?? lol. Funny though. He was just about to unlock his house door and he even invited me in. Thanks to my persuasive "No, thanks", he declined after a while. We parted after he kept on mentioning this is 'fate'. Yes, yes, fate. I know. (Fate, for me, comprise of jodoh pertemuan, not just jodoh perkahwinan). If you ask me now, I don't even remember his name, nor if I still have his contact number :)

Scenario 2:

I was walking home with a girlfriend, and did most of the talking. I decided to stop by the cash machine since there was only a few people queuing. I noticed from afar, they were a pair of eyes that have not looked away since they first laid them on these approaching girls. Perasan this. So, I hugged the girlfriend, she walked home and the guy kept on looking at the back and quite a few times our eyes met. I became cautious. Something funny on my face kah? When it was his turn to withdraw, he looked at me again and smiled. I, being a friendly person (maybe this is my problem), smiled back, then looked at a nearby parked car (which happened to be a bmw), so for a second, I was wondering about when the time comes for me to buy a car, what would it be (jauh angan2 this). Then, the guy went away, and I still have one person in front of me. Then, the said-smiled guy went to the parked car. His car rupanya, I said. Before he went in, he looked at me and raised his eyebrows and smiled. Ooo-kay. I smiled back and looked away. Again - maintain ayu this. Then, my turn at the cash point and then walked home. As I was about to search for my house keys, the same guy, in his car, said, "excuse me...?"

I turned and said "yes?" and he said, "would you accept a new friend?"

Huh?? Lame much. Direct, but lame. heehee.

So he parked his car and went out and we ended up talking as there's about 300 metres of space between us. lol. He introduced himself (again, I didn't ask for it - maybe it's a way to let the girl know that they're not crazy, insane, and that they have real jobs. lol). He asked if I'm asian. Of course, I claimed. He said flattering things as well, "...bla bla bla... you're *insert flattery words here*... bla bla bla" and I denied as well, and he said "why do you deny it? you are *insert flattery words here*..." I just smiled.

The best part for me was when he guessed my age. heehee. Definitely looked/appeared younger!! Woohoo. So, anyways, after a few minutes of talking and flattering, he said if he could take me out when I'm free. Again, I asked for his number and told him to contact me when he's free to see IF I AM free. Get it? Since he's the one who seemed eager and interested, he should do the work, no? hahahahahaha...

(siap bagi tips lagi). huhu...

Scenario 3:

It was night. It was crowded. It was packed with beautiful and not-so-beautiful people. Good music sometimes, bad music most of the time. Then, there he was. Tall. Gorgeous. Good-looking. And a very captivating blue eyes and smile to die for (not exaggerating this! at least, that was what I thought of him) I melted. M-E-L-T-E-D. Because, he noticed me and I noticed him. Looked at each other, stared at each other for five seconds, smiled and looked away, and this went on for the rest of the night. lol.

Alas, when I was directed by one of my friends to go check a friend of ours in the bathroom, my walking back to my group of friends was exciting as he was on his way to the bathroom. We looked at each other and passed by each other before I felt someone tapped me on my shoulder. I smiled, and turned around. And there he was. He has the most gorgeous smile - ever!!

"Hi, I saw you... you're *insert flattery words here*"

heehee. 10 points scored!! Dalam hati I said, "YOU TOO!!!!"

"...then how come you didn't come over?" I asked. Playing it cool.

"because you were with friends, they might not like it..." he smiled shyly.

gentleman. SCORE!!

Then, he introduced himself, where he's from, what he does, the likes. He happened to be a part-time deejay, and he's into music. No wonder he can dance~~ after talking for what seems like two seconds for me, he took out his phone to take my number. But, of course, I asked for his number first *grins*.

"I'll ring you some time and we can go out for a drink or summat"

I smiled. "Sure thing".

The rest of the night, I just smiled non-stop. The night ended beautifully.

==========================================

lol. Those were some of the days when nisa was the nisa I used to know~ (erk... what if there's still a part of me like that? :S)

Experience. Take them. Learn from them. It makes me the person that I am today (I think).

My intention of putting these scenarios were not intentionally wanting to point out the obvious (open to interpretation) but simply because I'm bored and I need a cheering up. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed remembering them ;)

So, what's your story?

mere thoughts.

Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said: "Avoid suspicions, for suspicion is the greatest lie. And do not be inquisitive about one another, or spy on one another, do not outbid one another with a view to raising price. And do not feel jealous and do not entertain grudge against one another and do not backbite and the servants of Allah like brothers amongst yourselves."

Assalamu'alaikum...

I don't know why the heart is a bit restless today. I so want to blame my cycle, but that's just not it, I know, because it doesn't feel right. Alhamdulillah, I am fine. Alhamdulillah, I am busy, by having this dissertation to do, somehow I am quite occupied. I, for one, cannot imagine not having anything to do at all (although, on the contrary, that'd give me more time and chances to read online articles teehee).

But, still...

I was invited to a friend's place for a Bangladeshi taste-dinner. That's the great thing about going to a university and doing a course where 90 percent of your coursemates are international students, apart from having a range of friends from all over the world (even from places I never heard or paid attention of its existence), plus you get unofficial invite to their country (even though, chances of making that trip/holiday is quite slim at the moment). Anyways, it was a great time to meet up with some of my girlfriends from the course. And what do girls do when they meet up? That's right~

First, they scream.

Then, they hug.

Then, the usual, how are you's... missed you's...

*grins*

Anyhoos, when girls get together, we talk about everything and anything, ranging from dissertation, to supervisor, to how to write, to holiday, to food, to hang-out, to shopping... and especially.... about guys and relationships. WHAT ELSE?

And out of those moments, they were some that raised a little suspicions about two particular people. And perhaps that's why my heart is restless :S

I dunno lah.

So many things on my mind. I've got tons of 'other' things to worry about. So at the time being, I'll just keep on reminding myself not to get suspicious on other people, insya Allah, and insya Allah, keep on reminding myself not to do things that might raise suspicions from other people...

EVENTHOUGH, on the contrary, it is just obvious, so how can people NOT get suspicious?? It is good to avoid suspicious, also it is good to avoid doing things that could lead to suspicions, yes? Especially, when it comes to people's perception and judgement. In order to save yourself from becoming the 'topic of the day', then avoid doing things that could lead people to be suspicious of you. It all comes down to your own self jua kan?

Sigh.

Enough lah, you. (points at self). Go do your reading!

ps. I forgot to mention that last Sunday, we went picnicking at Iikley with families of Kak Lin, Kak Amy, Ida, Kak Midah and Kak Aisha. Place was absolutely gorgeous. Will post pictures up, maybe~ insya Allah...

/edited

Am excited. My sister has posted wedding pictures of Sherliley on her blog. Go go see it. And sing along with me, Ness and I's theme song~~~ 1-2-3...

Ooooohhh Maaaaamaaaa... Saaaayyyaaaa maaaauuuuu kaaaawwweeeennnnn~~

i am, as of this moment, menghapus jejakmu... (in english, getting rid of your steps...)

Girls Versus Women

Disclaimer: Received from an email. :D Hope it brightens up your day. Enjoy~

Girls leave their schedule wide-open and wait for a guy to call and make plans.

Grown Women make their own plans and nicely tell the guy to get in where he fits.

Girls want to control the man in their life.

Grown Women know that if he's truly hers, he doesn't need controlling.

Girls check you for not calling them.

Grown Women are too busy to realize you hadn't.

Girls are afraid to be alone.

Grown Women revel in it-using it as a time for personal growth.

Girls ignore the good guys.

Grown Women ignore the bad guys.

Girls make you come home.

Grown Women make you want to come home.

Girls worry about not being pretty and / or good enough for their man.

Grown Women know that they are pretty and/or good enough for any man.

Girls try to monopolize all their man's time ( i.e. don't want him hanging with his friends).

Grown Women realize that a lil' bit of space makes the 'together time' even more special - and goes to kick it with her own friends!

Girls think a guy crying is weak.

Grown Women offer their shoulder and a tissue.

Girls want to be spoiled and 'tell' their man so.

Grown Women 'show' him and make him comfortable enough to reciprocate without fear of losing his 'manhood'.

Girls get hurt by one man and make all men pay for it.

Grown Women know that that was just one man.

Girls fall in love and chase aimlessly after the object of their affection, ignoring all 'signs'.

Grown Women know that sometimes the one you love, don't always love you back - and move on, without bitterness.

Girls will read this and get an attitude.

Grown Women will read this and pass it on to other Grown women and their male friends (or re-post it in their blog *eyebrow*)

Isn't it funny.

Salaam everyone.

I have come across this post and it's quite interesting.

It's titled Buat Bakal Suamiku, credits go to the writer, Zahranuur.

=================================================================

Let me tell you one secret.

Truthfully, I am scared. Emotionally, I am SCARED.

Lately, I have been somewhat compromising with myself. And I blame it none other than myself and my weak iman. I would love to rant and/or let it all out here, but I decided not to, I told myself, I have a better listener (not that you guys are any less than better ;)), so it's either I keep it to myself, or I tell Him.

All my happiness, all my sorrows, all my smiles, all my sadness, all my tears, all my secrets, I tell Him.

So many things I want to share with you. One of the things that I have been avoiding to talk about is - love and relationship.

Because it might be considered as - unmuslimah - for me to talk about it since quite more than a few times I have mentioned about the beauty of muslimah, lower gaze, haya'... then you might wonder, how am I going to find a suitable husband?

Allah knows, my readers. You don't know what I've gone through, what I am going through. But Allah knows :D

It seems a lot more complicated to be put into words - for fear that you might get all judgmental - but at the end of the day, I know my intentions are right, insya Allah, and before I try to correct you, I am still trying to correct myself. Yes, I am not perfect. Yes, sometimes, I do feel lonely. Yes, I am still single. But I am not alone. Nor I am lonely. In fact, the very idea of a relationship scares the wits out of me. Perhaps because I have been out of it in a long time that I keep on telling myself that the next time I am in a relationship, let the guy be the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one who can guide me through living happily in this world and the next, insya Allah. To find that kind of guy, for me, is a challenge. Yes, there are a lot of potential out there, masya Allah. When I didn't ask for it, it seems like they're there queuing up - without being invited. Choices, choices, choices. But to know someone is to know how they are - islamically. It is a difficult task for me, but after reading this post, then I realize that it's quite simple. Yes, I do usaha as well, but more importantly, I leave it to Allah's hands.

It states that "... Tetapi anda perlu ingat, bukan semua perempuan mempunyai hati yang lembut dan mudah di bentuk. Keimanan dan kekuatan sikap merealisasikan Islam perlu ada pada lelaki. Perempuan yang beriman mesti mencari lelaki yang lebih kuat imannya daripadanya kerana lelakilah yang menjadi ketua keluarga…"

Lelaki lah yang menjadi ketua keluarga. How important that is in memilih calon suami? For me, that's quite important. Especially, when I have the intention to lead an Islamic life for my family one day, insya Allah. And for that, I supplicate to Allah to temukan jodoh with someone who can bimbing myself and our family in Islamic upbringing, because he will be my husband, my better half, my imam, insya Allah.

So, how now? How to find such worthy guys? They are around, ladies. Maybe a bit shy to approach knowing that a muslimah is usually 'out-of-reach'. For those who are daring and willing to take risks, can just go ahead and ask the girl or guy out. There's no harm in that. I've read books that advice girls or women to make the first move, instead of waiting for the guy to make the move - yes it might sound 'bari malu' and can di perumpanakan seperti 'perigi mencari telaga' (or is it the other way around? lol - right neez, kan guna peribahasa pun nda tau). In cases where you're a bit 'shy' to make the first move, this is where 'orang tengah' main peranan. 'Orang tengah' in this sense, can be someone we personally know, or a friend of that person we are interested to get to know.

Easy said than done, you know!

Ey-elahhhh... Let me tell you a little story.

Disclaimer: Based on true story this. And the person concerned has given approval for her story to be published.

Girl likes boy. But girl heard from sources that boy is apparently 'not available'. Then, girl keeps the friendship strictly friends for fear of being called names - 'perampas', 'gatal', 'nda sadar diri', etc. But at the same time, boy seems interested. Boy gives hints. Boy flirts. Girl plays along. But girl also gets confused. How meh? He's not available but why boy is saying things that are obviously flirtatious. Dangerous territory this. (Please note: flirtatious in a sense that is not melampaui batas, as boy and girl communicates most of the time via internet. Boy and girl still maintain the haya' or modesty between them in their conversation, wallahu'alam, but a lot of hinting is playing around. Hence, boy and girl never actually go out, nor dating, unless it is either attending functions where boy and girl are both involved in and when boy and girl meet, they keep it strictly casual). Then, one day, boy and girl meet up (accompanied by friends lah - not just the two of them), then boy and girl hit it off. This is also the day where boy and girl exchange phone numbers (finally) after knowing and communicating with each other for the past few months. They clicked. They enjoy each other's company. Girl likes boy even more. And boy seems to give positive feedback as well. Then friend of girl jokingly asked about the boy's beau. SHOCKER!

Boy says "I am single. I am not attached. I don't have a girlfriend". Boy looks at girl and repeats "I am still SINGLE". Girl blushes. All these times, it was false assumptions (which is why it's quite dangerous to assume things without proof - especially when it comes from a third party not from the person concerned). Anyways, after knowing that boy is single, girl gets a bit excited on what to do next. Girl likes boy. And seems like boy likes girl too. Plus when girl calls boy, a friend of boy hints "... boy is driving at the moment, any messages? want to say girl misses boy har?", girl, of course maintain ayu saying, "no.. just tell boy to call girl when boy is not so busy". It shows that boy tells friend about boy's interest on girl. And girl also tells close friends about girl's interest on boy. So, one day, girl and boy decides to watch movie with a bunch of friends. Then what?

Then, girl hints. Boy hints also. No direct talk. Just hints. Gaaahhhh~

Annoying right? Talk about stubborn and ego! heehee

Then, come third party - orang tengah - OT. OT says "bah give me boy's number, I text on girl's behalf". Girl gives in, thinking OT is joking. OT isn't.

So, OT texts guy stating, "(intro)... asking on behalf of girl because girl's shy and girl's the reserved one and I break rules... so what say lunch together... yes, no?"

The boy replies, "ehem.... I think I will text and ask her personally. Tell her also, don't be shy ;)"

JENG JENG JENG.

Then, boy texts girl. Boy asks girl to go out lunch. An official date :)

Moral of the story: Don't always take wholeheartedly any assumptions/stories without knowing/finding the truth from the person/s concerned. A little effort doesn't hurt. A little help from orang tengah is sometimes welcomed. But more importantly, set our intentions right, berdoa kepada Allah to permudahkan urusan, insya Allah..

Although, some might perceive it as "membari malu" or "never in my life will I ask a guy out". Babe, belum cuba belum tau... kalau atu tau malu, mendedah aurat depan non-muhrim, inda malu dengan Allah?(including me especially!! sigh). Don't let our ego keeps us away from a chance of happiness. As long as ia inda melampaui batas, dating pun dating jua, but when two people non-muhrims are together, best believe the third party is there to shake your iman. Nauzubillah... set your boundaries, get to know the guy, know hati budi nya, know how he brings himself, because if he fits the criteria of 'the one', then berdoa kepada Allah supaya dipertemukan jodoh dan diberi rahmat dalam perkenalan.

This is a reminder to myself, first and foremost, as I take the matter of marriage quite seriously nowadays. Love can be planted after marriage, but for those who are lucky enough to have found love before marriage, cherish it, minta keberkatan dari Allah supaya dijauhkan membuat kemungkaran dan semoga jodoh diperkuatkan, insya Allah...

Next up. Bab Kahwin. Excited this!!

Because, in a few hours, Khairul Aini will no longer be his fiance, but she will be his wife, his zaujah, his better half. Alhamdulillah. May Allah bless this union and strengthen both your and husband's iman, tingkatkan ketaqwaan dan kesabaran dalam menempuh hidup berumahtangga. I love you, sis. Words cannot express how I truly feel, cukuptah I include you in my duaa, insya Allah ;)

Ness, smitten much? ;) Speak soon, sweetiebums.

Four weddings and a funeral...

Salaam everyone.

The title is so cliché, I know. (Has anyone seen the movie?)

And it seems like despite my supposedly-busy-status on msn, I seem to have the time to update. Well, I'm bored. Just bored.

Four weddings. Weddings. Wedding. This is so random. But I imagined, when I put the title, I thought, whose weddings are comprised? First, is the royal wedding in Brunei, then the nikah ceremony (which is also considered as a wedding) of M'sia's PM, then, another wedding of a former classmate from ITB (of which I got the chance to view the pictures from Azmi's multiply), and last but not least, the upcoming event of my one beloved sister, Khairul Aini. (Lurus kah tu spelling nya sis?). At some point, these four weddings are connected to ME, directly and indirectly.

(Right, if you're THAT bored, please continue reading)

First, royal wedding. I am Bruneian, no? 'Nuff said :D

Then, M'sia's PM. MALAYSIA. MALAYSIAN! 'Nuff said as well :D

Third, former classmate, who was also my lunch-partner when we had our 6-month placement at Treasury Department in 2002. He was the one I could rely on to have lunch with, most of the time. Heehee.

And finally, I've known Alai for years now. And the bond between us is still going strong, if not, stronger :D But I'm sorry sis, I can't be there with you, but my prayers are always with you. It's going to be a beautiful ceremony and you would look absolutely gorgeous!! Love you.

Four weddings. Weddings. Wedding.

.... and a funeral.

Innalillahi wainnalillahi raajiuun. To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.

Hazzim's grandmother passed away yesterday afternoon, waktu tempatan Malaysia.

Al-Fatihah.

Now I know Hazzim's less likely to stumble across this blog (unless I tell him so) but it would be great for you to spare a few minutes of your time to recite Surah Al-Fatihah for his grandma. Jazakallah.

I'm bored. Just bored.

Shopaholics we are.

[pictures have been removed]

Salaam everyone.

I've uploaded pictures on my multiply page, but that's not important :D

Last night, we had another supposedly-last-gathering before most of our juniors are off to Brunei, fieldtrips, and so on. Last gathering (which was supposedly to be the last) was last week before Kak Ros and Moi Ling returned back to Brunei for good. Then, without prior planning, we decided to hang out at Zura's place where she cooked her dishes and Qasmal cooked buttermilk chicken. It was delicious. Raizul and Filala joined us afterwards and we 'tested' Winy's and Gdah's new Sony digital cameras.

Anyways, I just picked one picture because I did the 'menyampah-mau-lagi-kan-bergaya' pose. lol.

Moving on...

Went to Boundary Mills, Colne (pronounce as - Cone [silent 'l']) with Kak Lin, Ida and Gdah and about 4 other family members, to make full use of the summer sale discounts. OooOooH we loveeeee sale!! Ness said I can never have enough shopping!! True kah? Nada lahhh!

On the down side, since we started the journey with an empty stomach and since the journey went through the countryside (beautiful scenery by the way, masya Allah), hence Gdah and I tend to get carsick to the point where we both felt like vomiting. Now, I am not the typical person who gets carsick easily, but this morning, prolly because of the way Kak Lin drives the big machine (merc) and because of the countryside road full of twist and turns, so it was BAD!

BAD to the point that I had headaches all day long. So shopping wasn't that great, although I did manage to get handbags, a top and trousers at bargain price, with a further 10 percent discount! :D

The journey back was the same so I decided to sleep it off. No movie for me tonight. Was supposed to go watch O's13 but due to certain circumstances on my and his part, so we postponed.

Now I'm lying lazily on my comfy bed. And the weather's been great, to the point where I have to open my window when I sleep because it gets hot!!

Headache!!

By the by, Ness and I have a theme song!! Cool this!!!

I miss my family, my friends, my ukhti!

I think I'd stop here la. I'm rambling and I don't like it when I ramble nonsense. So full of nonsense!!

xoxo

Why I love living here (Part I)

Salaam 'Alaykum...

May the peace and blessing of Allah be with you always...

It's almost 11pm, UK time, and all of a sudden I am in the mood to do a bit of my dissertation. Yes, after a week of pending work (telling myself that I still have time), a sudden rush of 'rajin-ness' came over me and out were my notebook, my notes from the last meeting session with my supervisor and a few printed articles I'm starting to re-read for my literature review. Fun, eh? :D

The title's a bit odd, I know. Why I put such title then? I am not intentionally stating the fact that I'm lucky enough to be given a chance to further my studies abroad, neither it is an intention to menunjuk-nunjuk to others that Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me rezeki to continue taking my Masters level of education. No, my readers, insya Allah that is not my intention.

The reason I state the fact that I love living my life here is because...


Note: this is not a religious-related post.

Personally, ever since I started to wear my hijab seriously, I am somewhat addicted to buying more and more headscarves. And not just the ones from TieRack, but especially the ones available online, and the fact that I have successfully bought things online and having them delivered to my home address makes the addiction worse every time. Don't you just love the fact that you don't have to go out to shop (not that I don't prefer that anyways), but it's cool that I can just sit lazily in front of my laptop and browse through the collection of hijabs available and choose my pick and putting them on the 'shopping cart' before off to the paying section where I have to securely insert my card details.

Ness and I were having a personal and deep conversation about our intentions to wear niqab. Yes, shocker. We were having discussions about all the possible reactions that we might get when we start wearing it, positively and negatively. All in all, in the end, we decided that, insya Allah if our intentions are purely and solely for the sake to seek Allah's pleasures, then may Allah make it and the path towards it easy for us one day. Ameen.

After she got disconnected (a few times actually - *pats babygirl with lurrrve* - good girl), I immediately went browsing through online shops. Another reason why I love living here. So many choices!!

And I found through youtube video, a website that sells beautiful hijabs.

http://www.muslimbase.com

Amazing collection, I tell you. And prices are reasonable.

And after about an hour and comparing, browsing and keeping myself busy, how did it go, you ask? *big grins*

I've decided to purchase (pictures are courtesy of the website: http://muslimbase.com):

::Kuwaiti Hijab::




::Iqal Hijab::




They do look a bit different from the normal square hijabs I am comfortable with, but it's not wrong to try something new, innit?

Masya Allah, beautiful collection. So, my sisters, if you wish to browse through the website and have the intention to 'minta kirim' while I am here, by all means, contact me, either through here, or via e-mail and insya Allah, we can discuss it further. (Promo this! :D)

A few other websites that I tend to shop online (and trust) are:

http://www.simplyislam.com
http://www.thehijabshop.com

So, I have something to look forward in the next coupla days, insya Allah ;)

By the by, insya Allah, will be off to Colne this weekend with Kak Lin and Ida for a bit of summer sale shopping (a girl can never have enough shopping during sale season!) *cheeky grin*. And prolly next week, insya Allah, will be off to Norwich to visit T *clapping*.

On a different note, Gdah and her coursemates had a bbq thingy today at Hyde Park. Pictures were gorgeous, and I helped out a bit preparing this and that since she decided to volunteer to be the chef in preparing every dish. And when she left, I was in the mood to clean the kitchen *grins*, anything to distract myself from thinking about dissertation, eh? huhuhuh..

Orite-y then. I supposed I have to tell myself that research and readings on Work-Life Balance is far more interesting than updating the dailies of my life ;) Until next time, be safe everyone. Allah hafiz.

ALLAHUMMA TAJAWAZ 'ANNA KHATI' ATINA ALLAHUM-MARDA 'ANNA WARHAMINA WA 'AJZINA

Oh Allah, overlook all our shortcomings. Oh Allah, be pleased with us, shower mercy upon us all.

Ameen Ameen Ya Rabbal 'Alamin...