not giving our best

sometimes, to give the best we can, we MAY have to do a bit more.

an IT personnel's job is to provide an IT solution, to the users, in order that they can best perform their duties - be it in order to save time, or perform a task more accurately. Basically isn't it the job of every person - to make life better for somebody else? It all breaks down to that.

if you know it, but you don't share it, because 'this is their problem' then, i guess we are restraining ourselves from giving our best. it's frustrating to know that some people have to do work the long and difficult way, just because another person is unwlling to share the solution.

Islam - the way of life - surely do not condone this. Although I don't deny that some ignorant or arrogant Muslims may still be in that position. And Allah SWT has warned us :

WOE UNTO THOSE who give short measure:
those who, when they are to receive their due from [other] people, demand that it be given in full ;
but when they have to measure or weigh whatever they owe to others, give less than what is due!
Do they not know that they are bound to be raised from the dead;
[and called to account] on an awesome Day.
the Day when all men shall stand before the Sustainer of all the worlds?

Al Quran, Mutaffifin 83:1-6

May Allah SWT guide is in our daily responsibilities. Ameen.

the wheels on the bus go round and round..

i don't like meetings where

1. it's a pre-meeting meeting.

2. we discuss the same exact issues, that we spent hours discussing in the previous meeting AND concluded.

3. i feel so obliged to give my honest views, but i have to keep my mouth shut.

4. it starts less than half an hour before lunch time or office hours ends.



1st meeting. many many moons ago. 1hr 30mins.

THE SERVICE PROVIDER
u want us to break down the charges by the document numbers? that's tough you know.

THE CLIENT
ok, so can you go back and study and confirm to us if it can be done.

THE SERVICE PROVIDER
Ok.. we'll go back and study and confirm back to you.

2nd meeting. about last month. 2hrs

THE SERVICE PROVIDER
u want us to break down the charges by the document numbers? that's tough you know.

THE CLIENT
Yah, so you're suppose to confirm if you can do it.

THE SERVICE PROVIDER
yah, ok.. we'll break down by the document numbers.

3rd meeting. recently. 1hr 30mins

THE SERVICE PROVIDER
u want us to break down the charges by the document numbers? it's quite tough for us.

THE CLIENT
That's what we've been talking about from before, right?

THE SERVICE PROVIDER
ok, we'll go back and study and confirm back to you.

cute. or not.

all our children are soooo cute right? to us? To us, especially.

But...the truth is, they may not be as cute to others, as they are to us. Especially when the child's high-pitched voice is on the ringtone of your handphone, and you're not around to answer it, and the whole department, has to hear it over and over again:

"Hello MUMMY! Please answer the phone in 10 seconds, or the phone will self-destruct. Please don't let the phone self-destruct. I LOVE you mummy... Mmmmmuah! See you later, alligator..hehehe" . . ."Hello MUMMY! Please answer the phone in 10 seconds, or the phone will self-destruct. Please don't let the phone self-destruct. I LOVE you mummy... Mmmmmuah! See you later, alligator..hehehe" . . ."Hello MUMMY! Please answer the phone in 10 seconds, or the phone will self-destruct. Please don't let the phone self-destruct. I LOVE you mummy... Mmmmmuah! See you later, alligator..hehehe"

=D. BEtul.

monsters

..are they who

- think they own their maids, from the meer few hundred they pay per month
- abuses their maid for whatever reason. if not happy with the maid, then send back lah.. no need to abuse them.
- do not pay their maids monthly, thinking that they have the right to keep their maids' money.
- don't allow their maids to contact their family members or friends.


I hope the govt will take more drastic measures to ensure that the maids are treated fairly, like

1. Requiring the maids to report back to the Embassy on a monthly for new maids then 3 months once - ALONE without the employers. To give them a chance to feedback on their conditions.

2. Default payments of maid's pay, through auto giro month deduction from employer's accounts, with the service fees, paid by employers. Unless requested by the maids otherwise.

Just like other employees, like us, they too, should be given the option to quit an employer, if the situation is not right.

Actually memang kadang2 kesian sangat.. cause for new maids, diorang tak dapat gaji sampai up to 8 months! because they need to pay the agents for the arrangement to come here. Can you imagine urself working 8 months without pay?!
Some people, just don't have empathy.

Orang2 yang tak ada empathy ni.. yang buat orang sesuka hati. yang buat macam hamba abdi diorang. SURELY, they will be dealt with kat akhirat nanti.

18:49 And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! what a Book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!" They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice.
Al Quran, Al-Kahf 18:49


*I read about the maid who tried to escape from the 15th floor in KL.. and I also remembered the plights of some of Rus' friends.*

Oh ya.. i hope the govt will also require the employers yang abuse maids ni, to pay them 2 years pay as penalty, before the maids are sent home. Kalau tak, they get nothing back for the pain they suffer!

Sometimes.. don't u feel overwhelmed.. by the problems faced by a lot of people around us. And you feel helpless, cause you cannot help ALL of them.
But i've read, about helping others - you only have to make a difference to one individual and grow from there. InsyaAllah.

the road trip

what i like most about this trip is that, it's like a road trip. And I get to ride drive with the boys (my hubby, father and uncle - 4 cars altogether). first time for blossmobile - to go to KL, u know.. =D


and for the rest of the trip, u'll see him in this hat +- the hair

Actually, it was suppose to be a trip to PD aje. But because cik alin is free on sat, we left for our 'holidays' early.

So, first to KL for one night stay. Sampai aje KL, pegi KLCC for lunch kat Signature food court. Then, checked in hotel, where the children terus nak gi swimming. Cik alin, cik nyah, yati n myself, we went to masjid india and got all the intended materials- we're happy. Mission accomplished.



Went back to the hotel, to get the guys and children. Then went to have dinner and walk2 kat bt bintang.



Next day, after resting/packing in the morning, we checked out and went to eye on malaysia. (that 'eye' could be a verb also eh..)

The last time i was there with the big girls, that thing only went 3 rounds. But this time.. dah 6 rounds. Rus, dia takut sangat2. every time the cabin passed the boarding bay, she gestured frantically to the boy to open the door and let her out. The boy just smiled at her. She said, she will never take the ferris wheel ever again - even if she was given a million - rupiah OR dollars.


boys aksen cool.. especially As.. dalam hati, Allah saja yg tahu.

Lepas tu, we headed to mid valley for lunch, but not before hubby lead us, keliling kota. (read: made the wrong turn)

Masa kat mid valley tu.. we felt like da lama kita kat KL and it's like we're heading back. Then we realise, that we're actually not heading home.. but to PD. The holiday was not over, rupanyer..

We were in Port Dickson for 2 nights. Last year, when I was there, (which by the way, happens to be on the exact same date! betul gua cakap sama lu!! tak caya tengok kat my multiply), we stayed kat water chalet. This time, kat Garden chalet. Bit cheaper. Other than the fact that water chalet is on the water and garden chalet is on land.. i think the room is quite comparable. oh and of course.. on the water chalet, you can hear the waves, which can be quite soothing..and have the open air bathroom.


maryam got chucky and lepas tu.. tak lepas. only RM10- good buy.



On the 2nd night, we went to have seafood, at a place where we could see the sun before it sets.



Finally on Sunday, we checked out, and decided to go to Mahkota Parade for lunch and a little shopping before heading back home.

Kitorang ikut jalan kampung, and managed to stop over by the roadside, to buy goreng pisang (which, dearest hart, we missed the one u recommended, cause hubby took a different turn, on the way to PD :( ... )



Cik alin said, the durian cendol there is to die for. (ok lah.. she didn't say 'to die for', to be exact, she said.. 'fooh.. sedap betul...' and made that facial expression indicating that it's so damn delicious).

I think one day, we can have day trips to Melaka just to try the durian cendol there.. ok?

Oh and i got a very nice melaka t shirt, that I noticed maryam pakai. She got it, in the previous melaka trip.

Ok, ni sikit promotional video, untuk kedai souvenir kat luar mahkota parade tu.


On the way back, sempat jugak call my tailor, to meet us at JB and dropped off all our materials with her.

I must say, this trip was very fruitful and I wish i don't have to work and can do this every few weeks or months.

and i love driving, especially through kampung areas in the day.. i love.

more pictures here >>

still alive..

just to let you know.. i'm still alive.

will update as soon as i gather enough energy.

have a good week.

girls just want to bake

note, i said girls eh.. bukan woman/ladies..

young girls are excited about baking. my girls slept over at cik alin's place, and they 'helped' cik alin bake cupcakes. They were so excited when they brought it back and showed me.. i think it's cute.






I think we should have regular baking classes for girls/boys.

The last time i sent my girls to a baking class, there were boys too. Well i shouldn't be surprised. After all, almost all well-known chefs are male. Isn't it ironic?(to the tune of alanis morissette) when we always generally have the idea that women cooks/bakes.

p.s. hari tu gi KL.. more photos -> here.

berjaya times square KL

after so many times, i've visited KL, this is the first time that I'm staying at Times Square itself. Other times, I came here only to go to Cosmos World. Hubby has to work in KL, so since there's no school for the kids, I thought, why not we be malaysians for while.. (aksen ah macam tinggal sini, while hubby goes out to work.. i become tai tai.)

anyway.. talking about Times Square ni..

oh ya, from the highway into KL, pun skrg da ada a newly opened tunnel - so you can avoid all the jams into town (i don't know if we didn't face any jams because of the time we arrived or if it's because of the new tunnel) but.. tunnel ni.. keluar aje, da kat sebelah berjaya times square sey.. last time, it'd take us about 15 mins just to get from the highway into town - thanks to the jams and all.. but this time.. 5 minutes, keluar aje sampai.

anyway.. talking about Times Square ni..

MasyaAllah.. now i realise how complete time square is. Since yday, we arrived, until today, we almost need not leave this building. Except for last night, when kita gi Bt Bintang to take a look at pirated vcds. Ini kelakar.. while we were browsing, their lookout alerted them.. i pun jadi tersentak kejap.. then the cute vcd boy (macam budak criter 'sepet') said.. "aah.. sorry ah.. pls wait a while" and dalam sekelip mata, diorang angkat vcd2 tu and lipat meja. Hadi said, it was interesting. I said to him, "NO, no.. it was NOT interesting.. (although actually i think there was an adrenalin rush lah sikit)..and please don't tell me u want to grow up and sell pirated VCDs!

Also for the first time, I had a foot massge in KL - hubby convinced me to do so. And ok lah.. tak rasa geli and tak sakit sangat.. i ni takut geli and sakit actually. It felt good.

anyway.. talking about Times Square ni..

i'm now at starbucks. Do you realise how many starbucks there are in Times Square alone? There are 3! (that i've found so far) One is the obvious one at the building entrance. One in front of the cinema and one in Borders bookshop (where i am now). And then da gitu, just opposite this building, across the road, ada lagi satu. Boleh gitu?

anyway.. talking about Times Square ni..

as I was saying, this place is so complete sey. (no hands cupping this time, not like in jerry mcguire.. lain concept). like if you tak kuasa nak jalan2 sangat.. u just stay at times square.. ada loads of restaurants - i'm sure i won't cover all by the time we leave 4 days later -, cinema, bowling alley, cosmos, bookshop, supermarket, shopping (erm.. but takde dorothy perkins). like yesterday, today.. we'll be in this building from morn till night.

The hotel room is also big. The 'smallest' room is a studio suite, there is a bedroom section and the hall section. Not bad.



Today, I'm going to stay at Starbucks to surf, read/buy books. The children are playing at cosmos now. Maybe at night ajak hubby keluar kejap, while the kids watch movies kat cinema with Rus. nanti diorang da abis, boleh naik bilik sendiri.

itu lah dia about Times Square (the last 1/4 bit).


p.s.
Although I really am enjoying my time here, off work, and being in KL and all that.. of course i miss u big girls.. On the way here, i'm already imagining the next trip with u girls.. i still got one night kat westin, u know.. ;) And yday i saw a bus service that stops in front of Time Square - super nice.. it is super nice.. got individual monitor for games/music/movies. and they also a late night return trip 1130pm from KL.

O ya, Mai pun say she misses u all, she's having fever and cold, up on a mountain in NZ. It's 4 deg C there, but very very nice view she said.

i love this game, when i was 18..

one fine night, i came home and find that i was tagged by Ann.

i love this game

why i married the man i married.. oh 10 reasons..
this is difficult.. i don't have that much reasons.. let's see..

1. i fell in love with him.. yup, not match-made.
2. when i met him, he's the nicest man i've ever met.. no comments about others.
3. he prays 5 times a day, masyaAllah.
4. he reads the Quran well, masyaAllah
5. he was a catalyst to my BIG change, alhamdulillah.
6. his family and relatives are lovable, alhamdulillah.
7. oh ya.. he looks so handsome/charming/sexy, on the soccer field, masyaAllah.
8. he.....completes me *cupping my hand*
9. he had me at 'hello'. And I was the one who said 'hello' (yes, aku yg gi kacau dia..)
10. You know, jodoh.. Allah SWT has planned it so. :)


but this tag is good.. makes me think about all the GOOD things about him..


now i want to prey on..
1. dadha
2. minah c
3. zee
4. spidey

********************

And i also remembered the tag, that I owe AM. * when i was 18 *

i went to that site, but - i don't like most of the song. when i was 18, Jon Bon Jovi, Micheal Jackson, were big.

Living on a Prayer... this song, was always played during Tea Dances. (sorry Pak.. dulu memang pernah pergi - DULU..) And we'd all be trying to dance like Micheal Jackson.

Other than that and school, i remember we always hang out at the beach. I love the beach.

but I guess, i didn't know what i was doing. I was wasting my time too much. I was just going with the flow. At that time, i felt like if I don't follow my friends, i'm not cool. And also, it seems like there is nothing else for me to do.

oh ok. i suddenly remember college time.. Mr Madasamy, our teacher - almost like a friend already - kamcheng ho.. playing games, cracking jokes. Out of class, we call him Samy. My friends, siti, linda, karim-liza, rozita, oh and i remember Richard - bomb-52 - i'm quite sure he is some big shot now. and Pang Kee - hero/gangster kat sekolah - I thought he had a crush on me, and he thought i had a crush on him. Kenneth, the photographer. By the way, i was not commonly known as erni in college.. no, not blossom also.

oh, i'm in my room! felt like i was hypnotized or put into a time machine.. haha.
tks marliza - for taking me back. :)

I'm trying to analysie the experiences i've had when i was a teenager, till the time i got married.. Based on that, I hope I can understand my kids, when they become teenagers. If I can break down my thoughts and feelings, when i was doing the things i did, maybe, insyaAllah, i can help my children be a much better teenager than I was. insyaAllah.. Ameen.

in the middle of something

exams over. assignments done. home admin work done.

now i can do some things without feeling some guilt.
now i can read some books that were read halfway before.

oh, but i promised someone, i'll do something..

Nadhrah, is quite smart. she's 5 now.
that day, she showed Rus how to use the camera on Rus' hp.
And also, most of the time, when someone asks her a question, she'll think first before answering. even I don't do that, sometimes.

i'm looking forward to a break from singapore. i really do.
I'm going to be a tai tai.. while hubby works.

today we were in the middle.
of the road.

the eggs-pert

"You can just turn on whatever radio station u want to listen to, it's OK" I said to the chinese cab driver, who just turned on his radio to a Malay station.

"Really? You don't want to listen to radio?", the cab driver asked

"No," I said.

"You listening to MP3 ah?"

"Yes.."

"It's no good you know, listening to MP3 too much"

"Really? why?" I asked him, expecting him to talk about how listening to mp3, long and loud, can damage your hearing etc.

The driver explained, "you know, the man who got killed by a tree at MacRitchie Reservoir? - i think ah.. he was listening to the MP3 player. that's why ah he couldn't hear the sound of the branch, before it fell on him."

"WHOT?! oh?.."

Well, basically after that, he just went on to talk about a lot of isu-isu semasa.. jumping from one issue to another, like a frog leaping from one lily pad to another.

MP3 ->(mp3s bad for you because)-> falling tree branch -> (ppl should learn how to survive in nature, like boy scouts) -> govt cautioning ppl on dangers in public facilities (it does not cost much to put up signs rather than waste money on other things) -> MPs printing monthly brochures a waste -> (govt can help the ppl more monetarily) -> GCE O levels fees increment. Then, we reached my place.

But the part about the mp3 player and the falling tree.. I was thinking.. it was raining quite heavily, i doubt that the man could have identified the sound of the falling branch.

OR

Even if that man, had heard some sound of a falling branch, the natural reaction would be to look up, and then, by that time, it's probably too late to run.

OR,

He could have heard the sound, and he reacted by running - but it may be right into the spot of the falling branch, cause i don't think our hearing is good enough to even locate the exact location where the sound came from.

In conclusion - it is already decreed, that that man, will die at that spot, at that moment, by a falling tree branch. If Allah has decreed so, nothing at all can change that.

قُل لَّوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ لَبَرَزَ الَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلُ إِلَى مَضَاجِعِهِمْ...

..Say [unto them]: "Even if you had remained in your homes, those [of you] whose death had been ordained would indeed have gone forth to the places where they were destined to lie down."..

Al Quran, Ali Imran 3:154