Hectic! & Mother's Day celebration

i'm glad to be on my bed now, alhamdulillah. It has been hectic, the last 4 days. Here's a rundown..

Thursday - after work rushed to Arab st to get some books at Muslimedia, met Maimunah, had dinner. Then 830pm or so, went home, get my girls and went to Fazilah's place to inai her.. Went home at about 12 midnight - gedebak gedebuk, I slept at 2am.

Friday - couldn't get up for work in the morning. Was very late for work. After work, last minute plan to pass book to Pink, had quick dinner. Went home, to meet the family, already waiting in his car. My ZH was frustrated. I was 26 mins late according to him. Actually I thought I was 15 mins late. But anyway.. then off to the mosque for our weekly classes. Then back from mosque - 1045pm, had to go back to Fazilah's place to touch up her inai. Hanaa & Nadhrah was still up! and wanted to follow.. so we all went, and got back home about 1 am.

Saturday - Got up late to catch up with a bit of rest. Fazilah's nikah was suppose to be at 12pm. I left at just after 11, and reached there 1130am. Oops the whole bridegroom troop and the kadi was already there! Had to pass through the guests AND THE BRIDEGROOM to get into the room. "I thought it's 12pm???!!!" "Yeah!! it was suppose to be! They are early!".. oh well ok. (some candid pics here..) Stayed with her and Elena and Mariani while waiting for Uda to come. Uda came about 145pm, we sat to have lunch.. then 230pm.. off to Al Khair to fetch the Hadi & Hanaa who was there since morning/late morning respectively.. There was a talk going on - on parents and youth communication. Stayed on to listen. Went home before Asar, because Bro & dearest Sis in law were coming over to our house to chill out.

Sunday - Faris' birthday at rumah Cik Anis. Left after zohor - went to get Faris a present and reached Cik Anis' place at 2.30pm. Rupanya, it's also Cik Anis' and Yati's birthday, but we only got one present. But anyway.. there was also another celebration rupanya.. Mother's Day celebration! And Cik Alin who is an expert with cakes already, made both the birthday cake and Mother's day's cake. I like the Mother's Day cake! The flowers on the cake are all edible tau!


Then baca doa sikit, potong cake.. bbq, berbual.. buat kelakar.. kaza wa kaza.. . All the children enjoyed themselves.. running here and there.. and the younger girls, they had their own chit chat session in the girls room.. hehe.. so cute..

..nanti Rushda da besar sikit can join the club!.

Then finally, after all the usual food bungkusing that happens after every gathering as such, we left about 8pm.

Now, I'm burned out.. and tomorrow I have to work!!! How I wish I can just stay at home.

Guess where this is..

You'd have to walk, not just looking ahead.. but looking around above you, while still avoiding tripping over something on the road, to notice it..

I've been there a few times, but this is the first time I see it.. =D

Dishonesty

The smallest dishonesty - is still a dishonesty.

Dishonesty, seems to be the standard operating procedure in most companies nowadays. Most sales tactics are developed not on providing the most honest service and required products, but on making impressions, in order to gain more money.

Advertisements - eeesshh.. jangan cakap ah.. 99.9% of them blatantly misleading people into thinking that their product will make u slim, will make u pretty, will make u cool, is required, is popular, is effective, is chic, is value for money, is the 'in' thing... is .. is.. is.. NOT.

Basically they just want your money - they want you to buy the useless product they have made costing $5 per piece - then when you BELIEVE that it's coolest - you pay $100 for it. Aren't you sooo clever?

Sadly these companies are targeting the younger ones this way.. They are sooo weak and don't have a strong personality or proper judgement. Just keep playing that idea to them in advertisments, on billboards, radio, tv, internet.. and the kids start to believe it and fall for it.

Another dishonest sales tactic is pricing a product at $199, or $1.99 etc.. think - isn't it a dishonest motive to 'trick' people into believing that they are buying something for about $100 plus or $1 plus, rather than $200 or $2? If you look at sales books talking about this concept - that is exactly their motive. The one that's priced with something.99 cents tu.. dah lah trick.. menyusahkan pulak tu nak kena simpan all the 1 cent coins.

Oh and BANKS! I hate those bank people who calls you to offer a better life with CREDIT CARDS!! Have you heard their adverstisements?? Giving impression of people having the means to buy anything they want - like they are so rich! Encouraging people to BERHUTANG! - the way banks make money is really another issue on it's own. I'm reading Theft of the Nation now - I'll tell you about it when I'm done. InsyaAllah.

An honest bank offering credit cards advert would read:
Make use of our credit cards to enjoy free gifts when you charge to your card. If you are not able to pay for your purchases in the same month, then we are happy to charge you spiralling interests - which makes the cost of the things that you buy even more expensive. Notice that we inform you 'minimum payment' in our statements, yeah, we don't mind you making only the minimum payment, so that you can keep owing us lots of money which enables us earn from the interest we collect from you while you still owe us the principals. Work your butt off for us. Apply for one now!

MasyaAllah, the world is spiralling into quite a sick place to live in, if you don't have faith in Allah SWT and in the Hereafter. Kalau ikutkan hati memang rasanya nak lari pergi tinggal kat pulau.. where people live simply.. have food to eat, have a shelter, have love, family and friends for entertainment. Yes alhamdulillah, most of the time, I can refrain myself from falling into their trap - but it saddens me to see others, so blinded.

Then think about this super rich people behind these companies - they already have enough money, bukan kata to live, but to splurge for the rest of their sick lives.. but are they now letting others have the chance to earn some wealth - OH NO.. they want to gather MORE, and for what? Do they not think that they'll die soon? InsyaAllah, in just a hundred years from now, everyone who is alive this moment, reading this very blog, will be DEAD by then.

And then..

And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then
And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then.
Al Zalzalah 99 : 7~8

Woe to those that deal in fraud
Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure,
But when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due.
Do they not think that they will be called to account?-
On a Mighty Day
A Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds?
Nay! Surely the record of the wicked is (preserved) in Sijjin.
Al Mutaffifin 83 : 1~ 7

Nauzubillah!

Like mother like son

7629 X 38. He exclaims at the paper, " What?! Are u crazy?! This will take me a whole minute! Arrrgghhh!" And starts shooting paper bullets.


Oh man... my son is like me! He talks nonsense and laughs easily when he is stressed! He has 2-3 stacks of homework to do and here he is jabbering rubbish.. and laughing at his own silly jokes. (these symptoms appear, when we're too bored, too stressed, too hungry, too full, too free)

But he (and I) have to learn, to snap out of it.. and start! Like how I have to start studying for my DPI exams too, instead of updating this blog!

Car's looking good

Kesian.....

..this purple bug of mine, has gone on 3 weeks without being washed. The first 2 weeks, I was always rushing to get somewhere or get home, and there was no place with manual carwash that was along my way. By the time it got to last week, I was broke pulak..

It was then that I decided, I should wash the car myself. Afterall, there were numerous occasions at the carwash, when I felt like getting out of the car to wash the car myself - when they didn't wash the parts yang kat bawah-bawah or yang terselit..

So today, the first thing I bought with this month's paycheck, was those big sponges and a bottle of car shampoo. I was standing there at the shop for like 10 minutes, deciding which shampoo to buy. Hmm.. they don't have any with conditioner. Finally took one which allows me to use on all parts of the car. (there was one which advises against using it on windscreens - ala leceh!).

Uda is not home today, so to entertain the children, I let them help wash the car. They were so looking forward to it. After Asr, Hadi, Hanaa, Nadhrah and mua, equipped with a bucket, the sponges, a towel and the shampoo without conditioner, went down to the carpark to begin our task. (Eema didn't go - she decided that she was not born to do hard work.)

At the wash bay, at the carpark, there is a water dispenser. With 20 cents you get 30 secs of gushing water.. I should bring a bigger bucket next time.

In just 5 minutes, the children were already half wet.. it was expected. By the time I was done with the car, they were soaking wet.

But I must say, alhamdulillah, I think I did a pretty good job. Puas hati lah... cuci sendiri. Save $6. (excluded from this cost 'saved' is the cost of the shampoo and sponges that can be used again next time) Only, I don't know if I'd have the mood to do it every week. Nevermind that lah.. see how.

I remembered rose petals on the bed, while I was at Mama Yusof's housewarming. I've seen that a few times. It got me thinking.. perhaps the next time I wash the car, I could do it dengan air bunga. Maybe the last rinse tu.. letak some rose petals or even cut daun pandan.
Merapek? Oklah... tak.

Anyway, the car's looking good tonight.

[Today in history : *Sleeping Beauty* & *Prince Charming* had their first argument this evening.. err meaning yesterday evening (30/4/2006). Prince Charming was not aware of how strongly Sleeping Beauty would pertahankan her freedom. Today he got that idea.
Anyway, my nasihat for u adik2 out there, jodoh dah ditentukan pun, your destiny has been set since the day you were born. So, tak payah nak gaduh2 about small matters like this.
Ada hikmah disebaliknya.. insyaAllah.
May Allah SWT guide us all. Ameen]