Kesian..

.. bila tenguk cik Abe totally pooped at the end of each working day.

Ye lah kan sebelum ni berambik beranto from doorstep to office lobby... jalan kat turkmenistan tu plak mana ada jam macam kat KL ni. everything soooo the very tenang n teratur (accept bab2 makan n perkara2 yg berlaku behind closed doors).

Tetiba hah... not only kena deal with jams (from shah alam to lrt station kelana jaya) but also bersesak2 naik public transport plak lepas tu. kesian tenguk jejaka ku bersusah2 sebegitu namun respect sangat his decision to let AF continue using the avanza for college and to let me have free reign with his car menguruskan si AH. pengorbanan seorang ayah.... jangan sia2kan wahai anak2.

But insyallah its going to end soon. light is finally visible at the end of the tunnel. financing for the other car dah almost finalised and now awaiting for cik Abe's friend i.e. the car owner (yang dah balik ke turk'stan pun) to return and settle all the necessary paperwork. then its freedom for the hubs (and me tooo yehaaaa. no more rushing, no more traffic jams n i can start running in the morning again).

AI's assignment

Looks like i'm gonna be spending more time with the idiot box these 3 days.

Seems that AI's been given an assignment that involves elaborating on the tv news headline. and of all the tv stations available, it had to be news from bernama which is available only thru astro. adeh, i didnt even know astro ada news... let alone what time its aired!!!!! tv3 pun jarang2 tenguk hehehe. unlike mak, at home shes known as the berita super-slueth while me, i'm the google super-slut.... she thrives on headlines while i get high on data.

But now for AI, i have to wait patiently, remote in hand and wait for the moment that clock strikes 8.30pm, then its channel 104 for me. i'll have to report to him the bernama news headlines because he has no access to it back in lendu. and no access means no write up for the assignment.

Adeh malasnyo den tapi apo nak buet, keno la tolong anak den ni haa.

Workout Log
PM Gym/treadmill - 3k/30mins/230cal/speed avg 6.6

Itu kamu

....kau terindah.... masih ada yang tercantik.

JL meraikan keindahan all women thru estranged? now aint that nice :) but... and this is a big BUT, jauh disudut hati terasa kekesalan keatas perlakuan bodoh faisal yang telah mengundang marah pihak2 yang teramat cepat melenting and inadvertently deprieved most of us of 2 sangat la sedap didengar songs.

Earlier there was that riveting 3hr+ game where weary djokovic finally got the better of superduper tsonga, and even tho both are extremely powerful players, experience still counts over pure unadulterated strength i guess.

So sunday was spent mostly stuck right in front of the idiot box.


*sigh* i'm getting fat.

And talking about..

... death.

Last nite while i was out nite jogging with AH (her last minute ditch effort to get into the groove for the cross-country this morning) i received an sms from arin, AF's bestfriend, that his granny has just passed away. the funeral (sembahyang jenazah & burial) was to be held at 10 am today.

Memandangkan the parents are also our close friends (we go waaaay back to our student days in new england), cik Abe decided to forgo his meeting and we both made our way to kuala selangor. embak siti aisah died at 79 of old age and a weak heart. she was an extremely sweet old lady with a ready smile on her face..... always. semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat dan bersama mereka yang beriman.

About AH's cross-country, well.... glad to report she didnt do too badly for someone who's always had a million excuses for not running. ni of course gara2 mendapat bf yang sportyman la ni hehehe. nak tak nak kena la sporty gak walaupun tempias2 je. he on the other hand, came in 1st.... for the 2nd consecutive year. i'm guessing she will have to deal with his sudden popularity after this. as it is he's starting to get a little to busy most of the time and thats not really a good sign.

AI pulak had spent the nite in kuala pilah with his mates. convoy 4-5 kereta and sunning it out kat some lata or other. sheesh dia seronok2, yang kita ni risau bagi nak giler..... maklum la, kereta2 yang bebudak kolej sewa ni selalunya tak la reliable sangat sebab murah tp nak kata apa? budak dah nak mencecah 20 tahun bukannya nak dengar sangat leteran orang tua2. doa je laa. and at time of post, dia dah selamat pun balik ke lendu. alhamdulillah syukur :)

And i expect i'll be seeing AF's batang hidung back at home tonite. yang sorang ni balik almost every weekend, so kurang la skit mama dia rindu2an.

Aaaah.... what would i do without me kiddoes ya?!!

Saling melengkapkan

to better appreciate light there is darkness,
to better appreciate love there is hate,
to better appreciate life there is death.

I'm growing older and in the normal scheme of things, death will be something to be dealt with more than ever before.... ya lah barang lama expiry datenya pun dah semakin hampir la kan. as it is pun, people around me seem to be falling like leaves at a pretty alarming rate.

I have a very small family... arwah abah had 4 siblings (now tinggal 2), mom has only one (mak/ayah sama) while i'm anak tunggal (mak/ayah sama). and somehow because of that, my dealings with death has so far been very very limited. in fact i'm quite inexperienced in such matters and if death were to affect me directly, i really would be at a lost of what to do. sebelum ni boleh la nak harap kat orang lain kan but now i'm the 'senior' adult, i'm the orang tua2!!!

Of course i've read up about it and heard the occasional ceramah but like everything else in life, its got a lot to do with timing. unless you're in the situation or close to it you can never really be truly receptive.... mostly its like air di daun keladi, lalu aje takde kesan pun.

Not this time. i must brush up unless i want to be caught off guard and totally unprepared. i'm not being morbid but tak bersedia for something as crucial as this is being nothing short of cruel actually. its not something you would want to do for loved ones.... or anyone for that matter.

So where else to start but at the beginning.

Brushing up on some basics....

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Volume 4, Page 16: What Should be Done When Someone Dies
It is sunnah to do the following when a person dies:

-1- Advise the dying person to say: "La ilaha illa-Allah" (there is no god but Allah). It is narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Prompt your dying people to say: 'La ilaha illa-Allah'." (Muslim, Abu Daw'ud, Tirmizhi) Another report on the authority of Mu'azh ibn Jabal states that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "He whose last words are 'La ilaha illa- Allah' shall enter Paradise." (Narrated by Abu Daw'ud; Al-Hakim considers it a sound hadith)

This prompting (talqin) is necessary only when the dying person is unable to utter the shahadah (La ilaha illa- Allah . . . ). If such a person is able to utter these words then there is no need for prompting, but he should rather be advised to do so. Such advice is useful in cases of persons who are in possession of their faculties of reason and speech. If one is already mentally impaired such advice cannot be of benefit. But one who is unable to speak might say these words in his heart. The scholars are of the opinion that no pressure should be put on the dying person. So one should not say to him, "Say, 'La ilaha ill-Allah'," lest he should become annoyed and utter something improper. One may say the shahadah, however, in such a way that the dying person might be able to hear it and repeat it. If he utters it once, he should not be asked to repeat it unless he says some words after it. In such a case he should be asked to repeat shahadah to ensure that it be his last utterance.

Most scholars are of the opinion that one attending a dying person may repeat only the words: "La ilaha ill-Allah," according to the apparent meaning of the hadith. Others are of the opinion that the dying person should be prompted to utter the two testimonies (that is, "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger"). The purpose is to remind him of the Oneness of Allah, which includes both of the two testimonies.

-2- Lay the dying person so that the qibla is on his right side. To this effect it is recorded that Abu Qatadah said: "Upon arrival in Madinah, the Prophet, peace be upon him, enquired about a person called al-Bara ibn Ma'rur. The people told the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he had died, and had willed one-third of his property to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and that his face be turned toward the Ka'bah at the time of his death. Hearing this, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'He has been true to his innate nature. I return the one-third of his property to his children. ' Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, left and offered a prayer for him and prayed, saying: 'O Allah! Forgive him, have mercy on him, and cause him to enter Your Paradise. Indeed, You have accepted this prayer'." (Narrated by Al-Baihaqi and Al-Hakim, who observes: "I know of no hadith, other than this one, with regard to turning the face of a dying person toward Ka'bah.")

Ahmad reported that Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, peace be upon him, at the time of her death, turned toward the Ka'bah and placed her right hand under her head. This is the sleeping position recommended by the Prophet, peace be upon him, and in a grave, a dead body should also be placed in the same position. A report recorded from Ash-Shafi'i says: The body of the deceased should be laid flat on his back with his feet toward the Ka'bah, and his face raised a little, facing it. The majority of scholars, however favor the first position and hold it to be preferable.

-3- Recite Surah Ya Sin from the Qur'an. (Surah 36 of the Qur'an) This is reported by Ahmad, Abu Daw'ud, Nasa'i, Al-Hakim, and Ibn Hibban, and the last two of them grade it as a sound hadith. They report also on the authority of M'aqil ibn Yasar, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Ya Sin is the heart of the Qur'an. Whoever recites it seeking the pleasure of Allah and the hereafter will receive Allah's forgiveness. So recite it to your dead." (Ibn al-Qattan considers this hadith weak and manifests some confusion, doubt, and even ignorance about some of its narrators. Ad-Dar al-Qutni is reported to have said: "In the chain of narrators of this hadith there is confusion. Its text is obscure and is not correct.")

Ibn Hibban observes: This hadith refers to the recitation of Ya Sin for those on the eve of death and not for those already dead. This interpretation is supported by Ahmad, who recorded in his Al-Musnad that Safwan states: "The most eminent scholars say: 'The recitation of Surah Ya Sin at the time of a person's death makes death easy for him'. "The compiler of Musnad al-Firdaus attributes this hadith to Abu ad-Darda and Abu Zharr. They both narrated: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'If any person is on his deathbed and Ya Sin is recited to him, Allah makes his suffering easier'."

-4- Close the eyes of the deceased. It is narrated by Muslim that the Prophet, peace be upon him, went to visit Abu Salmah. He saw that his eyes were wide open and blank with the stare of death. So the Prophet, peace be upon him, closed his eyes and said: "Verily, when a soul is seized, the eyesight follows it."

-5- Cover the deceased: 'Aishah said: "When the Messenger of Allah died, he was covered with a piece of cloth that had some designs on it." This is reported by Bukhari and Muslim. The objective here is clearly to safeguard the respect and dignity of the deceased in death against prying eyes and against the exposure of his or her body to the idle curiosity of those looking for changes in its physical condition and features.

There is a consensus among scholars regarding the permissibility of kissing a dead person. The Prophet, peace be upon him, kissed 'Uthman ibn Maz'un after his death. Similarly, when the Prophet died, Abu Bakr leaned over him and kissed him between his eyes saying: "O my Prophet! O my best friend! !"

-6- Prepare the body for burial without delay, as soon as death is confirmed (by specialists i. e., a qualified physician or the like).

The guardian of the deceased should wash, wrap, and arrange for the burial of the body soon after the funeral prayer for the deceased, because the body might deteriorate if burial is delayed. This is based on a report, recorded by Abu Daw'ud from al-Husayn ibn Wujuh that when Talhah ibn al-Bara fell ill, the Prophet, peace upon him, said: "I see that Talhah is on the verge of death. Inform me about him (when he passes away) and make immediate preparations for his burial, for a Muslim's remains should not be left long with his family after his death."

The burial may be delayed only for the guardian, provided no physical deterioration in the condition of the body is feared from such delay. Ahmad and Tirmizhi report on the authority of Ali ibn Abu Talib that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "O Ali, never delay three things: prayer when its time approaches, the funeral when death is confirmed, and marrying a widow or a divorcee when a suitable match is found for her."

-7- Settle the debt of the deceased. Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmizhi have recorded a hadith on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: "A believer's soul remains in suspense until all his debts are paid off." Tirmizhi considers this a sound hadith.

This means that the judgement regarding a soul's salvation or perdition or its entry into Paradise is held in abeyance until its debts are fully paid off and settled. This applies to a person who leaves some property upon his death. His debt should be paid out of the property that he leaves behind. In the case of a person who dies in debt which he sincerely intended to pay, but has no property (nor leaves any behind to pay his debt), according to a confirmed report, his debt will be settled by Allah, the Exalted. Concerning a person who dies in debt with sufficient means to pay it and was willing to do so, but his heirs do not pay it, Bukhari records on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "If anyone takes other people's money with the intention to repay it and then he or she should die without settling the debt, Allah will pay the debt on his behalf. And if anyone takes money or property (of others) with the intention of destroying it, Allah will destroy him."

A hadith recorded by Ahmad, Abu Nu'aym, Al-Bazzar, and At-Tabarani from the Prophet, peace be upon him, says: "The debtor will be summoned before Allah on the Day of Judgement. Then Allah will ask him: 'O Son of Adam ! Why did you incur debt and infringe on others ' rights? ' The man would reply: 'My Lord! You know I took it, but I neither abused nor lost it. It was stolen or bumed in a fire or lost its value.' Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, will say: 'My slave has told the truth, and I am more entitled (than anyone else) to settle his debt. Then Allah will issue a command and something will be placed on his scales causing his good deeds to outweigh his bad ones. And so, by Allah's Grace, he will enter Paradise'."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, did not perform funeral prayers for those who had died in debt. When, however, Allah the Almighty, granted him certain lands as a result of conquests, and the community's wealth increased, he offered funeral prayer for them and settled their debts.

Bukhari reports that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "I am nearer to the believers than their own selves. So if someone dies leaving behind debt, but no wherewithal to settle it, we shall pay his debt, and if someone dies and leaves some estate behind him, it is for his heirs (to pay his debt)."

This hadith shows that the debt of a deceased Muslim may be paid from the public exchequer out of the zakah funds specified as the portion for the people in debt. This is one of the prescribed categories of zakah recipients. Death by itself does not annul one's debt or other responsibilities to the living.

when i get home i'm going to dig out my kitab2 lama.

Workout Log
crosstraining:
PM Gym/rower - 18mins/198 cal/avg 20 strokes per min
PM Gym/treadmill - 1.5k/15mins/90 cal/speed avg 6.5

Midweek reprieve

Aahhhh.... a break in the middle of a working week. always something one looks forward to.

I started the day early. el supir-o (read: driver aka yours truly) had to send zee big bozz to mines resort & golf club for his game. i needed the car for marketing & my myriad of other chores, and with just one vehicle at our disposal, kena la mengantor & mengambik. once i had him safely deposited there, it was the tasik for me yehaaa!!!!

Puas dapat lari pagi2 with time at my disposal tak payah nak terkejar-kejar masuk ofis.

Now after pekena tohseh telur & cilok skit roti sardin AH, time i tackled the chicken and fish thats thawing away in my sink. nak masak apa laaaa pulak hari ni?!!!!!!

Workout Log

AM Run - 5k/40mins/tasik

Beating boredom

Heh...

Kalau ada sesape yang menjangkakan diri akan sangap giler before days end maka give this website a try... the range of 'how to's' is quite mindblowing. alternate between u-tube and you should be able to keep those eyes open this monday hehehe.

http://www.videojug.com/


Workout Log
PM Treadmill - 4.2k/40mins/320cal/speed 6-7.5

In high gear

Sunday went rushing by in a blurry flash..... and i have 2 poor aching feet as saksi.

AF announced he had to make another visit to lowyat because the new laptop that his friend kirim had a busted CD-rom (or something like that la). since arin had already kept him company the whole day yesterday he now roped me and his father in. kebetulan the big guy tak main golf today soooooo berjaya lah si anak memujuk si ayah untuk melepak bersama, walaupun persetujuan tu agak half-hearted.

Hehehe. i knew things were going to get interesting because... si anak loooooves window shopping and si ayah pulak absolutely abhooooores it !!!! tambahan pula, pagi-pagi lagi si ayah telah pun penat melayan karenah si isteri untuk 1. sama-sama bersenamrobik (walaupun its not his thang) 2. menolak trolley yang sarat dengan keperluan di GIANT (which is also not his thang truth be told lol).

Me ? lets just let father & son settle this between them while i remain the onlooker ;)

So pusing punya pusing punya pusing punya pusing, AF settled his puter related problems while the big guy somehow managed to hang on to his sanity. all in all it was a sunday well spent. what more could a woman ask for right heheh?!!

But AH.... weeeell, its been a rather tough weekend for her. she's starting to realise that love isnt always sweet & rosy and having a relationship at an early age can be pretty tough. in fact its tough at any age. i just hope she remembers to have fun along the way.... young people shouldnt be in such a hurry to act like an old married couple; it'll come soon enough lol.


Workout Log
AM Aerobics - 50 mins/ medium impact aerobics.
tak best sbb shahir the hyper instructor was MIA, but its better than nothing i guess.

Feasible

Okies...... i did it 2 days in a row already and its actually more than just feasible :)

- come lunchbreak and i'm out of the office pronto
- singgah kantin beli lauk skit for mak & AH
- quick lauk drop-off at home on the way to KSAS
- 40 to 45 mins at KSAS gym
- back to sek 9 to pick up AH by 1.50pm
- singgah rumah for quick shower & solat
- back at the office by 2.15 - 2.30pm (i'm usually amongst the last to leave the office anyway, which should make up for any lost time).

My greatest worry was the nightmarish kayangan roundabout.... it can be quite the motorist's piece of hell tapi so far the traffic has been ok. in fact its been quite smooth actually.

Hehehe... feelin' good bay-beh!!!

Ooh and I should mention that AH’s also up & about and finally working that butt. her school’s cross-country & annual sports meet are both coming up soon and she’s training hard under her strict house captain... who coincidentally also happens to be her bf. *snicker* tu laaaa selama ni mama dok ajak lari tak nak. kan dah sakit2 segala tulang-temulang semua hikhik. skarang nak ngelak pun dah tak boleh kan kan ;)

Workout Log
Wed : PM Treadmill - 3.2k/35mins/300cal(speed 6-7).
Thurs : PM Treadmill - 4.3k/45mins/330cal(speed 6-8).

Reality check

I read somewhere the average age of american women to hit menopause is around 51... and bukan sebab taksub dengan 'the americans' yg gunakan diorang sebagai contoh tapi sebab its their research material yg most readily available & accessible.

Anyway...according to the mayo clinic (www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause): Technically, you don't actually "hit" menopause until it's been one year since your final menstrual period. In the United States, that happens about age 51, on average.
sooooo.... since its just 4 more years to go for me, i can safely say that i'm now well into the perimenopausal stage of my life. hmmmmmm...

PERIMENOPAUSE
.... marks the interval in which your body begins its transition into menopause. Perimenopause encompasses the years leading up to menopause — anywhere from two to eight years — plus the first year after your final period. It's a natural part of aging that signals the ending of your reproductive years.

The levels of your reproductive hormones — estrogen and progesterone — rise and fall unevenly during perimenopause. Your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you begin having menstrual cycles in which you don't ovulate. It's only during cycles when you do ovulate that you can become pregnant.

When perimenopause starts and how long it lasts varies. You'll probably notice signs of impending menopause, such as menstrual irregularities, sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Perimenopause causes some subtle — and some not-so-subtle — changes in your body. Some things you might experience include:

Menstrual irregularities. The intervals may be longer or shorter, your flow may be scanty to profuse, and you may skip some periods. As ovulation becomes more erratic, the lower levels of progesterone may lead to longer and heavier periods.
- when i was daro trang tang tang i had senggugut/menstrual cramps which surprisingly went away after my 1st baby... up until i hit 45. now its back in full force along with heavy flow and clotting the first few days. leceh betui laa.

Hot flashes and sleep problems. About 75 percent to 85 percent of women experience hot flashes during perimenopause. Their intensity, duration and frequency vary. Sleep problems are often due to hot flashes or night sweats, but sometimes sleep becomes erratic even without them.
- the hot flashes belum ada thank god sebab i've always been one with elevated body temperature (panas sokmo). factor in the hot flashes and i just might go into spontaneous combustion heheh.

Mood changes. Some women experience mood swings, irritability or depression during perimenopause, but the cause of these symptoms may be sleep disruption or other menopausal symptoms more than the hormonal changes of menopause.
- relatively stable so far

Vaginal and bladder problems. When estrogen levels diminish, your vaginal tissues may lose lubrication and elasticity, making intercourse painful. Low estrogen levels may also leave you more vulnerable to urinary or vaginal infections. Loss of tissue tone may contribute to urinary incontinence.
- eeeek, pls dear God spare me!!

Decreasing fertility. As ovulation becomes irregular, your ability to conceive decreases. However, as long as you're having periods, pregnancy remains a possibility. If that's not what you want, use birth control until you've had no periods for 12 months.
- xpe la kot since i dont plan on changing any more baby diapers anyway

Changes in sexual function. During perimenopause, sexual arousal and desire may change. But for most women who had satisfactory sexual intimacy before menopause, this will continue through perimenopause and beyond.
- maybe it takes a wee bit longer to fire up but once the engine starts its roaring to go hehee.

Loss of bone. With declining estrogen levels, you start to lose bone more quickly than you replace it, increasing your risk of osteoporosis.
- i'm hoping the running helps

Changing cholesterol levels. Declining estrogen levels may lead to unfavorable changes in your blood cholesterol levels, including an increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol — which contributes to an increased risk of heart disease. At the same time, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — the "good" cholesterol — decreases in many women as they age, which also increases the risk for heart disease.
- alamak, kena hati2 ni.... bab makan kena jaga lebih.


Adeh...


Double adeeeh.


Nothing much i can do to stop the biological clock from ticking i guess... but i aint taking it lying down thats for sure ;)

Oh and incidentally, i think i've figured out a more realistic alternative to replace my morning runs. nak lari petang after work tak pernah nak menjadi (ada je alasan). and since AH masuk upper sec and her pick-up time has been extended to 1.55-2.00pm, my lunchbreaks usually just go to waste.... sooooo why not i take off to the KSAS gym and pound away at the treadmill!!!! ngeeeeeeee.... syiok tu and i heard they now have 2 of those contraption so tak payah queue.

Trying it out today :)

Monday..

Start of the week.... like the others before it.

And like many others, if you're not careful the week would be gone before you know it. kalau tak bersungguh untuk make something out of it, its just summore time passing you by. bangun tido bangun tido tup tup dah separuh abad.

Gotta make plans. simple achievable plans, plans to ensure that i get something meaningful done on a weekly basis. like updating my recording, my filing and sifting thru my outdated data base. or like making good that threat of throwing away all accumulated rubbish regardless of ownership (so kiddoes beware, consider this a warning).

Get it done. get it all done.

Just do it woman!!!

Another victim

The big C...... its relentless.

About 2 weeks ago mak lost her close confidante & most dear friend aunty miah to the big C and today, it has taken my SIL.

Al-fatihah.

Kak leha drew her last breath about 12.50pm... she leaves behind a devastated husband, 4 children and several grandchildren. because erin who was flying all the way from perth was arriving earliest around 11pm, arwah hanya dapat dikebumikan after 11.30pm at the muslim cemetary, USJ.

Semoga roh arwah dicucuri rahmat dan di tempatkan bersama mereka yang beriman.

Workout Log
AM Run - 4k/30mins/tasik

Awal Muharram

Puas hati..... i started the first day of the new year by completing an 8k run round the tasik this morning :)

Not a great feat by the usual standard but enough for me, especially since i've been more of a couch potato than a pavement pounder lately. its a relief to know the creaky ole knees can still take it laa.

AI made a surprise appearance returning home by express bus. used to be you'd only see him around once in a blue moon but this year, its 2x already. i dont mind at all bcos i love having all the kids home. unfortunately i'm noticing that things are not going too well for the guy.... he's rather emo-ish at the moment and i'm guessing its female related. sigh.. he's not the type to open up unlike his elder bro and since i cant read minds, theres nothing much i can do to help. i really hope you find peace & happiness soon anak.

AH's also having a tough time adjusting to a rather slow phase in her 'relationship' (especially after the whirlwind dates during the school hols) but i'm guessing the bf is a lil overwhelmed with sukma as well as spm looming ahead. kena la realistik kan being students, school and everything else related to it must take centre stage.... it cant be the honeymoon stage forever babe. and ingat no angau2 business otherwise mama will have to take on the necessary actions ;)


Workout Log
Run - 8k/AM/tasik

Eve of 1429H

Sambutan maal hijrah biarlah sekurang2nya diiringi dengan doa... dan seelok2nya dihiasi dengan ibadah serta kemeriahan di masjid & surau. walaupun telah disebut bahawa sebenarnya terdapat **amalan2 dibulan muharram yang tidak mengikut hadis rasulullah yang sahih, namun selagi amalan yang dijalankan itu ikhlas dan tepat, why not. wallahualam.

Doa Akhir Tahun dibaca 3 kali pada akhir waktu Asar atau sebelum masuk waktu Maghrib pada akhir bulan Zulhijjah.



Doa Awal Tahun dibaca 3 kali selepas maghrib di awal/satu Muharram.



(Refer: http://www.islam.gov.my/program/doa.html )


Yours truly dilanda dilemma sebenarnya. mom wants to go to the mosque sometime lepas asar and would probably be staying till isya... myself cant really be with her because Abe comes home around maghrib and would be expecting me to pick him up kat komuter station, with dinner all ready n waiting after a hard day at work. that would usually mean jemaah at home for maghrib & isya.

Lucky thing it sorted itself out this morning when mak announced that she'll be going with our neighbour instead. alhamdulillah, kalau idak payah laa. i just cant go to the mosque when my duties at home tak beres. nanti lain pulak jadinya.

Juggling between ibu (walaupun my very own) & suami is tricky business.

Ooh btw, this morning Abe's bini muda (read: keter bm) broke down, rather conveniently i might add, right beside the drop-off zone of the MAS training centre in kelana jaya. dunno.. it was the waterpump or something like that. had to be towed away but luckily Abe's regular mechanic was close by - stuttguard, taman mayang which also meant free towing services by AAM (tapi had to wait for over an hour sampai cramp punggung).

It's probably gonna take some time i think... but lucky for us a close friend of the hubs has generously loaned us his spare car :) syukur alhamdulillah at least tak la terus patah kaki!!

Selamat Menyambut MA'AL HIJRAH 1429H

Note (**)
Di antara amalan-amalan pada bulan Muharam ini yang tidak bersumberkan sunah Rasulullah s.a.w. yang sahih ialah:

1. Memakai celak pada hari Asyura dengan kepercayaan ia tidak akan ditimpa sakit mata buat selama-lamanya. Amalan ini diambil daripada hadis maudhu' (palsu) yang diriwayatkan oleh Ibn Abbas, bahawa Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda: Sesiapa yang memakai celak mata daripada arang pencelak mata pada hari Asyura, maka ia tidak akan ditimpa sakit mata buat selama-lamanya. (Rujuk: al-Albani, Silsilah Ahadith al-Dhaifah, 624). Ibn al-Jauzi, al-Maudhu'at, 2/116)

Hadis ini hukumnya maudhu' (palsu). Imam Ahmad berkata: ``Tidak ada riwayat (yang sahih) daripada Rasulullah s.a.w. tentang amalan memakai celak pada hari Asyura, dan ia adalah bidaah.''

2. Solat sunat yang khusus pada hari Asyura. Amalan ini juga bersumberkan hadis maudhu': ``Sesiapa yang sembahyang padanya (hari Asyura) empat rakaat, ia membaca pada setiap rakaat sekali surah al-Fatihah, dan lima puluh kali surah al-Ikhlas (Qul huwallahu ahad), maka Allah akan mengampunkan dosanya lima puluh tahun.''

3. Mandi yang khusus pada hari Asyura dengan tanggapan dapat menghindarkan diri daripada sebarang penyakit pada sepanjang tahun. Amalan ini juga bersandarkan kepada sebuah hadis maudhu': ``Sesiapa yang mandi dan bersuci pada hari Asyura, ia tidak akan ditimpa sebarang penyakit pada sepanjang tahun, kecuali mati.''

4. Melebihkan pemberian seperti makanan, minuman, pakaian kepada ahli keluarga pada hari Asyura dengan harapan semoga akan dimurahkan rezeki sepanjang tahun. Ini berdasarkan sebuah hadis daripada Alqamah bin Abdullah bahawa Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda yang maksudnya:

Sesiapa yang melapangkan pemberian (makanan, minuman dan pakaian) kepada ahli keluarganya pada hari Asyura, nescaya Allah akan melapangkan ke atasnya rezeki sepanjang tahunnya. Hadis ini hukumnya maudhu', disebut oleh Ibn al-Jauzi di dalam kitabnya al-Maudhu'at,2/115).

5. Menyediakan makanan yang khas seperti bubur (bubur Asyura) yang dikaitkan dengan sunah Rasulullah s.a.w. atau disandarkan kepada peristiwa Nabi Nuh a.s. yang menyuruh para pengikutnya memasak daripada sisa-sisa makanan dan biji-bijian setelah mendarat dan selamat daripada taufan besar.

Ini juga adalah tanggapan yang tidak benar dan ia bersumberkan cerita-cerita dongeng Israiliyat. Inilah yang disebut oleh al-Imam Ibn Kathir di dalam kitab Qashas al-Anbiya.

6. Membaca doa akhir tahun dan awal tahun. Tidak terdapat sebarang hadis sahih yang menyebut tentang amalan membaca doa akhir tahun dan doa awal tahun dengan jaminan penghapusan dosa setahun yang lepas, sebagaimana yang diamalkan oleh sesetengah daripada umat Islam.

Demikian juga tidak ada hadis-hadis sahih yang menyebut doa tersebut secara khusus.

As-Syiekh Ali Mahfuz di dalam kitabnya al-Ibda' fi Madhar al-Ibtida' menyebut bahawa kebanyakan hadis maudhu' yang berkaitan dengan amalan pada bulan Muharam khususnya pada hari Asyura telah dicipta oleh golongan pembunuh Husain.

Beliau juga memetik kata-kata al-Allamah Ibn al-'Izz al-Hanafi: ``Sesungguhnya tidak sahih daripada Nabi s.a.w. sebarang amalan pun pada hari Asyura selain puasa Baginda.

Ada pun golongan Rafidhah melakukan bidaah dengan mengadakan upacara berkabung demi melahirkan kesedihan di atas pembunuhan Husain pada hari ini.

Dan golongan yang jahil daripada Ahli Sunah menzahirkan kegembiraan mereka dengan membuat makanan daripada biji-bijian (bubur) dan memakai celak, dan mereka meriwayatkan hadis-hadis maudhu' tentang bercelak mata dan melapangkan pemberian makanan dan pakaian kepada ahli keluarga.''

(Syiekh Ali Mahfuz, al-Ibda' fi Madhar al-Ibtida' (Beirut: Dar Kutub al-Ilmiah, Cet. 1, 2001), hal. 271)

Demikianlah beberapa contoh daripada amalan-amalan umat Islam di dalam bulan Muharam ini yang tidak bersumberkan sunah Rasulullah s.a.w. yang sahih, mahu pun para sahabat dan para Imam kaum Muslimin. Justeru, jalan yang terbaik ialah dengan mengikuti sunah Baginda s.a.w. dan seburuk-buruk perkara pula ialah mencipta sesuatu yang baru di dalam urusan agama. Semoga kita semua diberikan petunjuk oleh Allah s.w.t. untuk mengikuti sunah Rasulullah s.a.w.
(Refer: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2005&dt=0218&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Bicara_Agama&pg=ba_01.htm )

Age

Aduh..... tulang temulang ku!!!!

Take away my regular activities and i'm suddenly left with aching & creaking joints!!! alahai tau la dah tua (four-oh-seven is just round the corner.. gulp) tapi i feel soooooooooo very very the ancient!!! i agree with the fitness gurus that a break of more than 2 weeks is enough to set your fitness level waaaay back. take a long rest and suffer the dire consequences baay-beh!!!

I know it sounds like i'm spewing lame excuses but i'm just not in the right frame of mind to claim my usual 'me' time right now.... not until AH's room is ready. i promised her a room by 2008 and its kinda overdue. but to get her room ready i hafta move the boys accumulated stuff out (since its their room that she's moving into).. and to get the stuff out i hafta get the den downstairs ready first.. and to start on the den i hafta move everything that's in it upstairs to the 'still-under-construction-library'. which all in all means quite a major make-over. and sadly yours truly have been guilty of procrastinating because truth be told, its all a tad overwhelming.

Aarghh... belum apa2 dah penat weh!!!!

But at least AH seems very motivated about school. she's in the class she wanted and hasnt been complaining even tho there's loads of homework already!! which makes me very happy but also very guilty about not keeping my side of the bargain.

Aaarghhh.... sorry baby!!!!

And also a note to the boys, especially AI..... thank you so so much darleengs for giving up ur little haven. i do know how much it means to you and the sacrifice is very very appreciated... tapi its all for adik's sanity ok.

So now its up to me.

I can do it... i can do it... i can do it!!! :)

All 'my precious'

i was spring cleaning my puter and came up with this old pics of my most precious :)

kawaaiii!!!

1997







(Melbourne/Canberra/Sydney Trip)



... and after 10 years still sooooo kawaaiiii ;)

2007



(Eidul Fitri, Shah Alam)

Big trouble

Yup..... i'm on a downward spiral at a time when i should be all fired up with new year resolutions!!

Ever since i can remember, i'd be totally consumed by this deep ferocious hunger one week before my monthly. its like i'm driven to keep stuffing my face... and can escalate to a point where i can even imagine myself devouring a whole freakin' lamb roasting away at the pits. me and me alone, no sharing sharing business lol.

And the saddest part is, its also the time i am at my most bloated self - kembong giler - and that feeling pisses me off to no end. and when i'm pissed, i do the next worst thing.... i binge.... and if thats not bad enough.... i binge at nite!!!!!!

Adeh.

And right now with only one car at our disposal (AF had already cilok-ed the avanza to upsi and we're still in the midst of arranging the financing for another car), i have to give up my morning runs because of the mad rush in dropping AH off to school and sending her daddy to the nearest LRT station at kelana jaya, before making for the office myself.

Sigh.

I feel sooooooo FAT & BLOATED..... a whale!!!!

HELP!!

Tak bole jadi...... even if the heat saps away at my energy like a siphon, i hafta start running in the late afternoon. its that or i'll just go stark raving mad. i need muh regular 'fix'.

School term 2008

1st day of school = massive jam !!!!

I remember those days when the kids first started school and i was part of the proud mommies & daddies anxiously waiting for their offsprings to be placed and settled into their respective classes. i remember scanning classrooms and fighting the strong almost 'primitive' urge to grab them the best seat in class, even if it was already taken lol. i remember..... weelll..... a lot of things :)

You just cant help but be anxious and worried and harassed and.... almost entirely lost in your own world!!! and with that in mind i always have this soft spot for those 'primary one' parents who'll usually be sporting either the 'hyper-focus' look or the 'ultra-dazed' look on their faces. and thats why i bear the grid-lock of cars with a smile.... hardly discernable but a smile nontheless.

AH was in high spirits when she was getting ready for school this morning. maklum la lama sangat berkepok kat rumah pun boleh jadi boring jugak akhirnya. plus the fact that she did well in her pmr and my gabra little girl can now walk tall lol... oh and also plus the other fact that she'll be seeing her bf every schoolday instead of going out on spasmodic dates, which can be few and far between (heh kecik lagi mana boleh dating selalu la anak weh!!!).

Her greatest worry was not getting a spot in the pure science classes but there was also the added pressure of having both bros in science 1 class before her. alhamdulillah she got what she wanted and is now officially in form 4 science 1, smk seksyen 9, shah alam. heheh and pls dont mention anything about boarding schools or hostels and such.... she'd give you a look that could kill you instantly or at the very least leave you mortally wounded lol. she's happy where she is and actually, so am i :) i wouldnt stand in her way if she wanted to continue elsewhere, but what on earth would i do without our regular pok-pek sessions?

So thats that. now comes the time to start selecting good tuition classes but the ground work is up to AH of course. top on the list - BM!!!!! its a tough paper and should never ever be taken for granted especially because its also the basic requirement for all local college entries. the standard has been raised so high that i'd probably fail if i were to sit for that paper again lol

Necessary adjustments

Dengan bertambahnya umur bertambah laa juga masa yang diperlukan untuk menerima & menangani perubahan heheh. for example i cant begin to count just how many times i've automatically written down 2007 whenever i'm minuting out the letters from my in-tray!!

And i've also only now realised i've completely forgotten about getting the 2008 diary infill. i cant schedule out my week because i've run out of pages lol. next stop is surely the bookstore.

So looks like i started the new year with a price negotiation meeting for another istana project. which incidentally turned out to be rather unsuccessful due to the main contractor's failure to furnish us with the necessary info and justifications for his incredibly high offer. hopefully its not an indication of what 2008 would be bringing in. i would so love to cruise thru the year smoothly with as little hiccup as possible :)

Dont we all?

Happy New Year

2008... semoga dilimpahi nikmat & rahmatNYA