RoyalTLady

MOM, YOU KNOW YOUR BONES...

2012-01-12T18:19:00.001+08:00

A phone call made while being caught up in the jam was much welcomed.

"Mummy, I have just noticed this morning, Za's sms that was sent to me last night. I was really tired after the dinner and went home straight to bed. What had happened?" my eldest daughter was asking me?

"Oh, nothing serious, it was just a self inflicted injury, that's all", said I.

"How did it happen?" she asked inquisitively.

"Oh it was during the morning prayer yesterday. I had the wrong garment on and it was quite tight. So I was struggling to get my sitting position correct. In the event, I hurt my self." I told her obediently.

"Perhaps you better go for an x-ray? ", but her mere suggestion was politely rejected.

So, that was day two. I felt sharp pain in my lower back, my left hip, the sole of my right foot and oooooh it's sort all over me. Served me right! I wasn't careful.

Day three.

"Mummy you should go for an x-ray and let the doctor see the extent of your injury." suggested her.

"Thanks but I feel much better now, I am taking a good rest at home"...

Day four.

"Mummy, where does it hurt? Mummy you should know your bones too well!!!", she touched the sole of my foot and I could feel sharp pain as she touched the mid part. She was just short of saying:

"Mummy your bones are fragile/rotting/getting brittle and all"...LOL!!!!!!!

I am feeling better, so perhaps with another resting day, I hope to get much better. BUT today, I offered to look after little Sofiya since she was extremely late to work. Allah shall help me through, I know. If you relief someone of her/his stress, Allah would do the same unto you. It reciprocates.

Day five...

Alhamdulillah syukur. My mind was getting wild with plans to go out to get my grandson's fourth birthday present. But all plans were futile. Why? I finished my previous blog posting in the wee hours of the morning and was awoken by my phone alarm at 5:00a.m. I got up, had my shower and prayed until Subuh prayer time arrived. After everyone left for work, I took a nap and was only awaken at 10:00a.m. After having a simple lunch of fried rice, I took another nap. That snapped away the wilderness of my plan to go out looking for a present...

By late evening, I succumbed to writing this little story....

Last night I was planning with another friend to attend a course in training or writing stories. That last posting was my first try at writing, though nothing catchy had come out of it. My poor reading and writing abilities proved everything I had was merely a dream.Thinking out loud as I am typing these last few words.... how to become a good writer if "with only one"short story I already fell asleep twice today??? LOL!!!!!!

BUT the best part here is ...and as I am thinking out loud, "Mummy you know your bones are not young anymore"... it sent me smiling all alone . I now find myself typing these last few words and now am on my way to another session of TV watching. Cheerio readers who come by.

Oh, but before that, I shall have to put some rice to boil for dinner for my daughter and her children and ME.

Not MY Work But ALLAH'S

2012-01-12T02:14:00.002+08:00

I was literally dumbfounded. One second was too long for such thing. Quick! Pick him UP! Allahu Akbar!!! I recited. What's happening to my grandson, Harith? I must handle crisis with Allah's words and help.

Just then my daughter, Zaza emerged from her bedroom with little Sofiya in her arms. Both have apparently just woken up from their afternoon nap.

"Ja, Harith's in fits. Quick, call Tasha. Ask her what should we do!!!" I yelled (?) at her and hastily picking up the stiffened body with strange irregular movements of my grandson. I verily tried to control myself from getting too panicky and irrationally thinking of my next move. Forgotten about the crack in my lower back and my two months old surgery, I held him in my arms as though I was losing him. I have never witnessed this incident since the birth of my first child and since I could ever remember in my life. Not ever!

"Where is the phone?" asked her and as she put down Sofiya onto the floor, the little one felt the sudden abundant and gave a loud cry.

"It's there on the table", said I. Still reciting verses from the Quran, I tried to remain as calm as I could because I knew it if I were just as panicky, things would be more hay wire.

"Tasha, Harith's fitting. What shall we do, where are you? Quick!!!!" I heard her strong and "out-of-breath-voice"... It was such a life and death 911-distress-call and the instantaneous response from the other end.

"Lie him on the floor, on his left. Take a wet towel sponge him over and over". Was her order.

"What are we going to do?" I found myself asking.

""We go to the hospital, now!" replied Zaza.

"Surely not like this. We have to change!" Said I.

"But this is emergency, we just go!" sounds like a good idea.

But who is going to drive? We have two sick children in our arms. Sofiya was also fevering. I put Harith on his RIGHT side on the carpet in my bedroom, a wet towel over his head, while I hastily changed!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Something that worked well for emergency situation. A blouse and a long skirt that were already on the hanger.

"No, call my friend in the other apartment, if she could help us", ordered I.

Meanwhile Zaza had the time to change too. AND I have just realized, Harith was on his right side, not left. So I pulled him over and he made no movement anymore. I was a little calm. Then a slight fit recurred. I then picked him up another time, calling out his name but of course there was absolutely no response. His eyes were opened but stiffened. I have no idea at all how long this has taken place. Not looking at the clock but my eyes were fixed on his face and body. He was so pale.

"Ding dong!!!" there was my friend at the door. She arrived within minutes of the phone call.

"Quick, put this on his head. It's the black sesame oil... (WAS IT?) and get some ice and put on his head!!!" ordered her.

"But Tasha did not ask to put any ice" protesting, was I???

Anyway, Zaza took a small bag of ice, snatched a black computer bag from the table and holding Sofiya tightly in her arms. Tasha was on the phone telling, she and her hubby would straight away go and wait for us at the hospital. Little Sofiya was quiet then. It was a trip, an outing for her.

WE then rushed out of our apartment, I did not feel his weight but only his stiffen body! Everything seems so light and flying. Down the lift we went, out into the open. But where is the car? Oh dear! Farry was about 7 minutes away. She had parked further up. Once into the car, I put ice on his head, still reciting the Quranic verses and tried to wake him up. The journey seemed a bit too long since there were other traffics on the road which towed each other behind a bus stopping to pick up passengers. I remained calm and that's the least or the most I could do...

My friend was calling out Harith's name. But he did not respond. His eyes seemed opened but they were motionless.

AS I AM writing this, I could clearly see in my mind's eyes how was Harith during the attack. I feel the fright now. I feel my heart throbbing now. What IF things had gone wrong then? What would have happened?

When we reached the hospital, I saw his parents were waiting. We did not know the emergency exits were shifted. So, we went round and there they were...His Mama, came round to where we got stuck among the traffic congestion. Frantically she signaled to the car in front that we have an emergency case. They gave way. Thank God. Another fits had occurred as our car drew close to the emergency entrance. Papa was there waiting. As I opened the door, his Papa grabbed him into his arms. But, oh no! His fingers were holding my blouse... it was so tight. I tried to loosen them... I managed it. What a sight!!!!! A pitiful sight it was. My grandchild!

Once in the emergency ward, he was attended to by the Pediatrician on duty. His Mama was calling out his name. Her face was pale like there was no life! And nothing came from him. His eyes were opened but still stiffened. I found my way into the cubicle. I knew I could have done nothing to help. The nurses were busy too. Then I left his bedside and found myself a seat. Oh Ya Allah, I could have never forgiven myself if something were to happen. Like What? I don't know!!! I do not want to think about it. BUT!!!!!!!!!

I sent my second daughter and my friends off so that they could go home and get something for the night for Harith. Meanwhile, relatives arrived. I tried to describe as little and brief as I could. Sofiya who was fevering, obviously needed treatment. So, I told my son in law to register her and get her blood tested as well. He obediently did. He was obviously panicky. So did my daughter.

Apparently, Harith did not recognize them although it was more than two hours now. The doctor said, under normal circumstance, such a case would end within the hour or less. When we first arrived, it was 5:15 p.m or so. Now, it's already 8:00p.m...

I observed my daughter.

She was sitting there quietly. Not talking to anyone. I could not guest what's on her mind. BUT suddenly she got up, Sofiya in her arms, tears running down her cheeks non-stop and she uttered me these vary words:

"Mummy, Harith did not recognise us at all. The doctor has done City Scan on him and the result was negative (of brain damage) ...but since this has taken too long and it's very serious, the doctor wanted to take his spinal fluid for further testing to make sure he is out of it"... (????????????)

"Brain damage??? Could it lead to that?" asked I.

...calmly she explained which sent my thinking head to an electric shock speed! I was adamant. I was in disbelieve. That serious!!!!!!! My grandson has to undergo such procedure? I hide my panicky state.

"That's what the doctor said. Quick, call friends and relatives who are in Mecca performing the Haj. Ask them to make du'a and pray for Harith so that he come out of the situation and that Allah spared all of us from such intended procedure!!!"

I rushed with my words as in a life and death manner. But of course. Spinal fluid? Operation? Spine? It was like when I first heard of the vary word "Caesarian" many years ago... It's a taboo to mention it even now.... So was the former.

"Have you done your Maghrib prayer yet?" I asked. \

Just then I saw my son in law passing by. Same question I shot at him and he said "Not yet" too.

"Please make solat Hajat as well, okay?", ordered I.

To which , I myself shot up from my chair and found my way to the corridor on my right... There were not many people praying at that time. So, I had the small prayer room all to myself, my daughter and another lady. They both left earlier than me. I remained in there for another half hour to wait for Isya' prayer time.

"Ya Allah, that was what the doctor said. That was what he thought was best at this time for him to do to solve this critical situation for Harith. I am sure, Ya Allah, I know it. This is NOT what you said and not what you have decided for Harith. Am sure you have other plans for him to come through. Ya Allah, please calm us down, please make Harith come round. Ya Allah, You are High and Mighty, The Most Exalted, your power is Absolute, you are the Most Knowledgeable. Am sure you would avoid the doctor from taking his spinal fluid...am sure you are testing us at this vary minute and want all of us to submit ourselves, to leave things absolutely to you and YOU alone and nothing else to handle... with Laahaula wa laaquwwata illa billahil 'aliyyil 'aziim."

TEARs from my eyes and from the depth of my heart were fast flowing, non stop. My prayer garments were wet. I was sobbing while making this du'a. Eyes swollen, nose getting red like an over- ripen tomato... How am I going out? Who cares???

I walked out anyway. Speechlessly walking while offering zikr with every breath it took. I remained quiet until at almost 9:15p.m we received an sms telling the latest of Harith' s progress. It was apparent that he finally came round. Those with him by his bedside, heard him asking for his "sandy pillow case". That was him obviously.

"Alhamdulillah, Allah is Great!!!". Finally all of our prayers were answered. Prayers from us in the hospital, from relatives outside and those far away across the horizon in Mecca. HE knew what was best for us. He has His ways of testing us - testing our faiths, testing our piety and testing our sincerity. This is also His way to show us the power of zikrullah and to leave things to Him to handle with absolute faith, tawakkal and purity.

Alhamdulillah, by that time, Sofiya's blood test results were out and there was nothing to worry about. We made out way to the children's wing and found Harith in the company of his Papa, aunties and uncles with wet towels all over his body to reduce his temperature. He was on drips.

Then began the two weeks saga. Taking turns to accompany Harith in the hospital, day and night. Who would be in the night shift? It was obvious, Papa has to. While Mama has to be home to accompany Sofiya since she is still breast fed. Day time, was Mama's shift. Came the time when Mama's leave were finished, grandma (ME) has to be in the duty roster.

For two weeks, we spent time doing colorings together, lots and lots of them... reading story books to him and of course the duties went on and on from sponging him, feeding him and accompanying him to the blood-taking sessions. Doctors, there were five to six of them in a team coming round daily to see him making progress. Indeed it was progress. Among other things he had to go through with tears and cries were blood taking! They were sent for TB testing (as he was excessively coughing), pneumonia, bacterial infection and many more.

I had my session too. There were paeds who came by interviewing me on the event that had started since and until that day. On the fourth day that followed, something had appeared on his back. It was right in the middle. A little watery blister which was thought to be a chicken pox. Soon we found our way into the quarantine ward which offered us to have the much-need-privacy from those other crying babies...

That ended our two weeks life in the privacy of the hospital.

On the day he was to be discharged, he was ever so excited to come home that he did not sleep a wink in the afternoon which he normally had. Alhamdulillah, all was well and Allah was with us n our hearts, prayers and lives.

Lessons learned: NEVER ever let him remain in high fever for more than 48 hours. Always have blood test as recommended by the health authorities as soon as the child fevers.

MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT'S BOX

2012-01-10T22:29:00.000+08:00

When joys were shared... once the cute camera was taken out, this was what happened to it's box...

FIRST, the big brother trying to fit into the beautiful box...

Sofiya engrossed watching the Television... as though knew nothing of her brother's venture...

Ok, it's Sofiyah's turn now... Let me try sitting in there... wanna feel how it's like.

Waaaaaaaa, I fit in perfectly. You, brother Harith, just sit there and watch me, okay?

WELCOME. Someone is outside my door.

2012-01-10T18:44:00.002+08:00

New year welcoming my grandchildren with happy faces! Not fevers I hope. Thanks Allah for them both healthy tots.

All crisps and well pressed. He made his way to his neighbor's house (which happens to be mine). Today, he decided things, not his mom.

"I want to take care of gran." Said Harith to his Mama who was speechless amidst the mad morning rush to get things in order, into the car and making sure nothing is left behind.

"He wants to take care of you Mummy. That's what he says"... with all the hope in the world that I would not give negative answers.

With a broad smile, I welcome him into my warm arms and he gave me a sweet early morning smile. He is gorgeous when he is in his good mood. He gave me just as huge warm hug too. Owe that was so sweet for an early new year greeting. One of the greatest new year's gift!

Soon everyone were leaving for work and little Sofiya has to go to her baby sitter, 30 KM away. Papa left home a little bit later than Mama. Obviously I wouldn't cope with two... they have bountiful energy while mine is receding. They know how to keep my place "alive" too. They tease each other, create situations and incidences that cause their voices sending signals and "deafening sounds" to my ears.

But they are certainly keeping me alive! Otherwise, my daily routine would be just reading emails, FB and online news. They too have their own favourite sites to visit. The You tube being the most popular with some Arabic alphabets to learn, watch and listen to. Sofiya would normally sway her cute little body to the sound of those melodies. Quranic verses them a little quiet as though they understand that they are supposed to simply listen. Harith would be looking for CARS and games. TV would be great fun too for him, with local children programs on, or Ultraman, some other cartoons, animal films, Master Chef (Malaysia), Islamic talks, dramas and much more. Of course, little Sofiya who has just turned one year two months limits herself to the You Tube most times.

Rarely, both are with me at the same time except for weekends when there are aunties to help around. I do not cope with both. Cannot and would not. Full stop! They have such activities that would send me to the couch sooner than them, LOL! Stairs-climbing would be lots of fun when she gets the chase which obviously tire me easily.

It's so much more meaningful to volunteer looking after your own at this age! I was living with volunteering since my younger days which also have given me much satisfaction and high with motivation to go on. But time flies so quickly that I am now much better off at home with my grand children.

When "sudden" change of schedule "appearing" at my door step, which is only a few steps away from theirs, I just accept (as they come) with open heart and willingness to help my daughter who is working more than 30KM away. After all, what am I here for? This is God-sent responsibility and extended helping hands that I should and ought to offer. I never complained, frown or shake my head when my grandchild stands outside my door. I enjoy his or her company as much as they enjoy mine. I find solace in them. They are wonderful to look at. Those eyes glitter each time they want something to share! They are wonderful to watch - watching them grow, doing things differently every day, speaking in their own ways, telling stories in an almost perfect mother-tongue language (only Harith does this), singing, acting, playing and most of all.... OH I LOVE it even better when they fall asleep!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!

Mr. and Miss Anonymous

2012-01-10T18:11:00.002+08:00

Welcome to RTL.

Foremost, I really appreciate bloggers who come by, spent some time writing a few words/lines for me. TO Most with anonymity - sad to say, they have to be in the spam box. I simply welcome comments but not links to your adverts. Many thanks. Appreciate your blog links very much as I could also learn something new from your postings. Names please. Cherio!

Sayyidul Istighfar

2011-11-17T15:57:00.001+08:00

Selawat for all

2011-10-25T18:33:00.000+08:00

Selawat ini adalah yang paling mustajab above all others. Please copy if you want to. Make use of it in all occasions.

Deep in thoughts with sadness

2011-10-07T13:13:00.000+08:00

Today, two persons close to my heart would be leaving Malaysian soil, heading for the Middle East... One, is a sister I have met and we sort of "adopted" each others family since the year 1974... while the other is my young cousin who is working in Doha, Qatar. He would resume his duties there and taking home a new addition to his family, little Dzain.

My "sister" is holding a gathering since breakfast time this morning and by 10.30 p.m. tonight, she would be leaving her house to join the rest of the pilgrimages and shall be leaving for Mecca by 5:00 a.m tomorrow morning.

Why am I left behind?

Someone from the Rayhar Travel Agency had called me a day after they have made confirmation who could go and who couldn't.

An unfamiliar number showed up and obviously lighted up on my mobile. Without hesitation I accepted and an unfamiliar voice was on the receiver.
"Assalamualaikum Madam. I am Mr.Rahmat fom Rayhar Travel".

"Wa'alaikummussalam Mr.Rahmat", said I.

"I am so sorry that your name and another lady in your group were not selected, our quota is much reduced this year and we only have such a limited number to accommodate", went this apologetic voice on the other end of the receiver.

Calmly I replied:

"Sir, may I know why we weren't selected?"

"Says the Haj Pilgrimage Board, both of you were only registered last year, and by right, your eligibility is in the year 2033 " said he.

"Okay, I understand. And Sir, don't worry. This is not their work, neither yours. Not your choice, neither them. This is the work of Allah. He knows who should go now, later or even at the vary last minute just before the "Wukuf Day". I am honestly "redha" with this as this is Allah's choice and decision and not yours."

"I am happy you could accept this decision in this "strange" way. Had other people answered like you do, it would surely have made my job easier, Madam". He continued.

"Sir, I knew there are elderly people who should perform the Haj this year, there are those who have registered themselves years before me, there are those whose chances have been "taken" by others before this and Sir, this is indeed the work of Allah. He knows best. Perhaps he wants me to attend more Haj courses and get myself better equipped with better acknowledg and most of all... He knows when and with whom I should be going" , I went so lengthy with my answer.

Silently, during my Zohor prayer, I prayed with a heart feeling so calm, asking Allah to INVITE me to HIS House at an instance - He so grant me with the right timing, the right Mahram and the right mode - for a pilgrimage at the time He already determined.

But somehow, this vary instance... deep inside me, there's a lump in my throat, I feel so remorseful for some reasons am to depart with these two special people in my life. To them both I shall pray for their safe journey and safe landing .

One, to go home with his family, where he belongs to serve the Qatar Oil, while the other : a safe journey and safe landing in Mecca. I too pray for her good health, high in Iman, Taqwa and Faith, to perform the Haj well so that Allah accepts her ibadah, to have surmountable patience, to eat and sleep well and come home safely. To Min, may you have a successful career, a family safe from any evils, pray for good health, wealth and happiness.

Amin Ya Rabbal'alamiin.

Draconid Meteor Outburst

2011-10-07T11:49:00.000+08:00

Draconid Meteor Outburst

Oct. 4, 2011: On October 8th Earth is going to plow through a stream of dust from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, and the result could be an outburst of Draconid meteors.
"We're predicting as many as 750 meteors per hour," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "The timing of the shower favors observers in the Middle East, north Africa and parts of Europe."

Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner in Nov. 1998 photographed by astronomers at Kitt Peak. [more]

Every 6.6 years Comet Giacobini-Zinner swings through the inner solar system. With each visit, it lays down a narrow filament of dust, over time forming a network of filaments that Earth encounters every year in early October.
"Most years, we pass through gaps between filaments, maybe just grazing one or two as we go by," says Cooke. "Occasionally, though, we hit one nearly head on--and the fireworks begin."
2011 could be such a year. Forecasters at NASA and elsewhere agree that Earth is heading for three or more filaments on October 8th. Multiple encounters should produce a series of variable outbursts beginning around 1600 Universal Time (noon EDT) with the strongest activity between 1900 and 2100 UT (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT).
Forecasters aren't sure how strong the display will be, mainly because the comet had a close encounter with Jupiter in the late 1880s. At that time, the giant planet's gravitational pull altered the comet's orbit and introduced some uncertainty into the location of filaments it has shed since then. Competing models place the filaments in slightly different spots; as a result, estimated meteor rates range from dozens to hundreds per hour.

Comet dust stream models suggest a succession of peaks in meteor rate between 1600 and 2100 UT on Oct. 9th. Click here for details. Credit: MSFC/Meteoroid Environment Office.

One respected forecaster, Paul Wiegert of the University of Western Ontario, says the meteor rate could go as high as 1000 per hour -- the definition of a meteor storm. It wouldn't be the first time. Close encounters with dusty filaments produced storms of more than 10,000 Draconids per hour in 1933 and 1946 and lesser outbursts in 1985, 1998, and 2005.

Meteors from Comet Giacobini-Zinner stream out of the northern constellation Draco--hence their name. Draconids are among the slowest of all meteors, hitting the atmosphere at a relatively leisurely 20 km/s. The slow pace of Draconid meteors minimizes their danger to satellites and spacecraft and makes them visually distinctive.
"A Draconid gliding leisurely across the sky is a beautiful sight," says Cooke.
Unfortunately, many of this year's Draconids will go unseen. Draconids are faint to begin with, and this year they have to complete with an almost-full Moon. Lunar glare will reduce the number of meteors visible from Europe, Africa and the Middle East by 2- to 10-fold. The situation is even worse in North America where the shower occurs in broad daylight—completely obliterating the display.
That isn't stopping a group¹ of middle school and high school students from Bishop, California, however. They plan to observe the shower from the stratosphere where the sky is dark even at noontime.

Black skies at high noon, photographed from a high-altitude helium balloon on Sept. 3, 2011. Credit: Earth to Sky, a student group located in Bishop, CA.

Led by Science@NASA's Tony Phillips, the 15 students have been launching helium balloons to the edge of space since May of 2011. With more than 95% of Earth’s atmosphere below the balloon, the sky above looks almost as black as it would from a spacecraft—perfect for astronomy.
"The students are going to attempt to fly one of our low-light meteor cameras in the payload of their balloon," says Cooke. "I hope they catch some Draconid fireballs for us to analyze. They could be the only ones we get."
Stay tuned for results after Oct. 8th.

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

More Information

The Cab Ride

2011-09-28T09:45:00.000+08:00

I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
after waiting a few minutes
I walked to the door and knocked..

'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice.

I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase.

The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years.

All the furniture were covered with sheets.

There were no
clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.

In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness.

'It's nothing', I told her..

'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to betreated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said.

'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice".

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice.. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.'

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city.

She showed me the building where she had once worked as an
elevator operator.

We drove through

the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived
when they were newlyweds

She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once
been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow
in front of a particular building or corner and
would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

It was a low building, like a small convalescent home,
with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. \

They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.

The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She
held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said
'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning
light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift.

I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that
day, I could hardly talk.

What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked
once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything
more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But

great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully
wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY
WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL
ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM
FEEL

You won't get any big surprise
in 10 days if you send this to ten people. But,
you might help make the world a little kinder
and more compassionate by sending.
it on and reminding us that often it is the random acts of
kindness that most benefit all of us.

Thank you, my
friend...
Life
may not be the party we hoped for, but while we

are here we might as well dance.

This piece came through my email this morning and it touched me deeply... hence I thought I would share it with you and see if you feel anything.... (at all).

10 = 2

2011-09-19T01:45:00.002+08:00

IT was a real torrential fall last Tuesday, before Tuesday and after Tuesday... Alhamdulillah to that. There was blessings in disguise. Those showers have helped to clear the haze that was around us - (all the living creatures here), that was hanging in sky, in the atmosphere and most of all in the thinking minds of "forgetful people" like me...

After some hesitation, after hesitation, I fell asleep.

The rice was boiling in the cooker. It was basically meant for fried rice for someone special who was leaving for Jordan that night. I had taken out some prawns, frozen veges, skinned the onions and shallots, cleaned the paprika, prepared the chillis and then I prepared myself to sleep.

It had been raining since the morning. I knew he was leaving. I was alone, without any chaperon ... that caused me to instantaneously hesitated to even thinking of going out of that front door. But by four o'clock I was like in dizzy spells... I realized that I have not performed my prayer. For an instant I thought I was dreaming. But NO! I wasn't. So, hastily I took my ablution. Prepared myself to pray, from one prayer to another. Soon after, I felt so refreshed and found myself standing in the kitchen.

I started to prepare the friend rice. How?

1. Shelled red onions/shallots, garlic and prawns. Slit the prawns to remove the "black" thingy from their back, leaving the tail intact. Set them aside.
2. Heat the wok with some olive oil. Use the wooden ladle and as the new non stick pan would not like any scratches on its surface! Before the oil gets heated up, put in sliced and crushed onions and garlic. Lightly fry them.
3. Add chillies. Add a little salt to taste. Than if it gets too hot, add a little brown sugar to lighten the hot "spells".

4. Add veges, mushrooms and put in carrots last to maintain its crunchiness.
5. Add rice last. Keep on tasting until you get the correct taste.

Once done, look at the clock! It's only 5:25p.m. There is still time to prepare myself to go to the airport. But before that, I called my "niece" to ask is she is free to accompany me to the airport which is more than 50 kilometers away from where I now reside The phone was cut off instantly. I knew just the reason why. Her phone battery had gone kaput. Anyway, since the fried rice was ready, I better think wisely if I were to just pack them and store up!

By the time I was ready to ... dunno what yet at this point of time.... the rain was getting heavier. I took my car keys, house keys which by now I am quite used to handling all the 4 locks... took the packed fried rice and unlock the door. Locking the door was no longer a hassle now... 9 floors down and there I was ... into the car! It was faithfully waiting for me on the second floor...

Out into the rain I drove. My niece had gone back to her hostel, got the phone charged and then called me to tell she could come along with me. Yayyyyyy! BUT it wasn't as easy as typing the cary word Yayyyyyyy.

That was when the equation in the previous post was posted....

The normal 10 minutes journey was too short on normal brightly shone days as compared to today's. This time, the crawl turned into snail crawls... NO! Not even snail crawl. If you could imagine, it took me two solid hours to reach her!

So, that answers that! I knew we would easily have passed and missed the 9:00 o'clock flight. Silently, deep down I was hoping for the flight to be delayed. No one at the airport knew that we were coming. Somehow, we were informed that the flight was delayed until 12:00 midnight. Alhamdulillah. I had ample time to reach the airport. Slightly after 9:00p.m we were already at the parking lot.

Now the harder part is tracking them down. Where could they be. Any wrong movement, wrongly asked question might lead to the "secret" which would not be a secret anymore!!! Anyway, we were successful. We succeeded in giving a huge surprise to them. I had four or five packed fried rice to share!!!

By the time I reached home... it was after 12:00 midnight. So that was what it was all about!

10 MINUTES = 2 HOURS

2011-09-15T02:07:00.002+08:00

COULD anyone solve the above equation? Am off to bed now. See you another day...InsyaAllah.

Police: Carbon dioxide led to death in McDonald's bathroom

2011-09-15T02:00:00.004+08:00

By the CNN Wire Staff

September 14, 2011 1:38 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

A line on a carbonation tank was "improperly disconnected"
The carbon dioxide built up to toxic levels in the bathroom
An 80-year-old woman died after the incident September 7

(CNN) -- An 80-year-old woman who died after being found unconscious in a restroom at an eastern Georgia McDonald's was killed by a lethal dose of carbon dioxide, authorities said Wednesday.
An investigation determined that a "bleed line" on the tank used to carbonate beverages in the McDonald's drink dispenser was "improperly disconnected within the wall cavity," Pooler, Georgia, Police Chief Mark Revenew said.
This caused carbon dioxide to build up in the restroom, which was in close proximity to the tank, "in a potentially lethal concentration," he said.
Anne Felton, of Ponte Vedra, Florida, was one of two people found in the ladies' restroom September 7. Authorities arriving on the scene were also stricken by "an odor," Revenew said at the time.
A total of nine people, including three firefighters, were transported to a local hospital, where Felton died.
No one else exposed during the incident should suffer any long-term effects, Revenew said Wednesday. Simmons said all three firefighters have recovered and returned to work.
At certain levels, Pooler Fire Chief Wade Simmons told reporters Wednesday, carbon dioxide can "render you unconscious in a very short period of time."
Authorities are still investigating how the incident occurred, Revenew said, adding that it involved "more than one error, I believe." The franchise's owners, he said, are "grief-stricken" and have been very cooperative. The findings so far are considered preliminary, he said.
Investigators did not discover the issue until Tuesday night, after receiving a call from a police department in Phoenix, Arizona, advising them of a similar incident there, Simmons said. That call "sped us up and moved us in the right direction," he said.
The restaurant re-opened after the incident when it was deemed safe. Authorities said it was closed Tuesday night for testing and the carbon dioxide issue was found. Revenew said the wall cavity had to be opened during the testing.

Pooler is about 10 miles west of Savannah, Georgia.

Why My Body was Aching?

2011-08-24T16:58:00.001+08:00

Why? What had happened?

I am sure someone is going to be laughing the hell out of him when he reads this post. It aches everywhere. Alright. Where? The middle, upper and lower back but not my arms. What had happened? I guess I knew just as much.

Yesterday, I started my greatest venture... ie. preparation for the hardest dish to make! To me it was the hardest, may not be to you or some who are more expert in cooking. It was 9:00a.m when I began collecting all the ingredients, arranging them in a colander, sharpening the knife, taking out the chopping board, taking out the dried chilies that I have just bought two day ago and glancing at the vary recipe that was given to me at the wet market just the day before.

I was holding some shallots at one of the stalls while talking to the Indian lady presumably its owner, when a gentle and fair skinned lady came wearing a smile in her face. I caught a glance at her returning her smile. I saw her choosing some sizable shallots and putting them in the crinkled plastic bag.

"My children never liked these small ones. They are harder to peel", said her turning to me.

"If you want a bigger one, take the big red onion", she continued with a little laughter.

"I was going to try making Rendang Tok this time but I dunno the exact recipe. I have been looking on the internet and good grief!!! All kinds of recipes were there. Some are so elaborate that I couldn't grasp if it was for this very delicate dish. While a few has so much metrics in them that I am not so sure how much the quantities are!", turning to her.

"Oh I am not an expert, but I could share my simple recipe with you, take a piece of paper and copy", ordered her. The Indian lady turned and looked for a ball pen and a piece of paper with her Cash Sales pad and handed it to me. I began writing the followings diligently so as not to miss any important ingredients from this lady chef.

"2 kgs. beef for rendang (the harder version)

10 stalks lemongrass

20 pieces red chillies

1 1/2 kgs. red onions

7 cloves garlic

2" galangal

2" ginger

2 kilos coconut milk

2 cups kerisek

4 heaps Tablespoon Curry Powder

2 Tablespoon black pepper

Salt

1 piece Gula Melaka

And cook on a slow fire" ordered her firmly.

"Thank you mam for this recipe" holding out my hands to grace her.

"When are you going to start preparing it?" asked her seriously.

"Afterwards when I get home" said I obediently.

"No. There won't be sufficient time to get it ready. Definitely you won't get it done today if you start afterwards", firmly telling me.

"You better start tomorrow morning. It takes 8 hours to cook!" she continued.

"Oh that long? Okay tomorrow I shall begin then", replied me.

"I have got packed coconut milk. Could I use them?" I asked her another time.

"Oh NO! We don't use such coconut milk. Get the pure and fresh ones" replied her.

The Indian lady must have felt safe. Her 4 boxes of coconut milk were already paid and safe in my bag.

"Oh I am xxxx and thanks again for this wonderful recipe", I continued.

"And I am xxxx", in her replies mentioning her name as Z.

I then left the stall, turning round to go to a Malay lady's stall. I was looking for some items. I bought some coconut milk...not little though, 2 kgs. mind you?

Coming home, I felt so tired. Put everything away and took a rest.

Yesterday morning, I was so determined to try this dish myself. You know why? They sell it so expensively at the "Pasar Tani" ...

While cleaning the dried chillies, I was sneezing away. The dust from them have found their ways into my nostrils. I tried soaking them in tepid water, it did not go off either. Never mind. I have to clean them anyway. Once done, cleaned, rid off the plentiful seeds, I boiled it on a slow fire.

Next, were the onions. How many is 1 1/2 kgs? I made a wild goose guess. I must have taken more than 20 pieces. They are small ones, not the usual big sized lot. Peeling them was not a hassle. Cutting them up ready to go into the blender. Half the amount was thinly sliced. I was not told to do it but I enjoy doing it especially when I have a very sharp knife. I took out some 12 pieces lemongrass and slicing them up finely. Cutting up the garlic in small pieces and shoving everything into the blender. Once done, I heat up the big wok, turning the stove on and pouring out everything into it. Meanwhile, the beef was still frozen but not too hard now. The chillies were now ready to go into the blender. Great! Then I shall have freshly prepared chillies which is not mixed with preservatives. While waiting for the beef to completely thaw out, I prepared some jellies for the Iftar. Not difficult at all. Everything went into the pot, boiled and pour out into the dish, chill and done! It was 10:00a.m when I noticed the beef was ready to join the rest of the ingredients in the big wok. Start timing, shall I?

I took my note book, seated on a stool in the kitchen. Going through the blogs, face book, and emails. Once in a while, I took a peep into the wok and stir a bit. After two hours, the amount of liquid went down a bit. Counting the hours. That was what I did. No salt at this time. The beef were still stiff. By 5:00p.m I put salt, sugar and and and... I couldn't taste it. never mind wait until I break my fast, then I shall taste it. I took it off the stove by 5:30p.m. and got the rest of the dishes ready for breaking of fast. WOW! That was some achievement!!!!.

At Iftar, we tasted the "dish"!!! Wow! HOT! There was too much chillies in it???? Never mind, I shall "repair" it later. Hahaha!

There were sugar added, salt required and another stir was done. This time I shifted it into a non stick wok as the amount was much less now. It also gave me the correct very dark color. This is how it should look like.

By night time after the Terawih Prayer at the mosque, I came home beginning to feel IT!!! There it was! Aching on the back. Hihihi, great cook!

Today, still feeling stiff on my back and shoulder. I put some ointment and settle with it until now. Today I have two washings ready to be dried, this posting to keep my memory jogging and of course the TV watching.

Some rendang cooking!!! By a beginner who is so anxious on doing it herself. It was tough no doubt. The stirring of such volume of mixture gave me this aching back. But am still thankful, I did not get any aches on my arms... Alhamdulillah syukur. I shall keep them in the freezer until they are ready to use... THEY are for my lovely children... I LOVE YOU ...ALL my BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN...

2011-08-22T18:23:00.000+08:00

Spacecraft Sees Solar Storm Engulf Earth

August 18, 2011: For the first time, a spacecraft far from Earth has turned and watched a solar storm engulf our planet. The movie, released today during a NASA press conference, has galvanized solar physicists, who say it could lead to important advances in space weather forecasting.
“The movie sent chills down my spine,” says Craig DeForest of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. "It shows a CME swelling into an enormous wall of plasma and then washing over the tiny blue speck of Earth where we live. I felt very small.”

A wide-angle movie recorded by NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft shows a solar storm traveling all the way from the sun to Earth and engulfing our planet. A 17 MB Quicktime zoom adds perspective to the main 40 MB Quicktime movie.

CMEs are billion-ton clouds of solar plasma launched by the same explosions that spark solar flares. When they sweep past our planet, they can cause auroras, radiation storms, and in extreme cases power outages. Tracking these clouds and predicting their arrival is an important part of space weather forecasting.
“We have seen CMEs before, but never quite like this,” says Lika Guhathakurta, program scientist for the STEREO mission at NASA headquarters. “STEREO-A has given us a new view of solar storms.”
STEREO-A is one of two spacecraft launched in 2006 to observe solar activity from widely-spaced locations. At the time of the storm, STEREO-A was more than 65 million miles from Earth, giving it the “big picture” view other spacecraft in Earth orbit have been missing.
When CMEs first leave the sun, they are bright and easy to see. Visibility is quickly reduced, however, as the clouds expand into the void. By the time a typical CME crosses the orbit of Venus, it is a billion times fainter than the surface of the full Moon, and more than a thousand times fainter than the Milky Way. CMEs that reach Earth are almost as gossamer as vacuum itself and correspondingly transparent.

“Pulling these faint clouds out of the confusion of starlight and interplanetary dust has been an enormous challenge,” says DeForest.
Indeed, it took almost three years for his team to learn how to do it. Footage of the storm released today was recorded back in December 2008, and they have been working on it ever since. Now that the technique has been perfected, it can be applied on a regular basis without such a long delay.
Alysha Reinard of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center explains the benefits for space weather forecasting:
“Until quite recently, spacecraft could see CMEs only when they were still quite close to the sun. By calculating a CME's speed during this brief period, we were able to estimate when it would reach Earth. After the first few hours, however, the CME would leave this field of view and after that we were 'in the dark' about its progress.”
“The ability to track a cloud continuously from the Sun to Earth is a big improvement,” she continues. “In the past, our very best predictions of CME arrival times had uncertainties of plus or minus 4 hours,” she continues. “The kind of movies we’ve seen today could significantly reduce the error bars.”

This 17 MB Quicktime zoom adds perspective to the main 40 MB Quicktime movie of the CME engulfing Earth.

The movies pinpoint not only the arrival time of the CME, but also its mass. From the brightness of the cloud, researchers can calculate the gas density with impressive precision. Their results for the Dec. 2008 event agreed with actual in situ measurements at the few percent level. When this technique is applied to future storms, forecasters will be able to estimate its impact with greater confidence.
At the press conference, DeForest pointed out some of the movie’s highlights: When the CME first left the sun, it was cavernous, with walls of magnetism encircling a cloud of low-density gas. As the CME crossed the Sun-Earth divide, however, its shape changed. The CME “snow-plowed” through the solar wind, scooping up material to form a towering wall of plasma. By the time the CME reached Earth, its forward wall was sagging inward under the weight of accumulated gas.
The kind of magnetic transformations revealed by the movie deeply impressed Guhathakurta: “I have always thought that in heliophysics understanding the magnetic field is equivalent to the ‘dark energy’ problem of astrophysics. Often, we cannot see the magnetic field, yet it orchestrates almost everything. These images from STEREO give us a real sense of what the underlying magnetic field is doing.”
All of the speakers at today’s press event stressed that the images go beyond the understanding of a single event. The inner physics of CMEs have been laid bare for the first time—a development that will profoundly shape theoretical models and computer-generated forecasts of CMEs for many years to come.
“This is what the STEREO mission was launched to do,” concludes Guhathakurta, “and it is terrific to see it live up to that promise."

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

More Information

I Have JUST Noticed

2011-08-17T12:46:00.001+08:00

There are three blocks of apartment coming up. They are built on slopes of the hills behind our apartment. The block nearest to ours consisting of 15 storeys in total. Gradually it reduces as the contractors are trying to maintain similarity in height. At exactly 6:30a.m this morning the first heavy vehicle arrived. Then all the happenings began. The hustle and bustle of a busy built site.

Vaguely I tried to recall a few terms which I came across during a course with JKR some years back. But one obvious remark came from the trainer was ...

"How come I see one lady arriving on a late late train?"... that was me. Being the eldest in class, I knew the question, a joke or not, was directed to me.

Then came the reading of plans lay out. The front elevation, side elevation, top and bottom. Was there? Introducing terms like mild steel, cement mix, ratio sand to pebbles, sizes of the beams, how much mix should be in the column, thickness of the wall, retention walls, roofs, flooring materials, fixtures and fittings, lightings, and so many many more ........and at this point... I feel a little slighted as am writing this... WHY?

Because as I was packing and throwing things from the store room, some time back in July, I came across books and notes related to the matter mentioned above. I should have kept them in my new house and create a library for my generations to see what their grandmother was doing all along. Suddenly I feel I am at a losing end now. Well, it is too late to regret at this moment. Those materials together with my annual reports, audited accounts, notes from courses, invoices, purchase orders, catalogs, pamphlets, piles of files that I had kept since the beginning of time I started my business were collected by Alam Flora people to be sent to recycle centers. I only keep the last five year's materials for ... I do not know what!

BUT I did not throw away any files from all those associations that I was involved in. I keep them intact, even as far back as 1990's. Among them I found files of Committee Members of University Women Association, Files of the Building Committee under UWA and a few of the related matters regarding the nursery we had run. In particular and it is a must, I should still keep files from an organization belongs to the state where I come from. This is an interesting organisation. At one time when I hold office as its secretary, and in my pursuit to do my duties well, I was kept eluded. I dare not put away for good those files in case some smart Alec were to emerge in future with some unbecoming "smart ideas" and "investigate" cases. I was aware of what went on but I was never revealed what went on behind me and the rest of the main committee. Sounds mysterious ain't it? Well aware! In the event, I was "removed" together with the Prince "chairperson".

That led to the birth of a new association which I was the founder. But working with all ladies was not all that easy either! I left my name in it as one of its lifetime members and as the person singing off at the end of its constitution. I helped to prepare the constitution and went through until it was formally registered in 2006...

Working for political parties wasn't easy too. People wanted my position as one of the leaders (not so prominent though). One occasion which was hard to forget and must not be forgotten was during one of the AGMs, one candidate who was so afraid that I could climb up the leadership ladder, asked me outright... and it was extremely daring and outrageous!

"Madam, could you please not participate in this election? I have been wanting this position. I hope you would agree" said her in the year 1996. As she was blurting out those words, I notice there were two factions in the main hall. One was my supporters and the other might have been hers. Trying not to do anything "against her will", I agreed and of course I did loose anything by doing so. Disagreeing with her may have put me against the wall. They all play "dangerous games"....

Anyway, I have left all those kind of volunteer work with such organizations...

Helping single mothers were my next task. I tried to give them advise, helping in any ways I could, showing them ways to certain government departments to settle their woes, showing them who in the authority could sensibly help with their troubles and of course I get great satisfaction doing all these.

Some are "left behind mothers" with their kids being taken away by their "sleeping partners", some are broken-hearted mothers with spouses taking on another wife, while some are mothers who have "empty arms and disparity" in their lives with their children "leaving" homes. Extremely pitiful.

My dream would be... my little secret...one day if am still healthy, I would like to share life with people in the old folks home... I would like to share the little that I know, I want to keep them occupied with "useful" things to do... I just wonder what they may be????

Mistakes and corrections...

2011-08-16T15:00:00.002+08:00

When I reread my older postings I found too many spelling mistakes, words not correctly used/missing and much more. But I feel quite tired to edit them at this moment.... All but one, I, in particular had to edit because my gracious blogger visitor Hayatinor wanted to copy and post it to her doctor sons. It was meant to be shared, reminded and hopefully it was of some use to them.

When I looked at the posting entitled "Taking My Last Look" , I felt deep in sadness and nostalgia for the roof had once sheltered me and my entire family for the past five years. Those over grown plants that I left behind were still looking somewhat "sad" (in my thoughts) because I did not take them along. I have absolutely no space for them huge bushes of haliconea (mind the spelling... I still couldn't find the correct spelling until today) in this new apartment, neither in the soon-to-be-new dwelling which would be ready for us to move in some time later in October or so.

I am missing all them plants, the birds and the bees, the monkeys huge and little - there must be more new borns by now...

am now more like a builder...

There are two high rise apartment coming their way. The sounds are so contrasting to the previous dwelling. There, it was so quiet that (my exaggeration) even if I dropped a needle, I could hear it. In this new place, as soon as it is 6:30a.m vehicles started to arrive. A long truck laden with heavy building materials making a loud sound from its honk, waking up their entire "community". One after another of the heavy machinery, started to turn on its engine. The tractors making their way up to the top where there are sands to be mixed to give them builders, cements.

Smells from the smoke emitted from the vehicles were constantly blown into my apartment. I could not complain. I only tolerated it as though am their chief and very much part of them. Hahahaha!

On the hills I could see lights like those in the pictures from "the hills of Rome"... they appeared to be in stacks... like some luxurious seaside apartments which are fully lighted. In the day time, they are entirely the reverse... they are merely shacks and huts belonging to them workers and builders whom have contributed much to our building industry. For without them, nothing grows... especially the "forest of bricks" in this part of the world. Not many local people would work as builders. These are imported work force that come, live, raise their families and earn their living here. We cannot complain much when our currencies were out-flowing to their homeland through the banking services. They earn their livelihood here.

The long-necks (Harith replaces the original name of cranes) are working non stop until late evening. By noon, a heavily laden truck with steels making its way up the hill. This I noticed is daily delivered. A few trips of sands by smaller lorries found their way up there too. This scheduled deliveries seemed fixed. Sometimes I am smiling to myself. Am I their unpaid "chieftain?"... LOL!

The dust that comes into the house is surprisingly "not that much"... the amount is still tolerable by me. Then comes the "smell of the curry aroma".

"D, if I keep on smelling this curry day in day out, I think I would vomit in two weeks time", said I to D one day. The curry isn't as strong as the Indian curry, neither too mild to notice. You know what I mean? It's in between, so to say. Sometimes, during our sahur time, there's a fresh strong smell of burnt rice. AHA! There, my friend... also burning food in their pots???

From where I stand, my sliding door is only 7'x5' , I could only see: A hill with half its vegetation gone for good, still some parts are scantily covered with trees that were saved for the day, huts and shacks built on different heights of the hills, the terrain was clearly and carefully cleared to make ways for the heavy vehicles to climb up to deliver materials, dogs, chicken, people and plants. No goodly neighbors like in hospital beds are seen at all. And not forgetting the almost completed 15 storey high rise apartment. Is it 15? Guess so.

That's it for the day... am off now. See you in the next chapter of life...?????????? May be in the next page of my posting.

What am I famous FOR?

2011-08-15T15:02:00.002+08:00

Waking up for sahur is not such a hard task. Fist call is at 5:00a.m. with little Harith's firm voice, "His recitation of Al Fatihah" on my mobile. Second wake up call, at half past five. Without fail, I must jump out of bed. This means no solat sunat as time gets shorter to have my last meal.

Cleaning. Not hard. Walking towards the kitchen, alone. Sometimes if my daughter wakes up at the same and making no noise, I would jump out of fright! Most times, she only drinks for sahur. I normally have my cereal with some extra milk. With variables, dates or bananas at times accompanying cereal to complete my ritual. When Hafiz was around, we usually have something more elaborate. With Di around, cereals or just dates and plain water alternate our menus. Hafiz is due to be home by this Friday.

Yesterday!
"Mummy!!!!!!! Did you warm up anything on the stove?"

"Good grief!" I stumbled out of bed at 11:00a.m. after my second nap of the morning... second??? Yes, a second one. I was dead exhausted with the Mid Valley Mega Mall walking, waiting for D to try out new outfits and that lasted for 4 hours.

We ended up getting a new pair of black trousers. By that time I was too tired to get my brown sugar from Carefour. Never mind, still could get it from 99 Speed Mart in Sri Hartamas later. But as she was turning into the area, I couldn't see 99 SM... the jammed has already built up in the narrow lane. Told her to ignore and go home instead. By 4:00p.m we were already rushing out to send her back to her new dwelling, 10 minutes from Cyber Jaya and 40 kilometers away from home.

First, dispatching little tots to their parents along Jalan Puchong where they were parking themselves in the light shop with boxes and boxes to take home. As we were leaving, it was 5:30p.m and heavier showers took its turn. We had to make a U-turn up the lane and tra la la. Torrential falls had reduced the traffic to a snail crawl on both sides of the lane. Not a single piece of soil was dry. Before we maneuvered into the apartment, there was this huge flood that almost drown a Proton Saga.

"We shall have our Iftar here and go home after Isha' prayer," came a suggestion and order from Za2. Agreed. Of course there was no way to go home, not in the flash flood. We went round looking for restaurant to get more food to add to the packed ones from home. We found it. A Halal one indeed. The flies, huge and small were busily making their landings on the food, both the sweet local dishes and curries. Disgusting. We left without buying anything. Pasar Ramadhan was on the other end of the shopping area. The rain was getting less heavy but not completely subsided. I jumped over the drain. We all jumped over. Got some grilled chicken wings, masak lemak tempoyak with shredded petai and halved anchovies, popia, roti john, and a few more dishes......

After Isha' prayer and as planned, we left. The journey took longer through the LDP to get home. By then I was almost half asleep.

"I thought I already turned it off a couple of hours ago!!!!!!" said I in disbelief...

"Yes, but you did not turn off the burner completely, it was on a slow fire. How long do you think you have warmed it up? Asked Za2.

"oooooooooo, two hours? May be three?" I wanted to laugh but it was not something to be of fun .

"What if we had gone out? The apartment would surely have gone...." She dare not continue.

I was thinking hard... what time did I actually light up the stove? Surely it was before 9:00a.m... I was still very drowsy when I was welcomed with this strong smell of the fumes and burned Singgang Ikan Tenggiri... The vision pot was not so badly bruised. There were still some fish untouched by the burns. I slowly salvaged them and shoved into the fridge to give them some cooling effect. Fans were turned on.

"I thought it came from the neighbors", said Za2.

"When did you discover it?" asked I.

"At 11:00." giving a short answer and disappeared into her bedroom.

"Honestly I cannot remember what time I started it but I was sure I have tuned it off" still defending myself.

"Yes but it was not completely off. Next time look at it properly!" warned Za2.

Until now, as am writing this post, I do not have any slightest idea as to what time I had put the burner on. The dizzy spells overcame every single cells.

Early this morning, I tried to scrape the burned pot but it was not completely gone. The black burned out onions, garlic, galanggal, asam keping and water all had turned out to be thick charcoal. Luckily there was still plenty of water when I started warming it up...

Earlier, I already had my first encounter of burning chicken soup in a non stick pan. It was not bad. The pot was okay. The blacked-burned out spices and all were easily taken out and they left behind no marks or smells... Am I famous with this?

Great CONTRAST of invasion

2011-08-12T10:50:00.003+08:00

WHEN I first began blogging, in the year 2007 up till a year later, it was so blissful and enjoyable. WHY? Bloggers were so pure, full of respects, honorable and sincere. They left us well intended - friendly comments, while some coming by so quietly and leaving without any traces and as time passed, as creativity develops, more unwanted spams began invading us. These I believed are from the "restless crops" that has nothing better to do.

I was quite lucky to get them only as early as 2010... But this is not something enjoyable and welcoming. So, I'd rather have nothing in my comment columns than getting such invasions and inventions... Some would leave links which are aimlessly unfamiliar... Goodness! They have the time to go to each blog roll dated back few years beyond... just to leave such "links, advertisements, comments" which are unbecoming.

But am glad to say the least, that am "noticed" by them although they are not welcome to advertise in my blog land.

No wonder, I have been reading anguish comments from my lovely but furious blogger friends (of such invasion)! Ladies, keep your head high, walking tall and lets ignore them. ; - ))

EAT WHEN HUNGRY LIE DOWN WHEN TIRED

2011-08-10T14:55:00.009+08:00

THAT WAS THE ORDER of the day.

EAT WHEN HUNGRY LIE DOWN WHEN TIRED......NOT from any doctors but myself. Imagine all the doctors that came round my bed site before the surgery... they were lecturers in Medical School and qualified doctors working there for so many years and last but not least, the medical students to mention a few.

Just as soon as I left my bed side, I was seated on that wheel chair that Diyanah "borrowed" from the nurse's counter, to take me down via the lift into the waiting area, no one had come round to say anything at all.

"That's it?" I asked Diyanah with the deepest apprehension and wondering in my thoughts. No one is "discharging" me officially except for Diyanah who had the liberty to go forward, merely getting the prescriptions of pain killers and some panadols. I saw she also had two sheets of printed papers with details of the charges for those two nights in the hospital.

Is this some kind of new style of discharging patients from the wards? Not even the nurses came round to say anything. It was like leaving a place that you were not welcomed to.   Perhaps it' s the norm in this day of cyber and technologies.

(Now I have to take a short break... am feeling giddy)... should continue later.

I N T E R M I S S I O N... FROM THE 14/July TO 7TH August... That's a long time indeed.

July the 25th:
I arrived early for my post surgery appointment... only to be told that the Doctor was going to be late and they needed to "search" for my folder. With a smile, I nodded my head, took a left turn and looking for a seat. There were rows of seats which were mostly unfilled as it was still too early. Patiently, I sat down and read my book. A few times I looked around to see the new additions in the queue. Those patients who were luckier, have already left, they probably went home. Never mind, today I have the patience to sit and relax there.

Eleven o'clock? He was not anywhere to be seen. I remember leaving home at 8:00a.m, reaching the hospital 10 minutes later. A few more minutes was required, looking for parking space and that was it.

My number was 703. I heard the number over the PA system. The room number was 5. He was there with my folder, bespectacled, fair complexion, wearing a striped shirt, sitting quite relaxed and gave me a smiling face. A solemn looking nurse in her mid 40's was standing in the corner doing nothing in particular. It's the rule now, any male doctors seeing a lady patient must be accompanied by a nurse. Am not sure here, is it the doctor who needed a company or the patient that needed a chaperon.

"How are you? I was the one performing the operation on you", he broke the silence.

"Alhamdulillah, am feeling much better", said I.

"Sorry the results of the surgery isn't ready yet but I wonder why they give you such an early appointment. It should be three weeks after the surgery." (blaming anyone Doc?)

Just as he finished his last word, a nurse walked in with a fresh crisp white paper and handed it over to him.

"Oh have they got it ready? But it's not on the computer yet. Probably this is the unofficial one"...

Deep inside me I thought "Was I to know? It' s you who should know". Don't tell me it took this long to get it tested and to get it recorded in the system.

After explaining it was nothing serious, (showing me the images from the scanning machine that I already seen two weeks back,) meaning nothing to worry about and it was merely benign... I took over the conversation!

"Alahamdulillah syukur how relieved I am now and thank you Doc."said I appreciatively.

"Doc, may I say my two cents thoughts?" quipped I.

"Yes, please Aunty", he said.

"You know the doctor who came to my bedside before the surgery did not tell me anything of the "after effects of the surgery."

"Oh which doctor?", asked he.

"The one wearing spects in dark striped shirt", said I.

"Oh, that must be a student doctor". (Oh really?)

"Before the surgery, I asked him: what's the effect of this surgery"

"Nothing" said he. I was rather adamant. Nothing? Could there be nothing? Is there such thing as nothing?

"Doc, at least have the liberty to take a note from other patients of their feed backs and jot down somewhere so that, when new patients ask, you have something to tell"... said I beginning to feel a little slighted.

TO BE CONTINUED later as am preparing to go out now... until then.

10th August.

"Taking notes from other patients as precautions to the others... in case things crop up, they did not get agitated or panicky. At least they know what to expect." I continued, as though lecturing my children.

"I would take note of your comments" said he. I then continued.

" You know, I was not even told that I could not take solids after the surgery. I could not sit up straight in the car. I could not this and that, this and that! I was told nothing, absolutely nothing!" By then I was already quite agitated. Then continued with him listening with a "smile" on his face.

"As the car accelerated, I vomited all the food I had tucked in at lunch time. I even vomited blood until three days after! I got strange giddiness" at this point, he must be thinking I was some kind of nuts! Granny nuts! Oh yes! He did ask me how come I got those streaks of blood in my vomits. Was I to know? He did not react or seemed alarm at all. So, I put on my two cents thinking cap...
"They were probably from my excessive vomiting".
"Probably" said he, agreeing with me. (;-))

"Another thing Doc, it's about medication. Last two months, I was prescribed with gastritis medicine for a whole month supply. The doctor did not caution me of any after effects if there were to be. After taking, came to the third week I was down with "torrential falls". Until four days after, I was still consuming those tablets. One day, I asked my eldest daughter if that particular medication has any side effects. And she gave me a straight forward answer of, YES. So upon her suggestion, I stopped taking. I was quite furious how on earth doctors of today taking things so lightly".

"And if I may doctor, may I just add few more words." I stopped to see his reaction.

"Yes, please" he said smiling.

"After each Muslim patient has come out of sedatives, please give a reminder to the patient or the relatives accompanying. Not to forget to pray. Allah has given our lives back, so we have to be very thankful. That is a must. Allah has ordered such that, in what ever position you are in, you must pray to Him unless you are out of your mind. Get the water for ablution. If the patient cannot get up, ask for assistance. There are ways which we do not have to get wet. If possible, get the position correct so that the face, faces the direction of Ka'bah. Otherwise, just pray. It is especially excellent after each surgery, after a GA. Then you know if your memory comes back or not. At least the first thing the patient does is remembering Allah and be thankful. And at lest you have done your Islamic duty to your patients"... a lengthy one, I did not realize this until I write them here.

"Thank you for reminding Aunty, I shall do this", he said with a smile. AND after thanking him for his deeds, he discharged me. Until a year to come, I should be back for another appointment.

Satisfied? Yes, at least I have done my duties here as one of Allah's subjects.

Late evening, after having my dinner in the Medical Hostel's cafe, I met my daughter's colleague and told her what I had said to Dr. M. She was delighted to share the moment. AND guess what? Dr.M is a lecturer himself!!!!! Well, at least I have done what I could as a Muslim. I hope and certainly hope that he would inform and remind his student doctors to be more alert, caring and more concerned of their patients and not just letting them go off after their surgery without any words! We don't leave hotels or some homes, but we leave hospitals where all the healing hands are found and where all the health experts are housed .

Just last Tuesday, the 9th August, Sally my good neighbor in the ward called me. She was there in the hospital for her post-surgery appointment. I was told, she had waited for her doctor (the same bespectacled in striped shirt) for so long and got bored. So she dialed my number.

"Aunty!!! (half shouting) You know I have been in pain all along and never recovered after the surgery!!!! I was not even given any pain killers, nothing! When I was leaving there was no doctors or nurses telling me anything!!!!! No body had given me anything, not even any sheets of paper. Not even a word!!!!!"

She was extremely upset. I could just imagine how outrageous she must have been. We had the same bespectacled doctor in striped shirt as our Medical Officer making rounds whilst we were there.

"Ayoo, aunty, am still very much in pain you know? When I went home, I stopped by at the chemist and bought some antibiotics myself. No one has prescribed me anything. Nothing!" She went on complaining.

Pitied her. So, I told her:

"After wards Sally, when you see him, tell him all these predicaments. Tell him in his face!!!" Said I, supporting her morally. I wished I was there with her. I wasn't so brief as I have written here... ;-))

So, wasn't I right? These doctors think we are such super humans??? After cutting open, they take out something they wanted to test, leaving us the super duper humans medicineless and expect our super bodies to be self-healing! Incredible!!!!!!!! Indeed, an extremely incredible of modern medicine, young doctors, inexperienced ones!!

I then reminded my two daughters to be good Muslim doctors, to be alert of what is going on, take care of their patients and practice in good nature! One already working in the same hospital as I am complaining now while the other, Insha Allah, I pray that she would get through her Medical School and graduate in three years to come. By now she is already out there in the society attending to minor procedures as part of her community service. I wish them well. Ameen.

Reminders to my children who see patients in the course of their duties...
Before leaving home: "Recite Bismillahirrahmaanirrahiim. Bismillahi tawakkaltu 'alAllah. Lahaula wa lakuwwata illa billahil 'aliyyil 'aziim." After finishing your work do not forget "Alhamdulillah"...
Upon seeing patient: "Assalamu'alaikum..."
Before taking their blood " Bismillahirrahmaanirrahiim"
Once done " Alhamdulillah"
If possible, try talking to the patient with religious reminders like:
"When you feel sick, do not forget to do Zikr, so selawat Ibrahimiah**, make a lot of du'a. Always remember Allah. If you forget Him one second, He would forget you one minute. Always redha towards His test and tribulations for they might be "to cleanse all your past sins", something to make you be nearer to Him and to always remember Him in your heart. FOR If you think you have Allah, then you shall have IT all."

TO all doctors out there, BE more human..... Wallahu'a'lam.

May Allah forgive me if I have written something He does not like. But this piece comes straight from the bottom most of my heart. I hope to share what I feel, how feel and should have felt as a patient.

**is the selawat we recite in the second part of Tahyat. This is the one most recommend by our Prophet Rasulullah S.A.W**

(this post was edited today since I noticed (only now) that some words are missing, spellings are wrong and some additions are required to be shared)

THE HILLS, THE CONTRUCTION SITE, CONDOMINIUMS AND BRICK FORESTS

2011-07-13T15:52:00.001+08:00

4TH DAY in this new apartment.

Our belongings are still in boxes, suitcases and plastic bags. We shall wait till this week end to sort out which are to remain intact, which ones going to Cyber Jaya, going back to campus in Johore and following me to my new house. Deep inside, especially after writing the previous post, I sensed the nostalgia. I feel so deeply about those trees and plants I had left behind. How I have wished that I could take them all with me Though I told them that I couldn't bring them along, I felt chocked inside... they too must have missed me. I believed this reciprocates. They grew for me, flowered for me and made me happy each day I woke up and looked out of my window.

The ones in the Eastern side, would greet me as I drew the vertical blinds when night falls. Lush green leaves greeted me each morning and evening. I could see squirrels coming up the electrical cables to get their breakfast on a tall "unnamed" tree which provided them beautiful little fruits. I am sure they are sweet and succulent.

But first, the birds started having their breakfast. Chirpy sounds of big and small ones absolutely make my life just as cheery chirpy. They were very loud. They came in all sorts of colors and sizes. Slightly later, came the family of monkeys. Jumping about racing through the branches cheekily, picking up little fruits. Little ones would tease each other until a couple fell off to the fence down below. Oooo what a sight. I am missing them so much now. The are not here with me any longer!

I occupy the room hidden away from the evening sunlight. If I look out, I could only see well dusted windows of my neighbors' from my floor up. If I look out of the lounge, I could see new wonders! There is a hill nearby that looks almost "bald" from the work of those builders. Yesterday I caught a glimpse of a beautiful sight of sunset. Full view this time, so unlike the former house that hid it away amongst the trees. At last, there is a good consolation point to mention here. Alhamdulillah syukur to Allah for giving me this. He is Forever The Most Fair and The Most High and Mighty.

Condominiums coming up! The multi-storey is painted with beige color on its front. I guess that must be the lobby area. Only this morning I noticed them working on it as I was outside attending to my "little minute" garden. I was watering the plants, removing little unwelcoming shrubs that took a ride with us the other night. I came across one little tiny snail. Pressed it flat. Instantly it died. Cruel? Nay. It has been eating my "bakawali" plants that was given by my good old friend JAM, till the leaves are gone. A little while later, I saw its partner climbing up the light green wall, presumably going for a crawl. I did not follow its journey. I hope it was migrating to the floor up or the floor down below. I transferred the deep purple "butterfly" plants into a pot. The now empty pot is occupied by beautifully-smelled pandan plants. I arranged the pots according to the heights of the plants and eventually, got the floor cleaned. Folding the newspaper that housed the shrubs I pulled out earlier, before taking a trip into the bin. One obvious thing had pinched and wrestled in my heart. In this new house I can no longer feed the chicken and the birds and the squirrels with my left overs. They are to be well wrapped and thrown into the bins. What a waste.

"Long-necks and short pipes" as Harith called them are seen busy working. (Harith learned this from his little "books"). Lifting heavy items up and into the floors above. Noisy sounds from the machinery replacing the sweet sound of the birds in the morning. From far I could see a man on a tractor doing his job, mixing sand with pebbles ready to be mixed into concrete. Lorries and trailers carrying long metal rods were seen since last evening, climbing up the precariously- man-made rugged and uneven routes. Another was heavily laden with bags of cement. As I was watching, my thoughts went "home", the home that I have left behind, everything I had there are in contrary to this new surrounding. Life is changing as time flies. It moves on no matter whether I like it or not.

The gray new brick forests are fast coming up. I certainly hope they would not cut the hills that display and offer me the only greens from my balcony. I feel like going up and tell the trees how glad I am to see them up there although they are very far. The hill housed the workers make-shift-houses. From a distance, I could see them walking about, hanging their laundry, going about working, some are up on the gray brick forests. A few long-necks are parked below, close to my apartment. Long-necks are Harith's terms for cranes! LOL!

I feel like going out to mend my slightly crooked specks but... my pic (partner in crime) is so engrossed with her "Harry Porter" on her laptop. I won't wish to spoil her moods. She has been a Florence Nightingale since I was warded until now. Its only fair that I should let her be on her own. She had done three washings and now the hangings are right inside our house. I just love the fresh smell from the "softener". At the vary least, it blocked away my view from the construction site and the diesel smell form the heavy machinery.

When Tasha called this morning asking how I am today, she reminded me to take at least two weeks proper resting from normal house work, lifting up heavy things (Ops!, done) and a few others to which I replied:

"Thank you doctor for the info and reminding me. It's 6 days after the surgery and I am only reminded now?"...LOl! I was giggling away and so did she.

(What had happened to the doctors attending to me less than a weak ago? No one had told me anything except one lady doctor... "You will feel some discomfort after this"...)

Apparently, Harith was asking her "why was he not in aunty Zaza's house when he woke up this morning"? He had refused to go home last night. He wanted to sleep with all of us. He managed to persuade his Mama to drive him here late last evening. I know just how much he misses being with us.

TAKING MY LAST AND FINAL LOOK

2011-07-13T12:34:00.003+08:00

LATE EVENING THE 11TH JULY, I braved myself walking behind Diyanah and Hafiz, turning right into the lift which is only a couple of feet away from our main door and down to the car park seven floors down. There appeared to be no one else around. I guess some have gone out working while others are out and about running errands like us. The opposite lane was still empty but five minutes after we left the guard house and as we got into the Mont Kiara-Solaris area, traffics began to snail crawl. The obvious crawl was eminent at the inter-change from Bukit Kiara, Seri Hartamas and Mont Kiara. Patiently we slowly got into bumper-to-bumper-drive. Could this be a normal scene daily? Probably... except on Saturdays and Sundays.

I am not taking my last look in this journey to our old home, am sure. As soon we reached No, 1 Jalan 16/10, Petaling Jaya, Harith came out to greet us with his widest grin ever. He held my hand, gave me a huge hug and kisses. Missing me terribly, am sure. Just as much as I miss him ,his cries, his hunger, his jokes, his singing and everything!

"Wan, don't take off your slippers. Come on inside with them on!" said he.

"Harith, do you miss me? A lot?", I asked and he nodded vigorously.

There were still some belongings that the movers did not take along as the lorry was full. They would surely fit into these three cars and perhaps another trip would complete the task. Plants? Oh dear! Not everything could come along. There is only a ten-feet balcony waiting to welcome my pots. Much to my dismay, with a sinking heart, helplessly looking ... I just silently bade good bye to them all. I took a last look at my hellyconeas (urgh! I cannot find the correct spelling) which were blooming in red-yellows in rows and rows. I did not take any pictures of them!!! Shame. Deep inside I felt chocked!

After our last photo-shoot session in the house, we left with the left-overs that filled up our two cars. One more car went its separate way. Tasha and her family went for a two-month-transit to her in-laws which are not so far from her work place. Harith gave me a few huge hugs and one "little hug" and lots of kisses. I now miss him terribly. He was heard saying that he loved this house and did not want to move out.

It was a huge house (only by my standard... not others)... with a huge compound but no one could enjoy the space. Outside, sharing our yard, were huge mosquitoes, surrounded by huge and small trees and of course the old faithful wild monkeys that came by once in a while looking for food. Not forgetting also, there is a family of lizards, a family of squirrels, a family of wild chicken, stray cats and dogs, some exotic birds and bees. My lush plants left behind were going to be "cleared" soon to make way for the new tenant... Huge pots that wouldn't go into the cars were left behind too. I hope someone would continue taking care of them just like how I did.

WE MOVED ON. By 11:00p.m a few potted plants found their way into our new apartment. Was I happy? Obviously. Thank God for making this possible. I took a peep to see "who" came to join me here...and then I went off to bed.

I MISS THEM ALL... and now I shall lock in my memory every little bit that went through with me from July 2006 - July 2011... I shall ponder sweetly upon them especially the left behind plants that share my happiness and joys... There goes the dwelling that used to shelter us from the sun, rains, hailstones, thunders, lightnings and everything. I MISS the trees around me, the lush green of the grass that smells fresh and crisp in the early mornings, the chirpy birds from sun up till sun down, the sunset from behind the leaves and I shall miss everything that have been part of my life and that have walked into ME.

Thank you Allah for making it possible for me and my family to live a full five years life in this dwelling which has left us countless memories. It was extremely convenient, centrally located with very pleasant surroundings. Not forgetting the obvious fact that we were just a few minutes drive to the wet market, hyper market, the university campus, Harith's kindergarten and the medical centers.

D Day 8th July 2011

2011-07-11T14:09:00.004+08:00

Fresh smell of coffee had caught my nasal sensory cells. A tray of breakfast packed with toasts, fruits and a cup of coffee found its way into our cubicle. Politely, we told the young lady who wore crisp white shirt, black head gear and black trousers to take it away as we were all fasting.

With Sally very much complaining of getting hungry and thirsty and that her ritual is to have an early morning coffee, we just tolerated her with huge smiles. A couple of times I could hear her making phone calls, talking in loud and speedy Mandarin language which I couldn't at all understand. I wasn't in fact listening to her at all. All that got into my ears were noises from her conversations.

Anyway, her distraction was warmly welcomed. I needed that. I wouldn't know what to expect in a little while myself. By 8:00a.m, my children arrived to give me moral supports and making prayers for me. My grandson, Harith also came. By the time the "transporter" was ready to take me to where I was supposed to go, Zaza helped me climbing up the chair with a small stool found under the bed Diyanah was going to sleep the night before. The stretcher-bed was so comfortable. I lied down faithfully like any good girl going on a trip into the "dream land". LOL!

At the corner of the ward, I caught a glimpse of a well dressed little Harith who is now 3 years 8 month, who had not gone to school because Wan aka ME was going to have an op. He made sure he was present and waited until I was done with. So faithful of him. I am touched at his reaction. Very thoughtful for such a little child whom I have helped to care and raise for three over years. My little adorable baby... He speaks fluently, making jokes interestingly and sharing ideas intelligently. Excellent at making excuses when he did not feel like going to school. On joyous days, he used to sing out loud most songs taught in the nursery school. One particular remarkable rhyme went like this:

"Ok children, now stop song. If you song, I put you in the corner!"
Gosh! What language was that? We knew whose words were those.

Tasha, Harith's mom was making du'a (prayer) and wishing me well outside the lift. Zaza by then was holding Harith up high to catch a glimpse of me. Diyanah and all of them, were in fact following me into the op theater area. We were passing through which route I was not sure but I saw people sitting, waiting patiently for their turn to see the doctors. Obviously, the journey was so fast. No sooner, I was in a greenish area and there were no more familiar faces following me except the two nurses in their light green uniforms. Suddenly I saw Tasha by my side, smiling and holding my hands. That was my little girl, my eldest daughter who is working in the same hospital for the last 8 years. I guess she was with me for a good 45 minutes or so and then came the anesthetist. In the end, the op wasn't done at 10:00a.m as mentioned. There was probably another patient in the same op theater before me.

Shall I mention this? Before the doze was given to me, I tried hard to remember the du'a made by Prophet Abraham Alaihi Salam as he was laying the stones to build the Holy Ka'bah. I asked Tasha, but she too was lost for words. Until a few minutes later, it came to us... RABBANA TAQABBAL MINNA INNAKA ANTASSAMI 'UL'ALIIM. He had recited this du'a with each stone laying until he completed the building. I guess, I have asked for forgiveness from Allah, saying my own prayers for the safety of the small op, for my safe "return" after the "doze" and of course for the surgeons, so that their work was smoothly done, no untoward occurrence of accidents and many many more were asked.

The opaque nose mask was over my nose shortly after. Tasha was still there, besides me. I just knew how she must have felt at those particular seconds. I felt the same jittery wave down my spine, strong thumping of my heart and was high in anxiety when Hafiz was in the same place for "removing" of his tonsils some years back. I sat outside the op theater reciting the Surah Yaasin for him so that he came out alive, no complications occurring and especially no effects from the sedatives to his asthma. I knew I did not want to loose him so soon. It was also Tasha who had the chance to see him first hand just as they had it done on him. I was ever so relieved that Allah has given back my son after more than an hour's op.

Then it was history and everything had happened in the "land of blankness". I went off. Not dreaming of anything at all. It was two hours in total that I have left my bed side. When I opened my eyes, there was a nurse besides me and she said one simple word "Done" and I replied "Done? Alhamdulillah syukur".

Thank You Allah FOR giving me back: my faith, my life, my soul, my body, my instincts, my health, my senses and most of all myself! It was like waiting for the taxi driver at the airport. Once done and "all aboard", I was ushered back through the same tunnel, I saw people looking at me as I was passing. They were probably the same people still waiting for their appointments to see their doctors or they were probably new people that have just arrived. I was half asleep then. The journey was quick. Tasha and Diyanah were tagging behind fast. AND, I again caught a glimpse of little Harith, still faithfully waiting to see me by the lift just outside my ward on level 10. He refused to leave. Not until he saw me out and alive from the OT. Such a sweet heart of my life! I saw Zaza there holding his hands. I waved at him and gave my little weak smile. Honestly I wouldn't know how he must have felt, what he had thought and what he had expected.

REACHING the cubicle... Sally was not there. Diyanah told me, she saw her going to OT just as I was just leaving. I hope she would come out just fine. The nurses were shifting me back into my bed and they left shortly after with the "stretcher-bed" to pick up another patient.

Florence Nightingale - Diyanah.

She had started to do things for me since last night. She helped to get this and that for me while I was still "slightly drowsy". Got me my drinks, my food - the lunch that was there before I returned and assisted me with so many things. She was an angel. It was also good for her to practice helping the three of us. I hope by the time she graduated from her Medical School, she wouldn't be so hesitant to lend helping hands whenever required of her. The University she is studying at the moment, seems to be the only one in the entire world with a Motto "Young Mercy". They have a very structured curriculum and since the beginning, they were sent out to all kinds of surroundings to give aids to the community. They are trained not just to be doctors in hospitals but they must be prepared to go deeper into the remote areas to reach out to the sick, the poor and the needy. They are sent to The Old Folk's Home every once a while to observe, assist and give simple medical care. This is one criteria not many urban-under-graduates qualify. They were asked to leave if they are not prepared to work in such environments later. I am glad my little girl qualified this.

TRANSIT NO.ONE:

By 4:30 p.m I was told to be discharged from the ward. WHY? Tasha had thought I was only given half and not full GA. Much earlier, I received a couple of visitors who are Tasha's colleagues. One of them mentioned that she was "on-call" that night. She would come by and chat with me later. I was so excited to stay another night there so that I get to recover fully from the GA. Confused with all the fuss, I just remained quiet in bed. My friend Salina has just received some news that there would not be any surgery for her as it was getting late in the evening. Apparently, the female patient before her was a cancer patient and she was in the OT for 4 hours. Doctors were afraid that there might not be sufficient helps assisting in her surgery. She was also to be discharged.

Once, things were in order at the discharge counter and with the medication taken from the pharmacy to take home, Diyanah took a wheel chair for me to sit. She was asked to leave her identity card at the counter. (perhaps ... and in case the wheel chair never returned).. I began to feel dizzy by then and couldn't look down at all. Here comes! The effect of the sedative??? Perhaps it was. We went through the lift down to where Zaza and Harith were waiting, at the "drop off bay". Once in the car, I sat there stiffly. Diyanah had to go up to the 10th floor again to deliver the wheel chair and get back her IC. Meanwhile, little Harith has fallen asleep at the back of the car. When Diyanah arrived, we left.

WHY the transit?
WE did not go home. Why? Zaza who was always thoughtful, earlier on checked me into a hotel for a proper resting.

In our house... The boxes were piling up high and well scattered. ready for the movers to send to their destinations. There was not a suitable place for me to sleep and take my rest. Since the early morning my children and friend's children were busy dismantling all the furniture, fixtures and fittings ready to be shifted to my new yet temporary transit point. My newly built house isn't ready to be occupied just yet. I have started packing up my staffs, which were the most in the house, since the last fortnight. They have been accumulated like wealth since I started living on my own. How I wish I have the same amount of wealth like those mountains of stuffs. Diyanah was helping too. We collected boxes and boxes which totaled to more than a hundred from a factory outlet where my niece is working. Over the weeks we strapped them all up with masking tapes, filling them up with our personal belongings, labeling them and got them sealed. Still there were too many things to be packed. But we decided to let each one of us, do their own at their free time and choice. Ready ones were transported out by car to Zaza's apartment for temporary transit. This is a test for my children's ability to mobilize and plan logistics.

I am still amused at my neighbor's remarks just the other night,
"Aunty, let your children have the headache this time. Let them handle things and you just sit back and relax and watch them", that was Dr.Goh who lives uphill. Sharing her thoughts.

As the car accelerated, I knew I was going into trouble. A painful one. I began to feel my "best and worst of friend" coming by from deep down of my gullet. Hastily, I asked for plastic bag (now, this is a real best friend and truly a friend in need indeed) from Diyanah and just on time as opened it up, the "visitors" arrived with all the lunch I had tucked up earlier. The hotel was just 10 minutes away under normal traffic flow but it took a little longer as the traffic was heavier at evening rush hour. Once emptied, which took a while with much pain from my tummy and throat that felt like a knife cutting through, I felt quite relieved. Harith took no notice of the going ons as he was still deep in his sleep. He was really participating with me this time... from the morning till evening. When the car pulled over at the lobby of The Eastin Hotel, swiftly Diyanah got out of the car to get yet another wheel chair. She was really performing and having a practical training this time. She was ever so efficient.

Out of the car, into the lobby we got. While waiting for the lift to arrive "another painful-energy-driven episode" came by. I never knew that I couldn't and mustn't sit upright!!!!!!!!! Rule number ONE.

The four of us trudged along the long corridor with only the dim lights greeting us. Oh yes! Not forgetting the bell boy... a young man actually! He was along with us shoving our luggage which were not big but many small bags. Once the door flung opened, heaven was waiting! There was comfort, the air was cool and the fresh white sheets were so welcoming. Thank you Zaza for booking a luxurious transit point for Mummy and Diyanah.

Now The Florence Nightingale was working even harder. Getting hot water boiled for Mummy, getting mineral water out for Mummy, helping Mummy into the bathroom and making sure Mummy was safe all the time and not falling down. Such an angel. After a nice warm bath, I took a nap.

Dinner was sent by Tasha, little Sofiya, little Harith and Rizal my sil. Our house was just around the corner, about 5 minutes drive to this place. They left shortly after for a much needed rest and sleep.

No breakfast at this hotel. So the next morning, we had it delivered by Zaza and Hafiz. I was still feeling dizy and kept wondering why the rush to discharge me the evening before! Then I knew. The misunderstanding was between me and Tasha over the GA which was administered yesterday.

Exactly this was how she had asked me:
"Mummy, is it half or GA?" and I gave her a nod.

She could have read from my folder to find out the accuracy of the info. But she didn't. Anyway, it was meant to be this way and it is a reward for us from Allah too... To have a real good rest in this hotel. Perhaps it was so deserving. Otherwise, if I were home, I would surely get up and try to meddle with the packing that was still going on. Alhamdulillah Ya Allah.

Just before noon, Tasha was on the phone with me:

"Sorry Mummy, we have to check you and Diyanah into another hotel because this one is fully booked for today. By 2:00p.m we should be there fetching you".

"Oh ok with me. Suits me fine. But thanks for going through so much trouble for me", said I. I pitied all of them. Amidst the tons of self belongings to be packed, they still have the time for me. Alhamdulillah Ya Allah.

TRANSIT POINT NUMBER TWO+ 9th July.

(GOODNESS me... something has just turned a strong chill down my spine. I have wrongly pressed on delete and Wow! I thought the whole story went off just like that. Luckily the "unfamiliar" new set ups lead me to the "draft" and they are intact... Alhamdulillah syukur Ya Allah, Subhanallah... am now sweating a little for that slight panicky moment.)

This time, I knew the trick with the journey by car. I requested my sil, to recline the car seat and it proven much better. I had a comfortable short drive into The Crystal Crown. As soon as I got into the wheel chair (again?), I was quite confident my "friend" from deep down wouldn't come up! Rizal was giving me a helping hand ...BUT, the lift was a few minutes late and I was sweating from my forehead down...despite the air conditioning. I knew it, I knew it. There we go again!!!!!!!!! Diyanah was so well prepared. She had a plastic bag ready in my hands. As we opened the door, IT greeted me! Not much but the pain was enormous. Rizal left us both alone in this other luxurious hotel room to get back to Tasha and his children who were faithfully waiting in the lobby. Little Miss FN played her role all over again. She put up our luggage on the rack, getting the water to boil, turning the lights on and giving me some mineral water to quench my thirst and to comfort my hurting throat.

There were milk and juices to be put into the mini bar. Much to her surprise there were three beer cans inside. We found it rare to have these cans in there. Nothing amusing about them. I heard her calling our "teacher", Dr.Abdullah Yasin to obtain some opinions about the content and the unexpected presence of those cans.

"Ustaz, I want to find out something from you. There are three beer cans in the fridge when I was going to put my boxes of milk and juice. What should I do?"asked her diligently.
"Just remove them and since none were opened and not mixed with your drinks, it's alright. Just remove them and there was no need to clean the fridge", came the solution.

So, she called the house keeping to come over and collect them cans.

"Hello, I am from room xxx( I have forgotten the room number), am a Muslim. There are three liquor cans in the mini bar and could you please help me taking them out? Thanks" was her order of the day! From far, I watched my little girl handling things. I knew I could trust her well.

Within a few minutes, one of the boys arrived and took them out. She put all our milk and juices inside the empty mini bar. Ok, I told her, to go and get her bath before I require further assistance. Faithfully, she did. Almost 8:30p.m Zaza arrived with Hafiz and Harith to send us dinner. She had smuggled the rice cooker up into our room. The dinner was from my good friend who had invited them all, over to her pent house for lunch that afternoon. We warmed everything up had a sumptuous dinner of beef soup, basmati rice, mixed veges, pickles, taufu in soya sauce and... ops! They have finished the chicken. Meanwhile, Harith has tucked himself under my blanket and did not want to go home. He had wanted to sleep with me. But eventually, he was taken home after half an hour deep sleep.

That leave the two of us to a very comfortable night. I did not wake Diyanah up at all until morning. As usual my waking up time is 5:00a.m. From my bed, I just watched her and being so very thankful to Allah for giving me such a beautiful child. She too deserved the best. I knew she must have been very tired, taking care of me since the 7th July. She was every I went. My little angel.

The next morning, as she went down to have her breakfast at 9:00a.m., I had some porridge (beef soup mixed with rice) from the rice cooker that Zaza brought up last night. They were still good. WHY? Because they were given by a friend, a very sincere friend who has a heart of gold. We had kept everything else except rice in the fridge the night before, so they won't go bad. An hour past! Diyanah was not up yet. What might have happened to her? Not long after, she was back. She had "smuggled" up some fried rice and an omelet. So! That was why, she was a little late. Apparently she was planning a little adventure on her way up... LOL!

At 2:00p.m, she called the bell boy for a trolley and a wheel chair. This time, the plastic bag was in my hands but Thanks to Allah... nothing happened. Little Sofiya was enjoying the short ride in my lap, out of the room, into the lift and out into the lobby ready to check out. While Tasha was at the counter, settling the bills, she was enjoying a photo shoot with me and Diyanah.

TRANSIT POINT NUMBER THREE...10th July.

Alhamdulillah syukur. By 2:30p.m we reached out transit point number three... this one would shelter us a couple of months before we finally shift into our new home.

Before we went to sleep, almost at 1:00a.m, I heard Diyanah saying this:

"Kak (sister) Zaza, thank you for giving us this shelter".... I did drop a few tears at this note. I felt totally touched at her gracious gratitude.

I meant to drop a lot more (tears) seeing all my children turning into marvelous great kids of their life time but I withheld them... I did not want this emotion and my "fragile" state mixed them up and become something unwelcoming. I must be strong to go through this ordeal of handling the after effects of GA... which I was NOT at all told how and what to expect.

Thank you children for your kind hearts and deeds.

there might be more coming but after taking two hours intermission from writing, I have to stop here for now. Until the next episode... see you soon.

Thursday 7.7.2011

2011-07-10T20:55:00.002+08:00

7.7.2011. I WAS GOING to the hospital. ( I am forcing myself to write this posting to test my speed in typing and memory, (neuron in particular) after a GA a couple of days back).

A fortnight ago, in the clinic labeled 6 on its door... while reading my history from the folder, the gynecologist found something was not "done" back in 2009. She had appeared surprised. What about me? Was I supposed to be too? I did not know what was their findings then. Or? I have forgotten what went on then. Being one of those "innocent" patients, I became quite often ignorant of the medications prescribed to me, never asked further about their effects, how long should I take them and so forth and so forth! Indeed, I was ignorant. I seldom ask.

This time the doctor commented that I was one of the "rare" and most jovial patient she has ever had. I was laughing away at her remarks and responded pretty well to her inquiries. I was asked to go into another room with the scanning machines on. Then she asked me to lie down on the bed... that was when the laughter went even wilder. Even the nurse had shared it with me. I was wondering why the pillow was short of the total length of the bed. Get what I mean? It was placed not even in the middle of the bed. When I knew where and what I was supposed to do, then another roar of laughter broke! But I shall not describe you what had transpired next.

After the scanning machine gave her some images, she asked me to wait outside. But before I could settle on the seat, she was already calling me into the number 6 clinic again. While she was explaining about the follips that she has just seen, I went quiet. She took a quick look in the log book for a suitable date for me. Mentioning the date for a small procedure to be done to take them out for testing sent me even dumb-founded. She commented politely:

"Now you are quiet at the mention of a small operation. No more jokes this time. Are you sure you are alright with this date?"

"Yes, I am fine with it. I was quiet because the 9th was supposed to be the day we move our stuffs out of this present house"... It was also the day "people" would be out in the streets, protesting for some unsatisfactory matters which I doubt, I knew what they were.

"So, you think you are going to be busy then?" She further asked with much concern.

"Oh no, It's okay with me." Thought I. This time I have to be selfish and think for myself. Sooner or later I still have to go through this procedure. And with Ramadhan soon coming, I wouldn't want to miss the fasting.

THREE DAYS before the admission, I was deeply worried inside and deep down. I did not talk about it. I just went on packing as usual like nothing is going to happen. (excuse me, now I have to turn my body around, I am getting back pain typing in this position).

The fact what bothered me so much was the story of a little toddler who went to the nursery so much alive in the morning and half day through, the mother had received a call mentioning of her demise! Bang! That left an extreme pressure inside me. Same thing could have happened to me. Once they apply the GA (general anesthetic)... I was not sure if I were to come out alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!

ON THE DAY of 7th July.

Those worries sent me with a 149BP on Thursday. Gosh! Did I have something wrong, saltish or what at breakfast??? No, this could have been my own "accumulated" active thinking cells about the little toddler's fatal incident that I have just read about. What next? My weight read 81kgs. Gosh! Was I that bloated up? Or was it the breakfast that I have just tucked in? Height? No change. Obviously. So, there is no reason for any alarms. Satisfied?

I was led into the first cubicle, a few inches from the "rest room", over looking a beautiful scenery of my housing area with the bed number 1035 and my name next to it. Next, change into the hospital uniforms? A pair of extremely thick long loose skirt and a weird looking blouse with straps and studs which came loose after being much laundered.

Just as I was about to get to know my chatter mates, I was called to go for an X-Ray. The three of us were chaperoned through the long winded way along the corridor, out of the "restricted" doors and into the lift. I did not pay much attention which way I was going as I knew the chaperon must be an expert there. We did not wait long. First the ECG reading was taken and the "graph" looked good and consistent on mine. ( It was the adverse to little Hafiz's graph some 24 years back (my third child). It was extremely deep like a crater as he went into "fetal distress" on a Wednesday, 10:00 a.m 20th May 1987.... He was born in the afternoon on the same day by CS). Then I went into the X-Ray room for a couple of minutes. Once done, the three of us were chaperoned back into our ward on level 10 of the Main Tower Block of University Hospital.

Next, came the lady with a short hair in brilliant white uniform asking me what meals I would like to have the next day. Oh, before I forget.... which I should not HAVE forgotten.... my Florence Nightingale was there with me... ever so faithful wanting to sleep with me in the hospital. Diyanah, my youngest daughter is on a holiday. She had brought along her change of clothes, pillow, blanket and all her necessities.

MEANWHILE...

Sally! (So ashamed we did not get any of our pictures taken at all!!!!!!!!!!). The younger lady opposite my bed, has never stopped talking since I came back from the little trip. She was to remove something from her "body" the next day too! I was the first, then her. She had introduced herself, talked so much about many things which I by now I couldn't recollect! The doctors came by and she kept complaining of so many things. They spoke in Mandarin and I couldn't understand much although long time ago, I too had learned a little bit of this language.

Before she settled comfortably, she told me she was going to have her bath. I made a quick remark. That she was sure had not taken her bath when she came to the hospital. She was ever so agreeable to it. Right after her bath, I told her to keep quiet and lie down because probably, soon she was going for her ECG and X-Ray. True enough, she went off for a good hour.

Then came the "good deed" from her. It was possibly after our tea time. She was complaining of the cold "rubber" bed sheet that was under the cotton linen which would get colder by night time. This is according to her. She was suggesting us to request from the nurse but no one had come by. Suddenly she disappeared! A few minutes later, wearing the widest smile ever seen in a hospital, she had two woolen blankets folded tightly under her arms. One was for her, and one was for me! Absolutely for me! LOL!!!!! She had the older white one pulled over right under her pillow as her second bed sheet and the new blue one became her blanket. Then she came over to my bed and did the same. A real joker she is! About an hour later, she went off again. Disappearing to the right side of our cubicle and a few minutes later came back with another woolen blanket. This time, it's for our friend Salina.

Speaking in Malay quite awkwardly she said:

"The nurse was asking me, what would I wanted to do with the third blanket?" (as am writing, I heard myself chuckled, honest).

"She had noticed you doing this? What did you tell her?", I asked while laughing at her.

"It's for my other friend lo". Sally herself was laughing out loud.

We broke into laughter after laughter with Sally's mocking. It was true as she had said, the bed was warmer with an extra linen on. Clever Sally.

DOCTORS' VISITATIONs

One for my BLOOD. NOpe! Two!

I couldn't recall all the doctors' name. But there were all from different nationality. Born into 1 Malaysia.

First the one who needed my blood. She pricked into my blood vessel with a "push and pull" method of the syringe. Is there such thing? I have never seen my eldest daughter doing as such each time she needed some for cholesterol testing. One funny question from one of the doctors who was so bothered that I became a patient in UH for the treatment of cholesterol. Repeatedly he was asking me:

"How come you come to this hospital for your cholesterol to get Simvastatin?"

I was adamant with his curiosity. I was almost asking him back:

"Is it a crime to get treated in UH for cholesterol?" But politely, I replied:

"I was a patient here since 1984. Hence I did not get any treatments elsewhere since". I was pretty annoyed.

An hour later, another doctor came:

" We have sent your blood for testing but it did not give a good reading. Am sorry but I have to get some blood now"... how come it was so?

Without hesitation, I just surrendered to her my left arm. I would do anything since I was already under their "surveillance" there. LOL!

Doctor 3.

Explaining to me how the procedure should be done tomorrow. If things were to go wrong and the wall of the uterus is ruptured, then the op would be from the outer "ring road" of my belly!!!!!!!!!! WHAT? Would I be expecting such a risk from such a "small" procedure? Worried sick, was I. Naturally! Obviously! Absolutely!

"Anything you want to ask me about?" asked him politely.

"How long would it take?"

"Only 15 minutes" said he.

"Any risk, anything to expect from this?"

"Most unlikely except the above. If there is no complication, you can go home soon after that".

Sounds even simpler BUT that was sufficient to send me into "chilling" mode!

Doctor 4, an anesthetist.

"If you don't have any heart problem, you are not diabetic, not with high BP then nothing should be worrying. But I would give you a GA. "

Gosh? He was giving that for a minor and such a "small" op?

He did not ask me to ask him anything. Meaning HE did not explain anything at all about the after-effects of GA. Am I right? Right.

Doctor 5.

There was only briefings to the "students" about ME.

That's done with all the doctors until the next morning... I hope.

CAME THE SLEEPING time.

She, Sally was so concerned about Diyanah. First suggesting the empty bed next to her. Then we noticed the bed was tidied up with fresh new pillow and its pillowcase and flat sheet. Sally had taken one pillow from there for herself. Then when the nurse turned up and put another one, she took it away and gave it to me so that I sleep better. She knew it too that the bed was adjustable... LOL! There was so much fun this time in this hospital.

There was going to be another admission later. We all agreed to our good guess. There was not a single chance for Diyanah to get any comfortable sleep in bed tonight. So Salina and Sally were offering their visitor's chairs for Diyanah to sleep on. There were two arm chairs and one without any arms. She had cleverly arranged them looking like a camping bed, so that she wouldn't fall off in her sleep. Carefully lying the sheets and her pillow, she soon dozed off. Sally went quiet as soon as I drew my curtains around which were in soft orange colors.

We were supposed to have out last drop of water by 12 midnight. But Salina has started her fasting by 8:00p.m. She was going to have a major op tomorrow, removing her womb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gosh, Goodness gracious!

We were told, my turn was at 10:00 a.m, Sally's at 12:00 noon, then there would be another patient after her and then by the evening, it was supposed to be Salina's.

To BE continued..... until then, do enjoy reading my posting.

Salam

2011-07-08T08:38:00.001+08:00

Salam. How are you doing?

A Big Surprise from the Edge of the Solar System

2011-06-10T08:16:00.000+08:00

June 9, 2011: NASA's Voyager probes are truly going where no one has gone before. Gliding silently toward the stars, 9 billion miles from Earth, they are beaming back news from the most distant, unexplored reaches of the solar system.
Mission scientists say the probes have just sent back some very big news indeed.
It's bubbly out there.
"The Voyager probes appear to have entered a strange realm of frothy magnetic bubbles," says astronomer Merav Opher of Boston University. "This is very surprising."

A NASA video shows how magnetic bubbles might be formed at the edge of the solar system.

According to computer models, the bubbles are large, about 100 million miles wide, so it would take the speedy probes weeks to cross just one of them. Voyager 1 entered the "foam-zone" around 2007, and Voyager 2 followed about a year later. At first researchers didn't understand what the Voyagers were sensing--but now they have a good idea.
"The sun's magnetic field extends all the way to the edge of the solar system," explains Opher. "Because the sun spins, its magnetic field becomes twisted and wrinkled, a bit like a ballerina's skirt. Far, far away from the sun, where the Voyagers are now, the folds of the skirt bunch up."

Magnetic bubbles at the edge of the solar system are about 100 million miles wide--similar to the distance between Earth and the sun. [more]

When a magnetic field gets severely folded like this, interesting things can happen. Lines of magnetic force criss-cross and "reconnect". (Magnetic reconnection is the same energetic process underlying solar flares.) The crowded folds of the skirt reorganize themselves, sometimes explosively, into foamy magnetic bubbles.
"We never expected to find such a foam at the edge of the solar system, but there it is!" says Opher's colleague, University of Maryland physicist Jim Drake.
Theories dating back to the 1950s had predicted a very different scenario: The distant magnetic field of the sun was supposed to curve around in relatively graceful arcs, eventually folding back to rejoin the sun. The actual bubbles appear to be self-contained and substantially disconnected from the broader solar magnetic field.
Energetic particle sensor readings suggest that the Voyagers are occasionally dipping in and out of the foam—so there might be regions where the old ideas still hold. But there is no question that old models alone cannot explain what the Voyagers have found.
Says Drake: "We are still trying to wrap our minds around the implications of these findings."
The structure of the sun's distant magnetic field—foam vs. no-foam—is of acute scientific importance because it defines how we interact with the rest of the galaxy. Researchers call the region where the Voyagers are now "the heliosheath." It is essentially the border crossing between the Solar System and the rest of the Milky Way. Lots of things try to get across—interstellar clouds, knots of galactic magnetism, cosmic rays and so on. Will these intruders encounter a riot of bubbly magnetism (the new view) or graceful lines of magnetic force leading back to the sun (the old view)?

Old and new views of the heliosheath. Red and blue spirals are the gracefully curving magnetic field lines of orthodox models. New data from Voyager add a magnetic froth (inset) to the mix. Larger images: old, new.

The case of cosmic rays is illustrative. Galactic cosmic rays are subatomic particles accelerated to near-light speed by distant black holes and supernova explosions. When these microscopic cannonballs try to enter the solar system, they have to fight through the sun's magnetic field to reach the inner planets.
"The magnetic bubbles could be our first line of defense against cosmic rays," points out Opher. "We haven't figured out yet if this is a good thing or not."
On one hand, the bubbles would seem to be a very porous shield, allowing many cosmic rays through the gaps. On the other hand, cosmic rays could get trapped inside the bubbles, which would make the froth a very good shield indeed.
"We'll probably discover which is correct as the Voyagers proceed deeper into the froth and learn more about its organization¹," says Opher. "This is just the beginning, and I predict more surprises ahead."

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

More Information
Footnote:¹So far, much of the evidence for the bubbles comes from the Voyager energetic particle and flow measurements. Proof can also be obtained from the Voyager magnetic field observations and some of this data is also very suggestive. However, because the magnetic field is so weak, the data takes much longer to analyze with the appropriate care. Thus, unraveling the magnetic signatures of bubbles in the Voyager data is ongoing. Voyager Interstellar Mission -- home page

More Information

Footnote:¹So far, much of the evidence for the bubbles comes from the Voyager energetic particle and flow measurements. Proof can also be obtained from the Voyager magnetic field observations and some of this data is also very suggestive. However, because the magnetic field is so weak, the data takes much longer to analyze with the appropriate care. Thus, unraveling the magnetic signatures of bubbles in the Voyager data is ongoing.
Voyager Interstellar Mission -- home page

Solar Activity Heats Up

2011-04-16T15:43:00.001+08:00

April 14, 2011: If you've ever stood in front of a hot stove, watching a pot of water and waiting impatiently for it to boil, you know what it feels like to be a solar physicist.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded this X1.5-class solar flare on March 9, 2011. [movie]

Back in 2008, the solar cycle plunged into the deepest minimum in nearly a century. Sunspots all but vanished, solar flares subsided, and the sun was eerily quiet.
"Ever since, we've been waiting for solar activity to pick up," says Richard Fisher, head of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. "It's been three long years."
Quiet spells on the sun are nothing new. They come along every 11 years or so—it's a natural part of the solar cycle. This particular solar minimum, however, was lasting longer than usual, prompting some researchers to wonder if it would ever end.
News flash: The pot is starting to boil. "Finally," says Fisher, "we are beginning to see some action."
As 2011 unfolds, sunspots have returned and they are crackling with activity. On February 15th and again on March 9th, Earth orbiting satellites detected a pair of "X-class" solar flares--the most powerful kind of x-ray flare. The last such eruption occurred back in December 2006.
Another eruption on March 7th hurled a billion-ton cloud of plasma away from the sun at five million mph (2200 km/s). The rapidly expanding cloud wasn't aimed directly at Earth, but it did deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field. The off-center impact on March 10th was enough to send Northern Lights spilling over the Canadian border into US states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

Auroras over Grand Portage, Minnesota, on March 10, 2011. Credit and copyright Travis Novitsky. [more]

"That was the fastest coronal mass ejection in almost six years," says Angelos Vourlidas of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC. "It reminds me of a similar series of events back in Nov. 1997 that kicked off Solar Cycle 23, the solar cycle before this one."
"To me," says Vourlidas, "this marks the beginning of Solar Cycle 24."
The slow build-up to this moment is more than just "the watched pot failing to boil," says Ron Turner, a space weather analyst at Analytic Services, Inc. "It really has been historically slow."
There have been 24 numbered solar cycles since researchers started keeping track of them in the mid-18th century. In an article just accepted for publication by the Space Weather Journal, Turner shows that, in all that time, only four cycles have started more slowly than this one. "Three of them were in the Dalton Minimum, a period of depressed solar activity in the early 19th century. The fourth was Cycle #1 itself, around 1755, also a relatively low solar cycle," he says.
In his study, Turner used sunspots as the key metric of solar activity. Folding in the recent spate of sunspots does not substantially alter his conclusion: "Solar Cycle 24 is a slow starter," he says.
Better late than never.
See the ScienceCast of this story on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBl_FOONrB0

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

After years of lying low, sunspot counts are on the rise again. [more]

More Information
The fast CME of March 7, 2011 -- a movie prepared by Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC NASA Heliophysics News Space Weather FAQ

The Demise of our HRH The King's Mother

2011-03-21T22:39:00.000+08:00

Monday, March 21, 2011

Sekitar Pengkebumian Bonda Agong

KUALA LUMPUR, 21 Mac -- Angkatan Tentera Diraja Malaysia mengusung jenazah bonda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tengku Ampuan Bariah Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah di Pangkalan Udara Tentera Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) Subang di sini, hari ini.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin dan Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Nur Zahirah berkenan mengiringi bonda baginda yang mangkat, Tengku Ampuan Bariah Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah di Pangkalan Udara Tentera Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) Subang di sini, hari ini.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin dan Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Nur Zahirah berkenan mengaminkan doa semasa bonda baginda yang mangkat, Tengku Ampuan Bariah Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah sebelum berangkat melalui Pangkalan Udara Tentera Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) Subang di sini, hari ini.
Turut berangkat Sultan Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Turut sama Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak dan isteri Datin Rosmah Mansor, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Menteri Belia dan Sukan Datuk Ahamd Shabery Cheek dan Yang di Pertua Melaka Tun Khalil Yaakob dan Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

Bonda baginda mangkat di Hospital Seri Kota, Klang, Selangor pada 1.22 pagi tadi dan dibawa pulang menaiki pesawat C130 TUDM ke Istana Maziah, Kuala Terengganu untuk penghormatan terakhir dan urusan pengebumian.

super moon

2011-03-21T01:58:00.000+08:00

Very close encounters of the 'super moon' kind: Amazing pictures of our lunar neighbour... the nearest it's been in 20 years

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:29 PM on 20th March 2011

Look to the skies tonight and you might just notice something different. For the first time since 1992, a 'super moon' is shining down on us. That means it is brighter and closer to Earth than unusual. Here, we present a gallery of lunar snaps to celebrate the rare phenomenon...

Super Full Moon

2011-03-17T22:08:00.001+08:00

March 16, 2011: Mark your calendar. On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It's a super "perigee moon"--the biggest in almost 20 years.
"The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. "I'd say it's worth a look."
Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee): diagram. Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon's orbit.

Above: Perigee moons are as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons. [video]

"The full Moon of March 19th occurs less than one hour away from perigee--a near-perfect coincidence¹ that happens only 18 years or so," adds Chester.
A perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood.

The Moon looks extra-big when it is beaming through foreground objects--a.k.a. "the Moon illusion."

Indeed, contrary to some reports circulating the Internet, perigee Moons do not trigger natural disasters. The "super moon" of March 1983, for instance, passed without incident. And an almost-super Moon in Dec. 2008 also proved harmless.
Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger than usual, but can you really tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon can seem much like any other.
The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On March 19th, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.
Don't bother. Even a super perigee Moon is still 356,577 km away. That is, it turns out, a distance of rare beauty.

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

More Information
¹Footnote: Less-perfect perigee moons occur more often. In 2008, for instance, there was a full Moon four hours from perigee. Many observers thought that one looked great, so the one-hour perigee moon of 2011 should be a real crowd pleaser. Lunar Perigee and Apogee Calculator What are the "Perigean Spring Tides"? Do they cause coastal flooding? -- an explanation from NOAA

Japan crisis:16 March 2011 Last updated at 17:05 GMT

2011-03-17T02:21:00.000+08:00

16 March 2011 Last updated at 17:05 GMT

Japan crisis: Safety concerns

The Chinese embassy in Tokyo is assisting Chinese nationals to return to China

Japan's Emperor Akihito has said he is "deeply worried" about the crisis his country is facing following last Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

He spoke after technicians were forced to temporarily abandon a quake-crippled nuclear plant as radiation surged.
Here BBC News website readers discuss plans to evacuate or sit tight.

Juita Mohamad, returned to Malaysia

"I was very concerned about the nuclear crisis"

I am a student who has been living in Shinjuku in Tokyo. I decided to leave Japan on Monday and return to Malaysia.
I was afraid that I would not reach the airport in time as transportation services were being cut back, so I left in plenty of time.
Now most of my friends living in Tokyo are having trouble getting to the airport as transportation services dwindle and taxis are constantly full.
I left Japan because I was very concerned about the nuclear crisis. It was a difficult decision to make but I felt that the situation could deteriorate in an instant so I decided to trust my instinct and leave the country.
Hopefully I will stay in Malaysia for two weeks but it could end up being longer.
I don't think that the government is being transparent about what is happening.
After the earthquake I was afraid to fall asleep due to the ongoing aftershocks. By Sunday, food in the convenience stores and supermarkets had gone.
A lot of my friends have now left Tokyo.
I am back at home, but worry deeply about friends who remain behind, and I praying for their safety.

R. Tunaley, left Tokyo for Okinawa

We got out of Tokyo on Sunday on one of the first Bullet trains running to Nagoya, we stayed with my wife's family.

“Start Quote

It was very emotional leaving Tokyo”

End Quote

After problems with the second and third reactor I decided to get the family to the airport and on the first flight to Naha in Okinawa.

I left with a pair of jeans, some socks, undies and two shirts, plus my girls.
It was very emotional leaving Tokyo under these circumstances as what has happened is devastating.
It is incredibly surreal to pick up a bag with the bare minimum and just move away. As this situation deteriorates you begin to question whether you can ever go back to what you have walked away from.
Tokyo is only about 150 miles away from the Fukushima plant and with a family it was too risky to stay.
Over the past two days we have heard of five other families from the Kanto region who have decided to leave.
There are some travel document issues for my wife so she cannot fly to the UK unless she renews her passport and she cannot do that unless she returns to Tokyo, so we cannot leave Japan.
Japanese people are fantastic in these situations. I just saw a woman on the news who received her first hot rice cake and hot miso soup in five days and she was so thankful.
We are staying in a hotel now and my little girl is colouring, playing with the one soft toy we took from home.

Robert Emmett, making plans to evacuate son from Tokyo

I am concerned after hearing the Emperor speaking on television, because for him to do something like this is extremely rare.

“Start Quote

We are being told that there is no need to panic”

End Quote

It leads me to believe that the situation has either deteriorated or could do so.

I am putting plans in place to evacuate my 13-year-old son to Birmingham in the UK as as a precautionary measure. He can stay with my sister there.
I am hearing reports that other embassies are evacuating their citizens, that helped me make my decision.
I have work commitments so cannot leave that easily. As a family we are still debating the situation. We are being told that there is nothing to panic about but reports are conflicting so it is difficult to make a decision.
The shop shelves are empty and petrol stations are closed, and many people are not able to get to work while students have been told to remain at home until further notice.

Louis Chung, Canadian in Sendai, plans to stay for now

"I am trying to stay as positive as possible"

Amidst all that's happened so far, the anxiety many people here feel is compounded by the vague nature of the information that's been provided, or even the lack of information.
With the fluidity of the situation and the lack of concrete information, it's almost impossible to make informed decisions. One can only speculate, and hope for the best.
Right now it seems like some embassies are offering their nationals options to leave the area. So far the Canadian embassy has not done this. For me, I don't think that it is quite time to leave.
I am trying to stay as positive as possible. There is no gas for heating homes or for cooking.
In terms of the nuclear reactor, from what I have read there is no risk to human health as yet.
Where I teach, we have got in touch with some students who are due to start their course and have rescheduled their entrance until the end of the month.
We are unable to get in touch with some others to reschedule them but I am hoping they are ok.

UK Foreign Office advice

UK nationals are being asked to confirm their safety by contacting the Foreign Office (FCO) on +44 (0)20 7008 0000. That is also the helpline number for people concerned about friends and relatives in Japan, and 5,480 people had called it as of Tuesday night.
A bus has been organised to take Britons from Sendai to Tokyo on Thursday. It will leave from the consular response centre at the ANA Holiday Inn at midday local time (0300 GMT).

Japan! Who next?

2011-03-16T14:10:00.000+08:00

Agency: Damaged container may be causing smoke, radiation spike

By the CNN Wire Staff

March 16, 2011 -- Updated 0600 GMT (1400 HKT)

Evacuations at damaged power plant

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Authorities say latest smoke spotted may be caused by containment vessel breach
Workers are allowed to return to the plant after an evacuation order is lifted
Plant managers may remove part of two reactor buildings to prevent more explosions
A fire and explosion Tuesday at the Fukushima Daiichi plant led to temporary radiation spike

Tokyo (CNN) -- Officials asked workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to evacuate temporarily Wednesday after a white cloud of smoke rose above the plant and radiation levels spiked.
Workers were "asked to withdraw to a safe area," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. Authorities later allowed them to return after radiation levels dropped, the Tokyo Electric Power Company said.
Radiation levels at the plant have surged and dropped repeatedly over the past few days. The most recent spike "probably" occurred "because the containment vessel in reactor No. 3 has been damaged," a spokesman for Japan's nuclear safety agency later told reporters.
Edano said the smoke or vapor above the plant may have been caused by breach in the containment structure around the No. 3 reactor's containment vessel -- the steel and concrete shell that insulates radioactive material inside.

Radiation and human health

Officials monitor radiation

Gallery: Japan reeling after massive quake

Explainer: Producing nuclear energy

RELATED TOPICS

It was the second visible sign of trouble at the earthquake-damaged nuclear plant Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, firefighters battled a blaze in the plant's No. 4 reactor building.
Since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami Friday, the plant has suffered a series of setbacks that have heightened fears about the possibility of widespread radiation contamination.
A hydrogen explosion took place at the plant's No. 2 reactor Tuesday. Hydrogen explosions had previously occurred in the plant's No. 1 and No. 3 reactors.
Another fire had broken out Tuesday in the No. 4 reactor. While it burned, radiation levels at the plant increased to about 167 times the average dose, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
That dose quickly diminished with distance from the plant, and radiation fell back to levels where it posed no immediate public health threat, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
But the deteriorating situation and concerns about a potential shift in wind direction that could send radiation toward populated areas prompted authorities to warn people as far as 18.6 miles (30 kilometers) from the plant to stay inside.
"There is still a very high risk of further radioactive material coming out," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday, asking people to remain calm.
In all, the plant holds six reactors. At the time of Friday quake, Unit 4 was shut for maintenance and all fuel from the reactor had been moved to its spent fuel pool. Units 5 and 6 were also shut at the time of the quake, but both its reactors are loaded with fuel, the IAEA said.
About 200,000 people living within a 12.4-mile (20 kilometer) radius of the plant already had been evacuated.
Authorities also banned flights over the area.
Between Units 3 and 4, Japanese authorities said they had measured radiation dose rates of up to 400 millisieverts-per-hour, IAEA reported. That's equivalent to about 2,000 chest x-rays per hour, the agency said on its website. "This is a high dose-level value, but it is a local value at a single location and at a certain point in time," it added.
As a result of the monitoring of about 150 people from around the Daiichi site, 23 have been decontaminated, IAEA said.

White smoke rising from power plant

Radioactive material leaks from plant

Will Japan nuclear crisis linger?

Map: Fukushima Daiichi

The number of nuclear workers who remained on site has been slashed from 800 to 50.
"Their situation is not great," said David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University. "It's pretty clear that they will be getting very high doses of radiation. There's certainly the potential for lethal doses of radiation. They know it, and I think you have to call these people heroes."
Although the plant's three functioning reactors shut down automatically when the quake occurred, the tsunami that followed swamped the diesel generators that provided backup power to the reactor cooling systems.
Crews restored backup power, but problems keeping the reactors cool forced plant officials to take the drastic step of flooding them with seawater. Still, pressure buildups, problems with valves and a failure to fill a generator's gas tank led to hydrogen explosions and other problems.
Tuesday's events appeared to escalate the situation: Edano said the radiation releases from the explosion and fire were the first that appeared to pose a threat to human health, if only briefly.
On Monday, an explosion in the building housing the plant's No. 3 reactor apparently damaged both a water-filled chamber at the base of the reactor and the reactor containment unit itself, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told reporters Tuesday.
Damage to the core involved about 5% of its nuclear fuel, Amano said.
It was unclear how much radioactive material may have been emitted, what kind of health threat that could pose or when the danger would end.
"There are enormous quantities of radiation," said Dr. Ira Helfand, a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility, which opposes the use of nuclear power. "The containment is not nearly as good as around the reactor cores themselves. The potential for a major release of radiation from those sites is very real, as we saw last night with the fire."
Japanese officials told the IAEA that radioactivity had been released "directly into the atmosphere" during Tuesday's fire in the No. 4 reactor, the U.N. watchdog organization said.
Crews put that fire out, and by Tuesday afternoon, Edano said, radiation readings -- which had reached dangerously high levels at the plant earlier -- had decreased.
Still, concerns about radioactive fuel boiling off its coolant and igniting continued Wednesday. Plant operators and government officials initially considered using helicopters to drop water into the cooling pond through the damaged roof of the reactor building, but rejected the idea when they discovered that the spent fuel pond was too far from the hole in the roof, a Kyodo News report said.
In addition, Edano said, cooling systems at two other reactors, No. 5 and No. 6, were "not functioning well."
Plant managers were considering removing panels from the buildings housing those reactors in an effort to prevent the hydrogen buildup that officials believe caused the other explosions, the IAEA said.
Edano said earlier that he could not rule out the possibility of a meltdown at all three troubled reactors at the plant.
A meltdown occurs when nuclear fuel rods cannot be cooled and melt the steel and concrete structure containing them. In the worst-case scenario, the fuel can spill out of the containment unit and spread radioactivity through the air and water. That, public health officials say, can cause both immediate and long-term health problems, including radiation poisoning and cancer.
If fuel rods inside the reactors are melting, "the million-dollar question is whether that melting will be contained," said James Walsh, a CNN contributor and research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's security studies program.
At present, the long-term impact on public health from the crisis appears minimal, Brenner said.
"I think, at this point in time, there's no real evidence that there are health risks to the general population," he said.
The weather has emerged as a key variable, but on Wednesday morning, winds were blowing out to sea, CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris said.

Radiation levels in Tokyo, about 225 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of the plant, were twice the usual level on Tuesday. But the concentration -- 0.809 microsieverts per hour -- posed no health threat, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said.

CNN's Stan Grant, Steven Jiang, Sabriya Rice and Richard Greene contributed to this report.

REMAINING SWEET IN MY HEART FOREVER

2011-03-13T18:33:00.002+08:00

A phone call that ended at 2:45p.m had triggered my sick mind to drop these lines... I am still fatigue with flu, cough and cold and feeling very sick this instant.

Subhanallah! Something has triggered me to write this wonderful experience with wonderful people whom I have come across unexpectedly, who have walked and trodden my path of life and have SOMEHOW saved my "Lives" with their good hearts... each one of these experience was Allah's ways to show His Greatness. He works with His Kuun Fayakuun. and it shall happen.

The STAR newspaper (cannot remember the date, the month was probably October in the year 2003) was placed on an empty seat next to me after he has finished reading it. I took the window seating leaving the middle seat empty. He had occupied the first seat and was dressed in a black shirt and (probably black trousers too)... I cannot remember this part so well. Somehow a little conversation broke the silence between us both.

"Are you going to KT or living in KT?" was the silence breaker question!

"Going to KT" said I politely.

"Are you on the job?" He seems to pursue further.

"Nope. Am only visiting my son who is schooling there", now the answer gets longer.

"What about the father, not coming along?", a trap question I called it. Hahaha.

"Nope!" said I abruptly.

And so the little conversation went on and on until the plane landed. We went our separate ways soon after loading an additional phone number each on our mobiles.

The land of chemistry... that's how it all started. Apart from visiting Hafiz in his school frequently, the short stay in KT was not so boring after all. It was spiced up with intermittent calls, laughter and new stories to share. Apparently he is the flight engineer with the aircraft of a major airline in the country. I and him were sharing similar place of studies... we were both schooling in a boarding school. That's about all that we have in common. And oh yes... we were both chatter box.

Then came one particular December in 2004... I was helping my cousins with the wedding preparation and there was this familiar number flickering on my mobile. It was him. Asking how I had been and how was my business? It was in the position equivalent to what the Malay proverb says "Shoving a pillow to a sleepy person"... Gosh! That was the moment I have been praying for...

Something beyond expectations:

I was awarded with this particular project that I had no fund to start with. Incredible wasn't it? Yes, IT WAS. I was supposed to complete my deliver and installation by February 2005. I had started measuring for preliminary quotation since seven months ago and by this time, I have lost hope of getting and have put the file away. On one Friday afternoon, a caller's voice on the other end gave me this ray of hope... a hope I have since shelved ... Allah knows best!

"Mam, could you come over to our office after the Friday prayer and we should have some discussion regarding your quotation that was so long shelved?" was that hopeful remark on a Friday.

"Insyaallah, I would, " said I. I was thinking on a fast lane. Even if they don't give me the whole entire building, a few would just suffice. I would have always prayed for a job that is halal from all forms of evils.

I have just came back from another project site that was not meant for me! The whole buildings were fully curtained. My quotation was the lowest twice. Yet I was not awarded the project. The law says, the lowest should get it! Although deep down I was a little slighted, but I did not give up hope. I kept on praying hard so that Allah would replace me with a new project, which is easier to perform, with bigger margin, cleaner in ever sense of the word and easier in every way ... INDEED my prayer was answered.

At 2:30 p.m I was already seated waiting for the officer to invite me into his office. After a brief discussion

I agreed to have my final measurement taken by the people from the factory before the installation could be done. How much did I get? I was given the whole entire building to put up the vertical blinds...Alhamdulillah.

AS I WAS WALKING towards my car... my thoughts run wild!!!!!!! Ya Allah, from where shall I get the money for the "down payment" to the factory? I have absolutely no idea at all. No to factoring, no to credit lines, no to No NO No NO! Nothing! Never mind, with this faith strongly held inside me, I reached home which was my office too.

What struck me hard and transpired next was that, this is merely an absolute Help from Allah coming my way... to help raising my not-fatherless-children.

The phone call from him was just a normal conversation. Then he went on asking how was my business and I have not forgotten to relate him the project that was not meant for me and also the one with no fund to begin with.

"How much you need?" He asked me such a question???? It was unbelievable.

"I have no idea yet until I inquired from the factory" I replied with my ears still in disbelief.

"Ok, make it quick. Let me know the amount and I should be able to help you". He gave an assurance.

"Alhamdulillah syukur!!!!!!!!! Okay, I would do that next day and thank you," said I.

The help at the wedding preparation went on smoothly and I left my cousin's place shortly after mid night.

The following day..
After the negotiations with the factory and setting the date to deliver and install, I had then reverted to him and informed him the amount that was required.

"Okay, I shall ask Amir, my son, to put this amount into your account by tomorrow" was his promise.

My, oh MY! How shall I ever repay his kindness? His noble deed???

One particular morning during one of phone conversations with him I said,

"I have never met anyone so kind, so helpful as you. I have just met you, hardly know one another and here you are dare helping me???" I remarked.

"YOU have asked for help from Allah and Allah sends through me"... was his reply.

My goodness, are there many good Samaritans out there? Most I have come across, would not dare helping with such an amount. Most would probably just belittle you ... trying to do a project with no capital???

Another incident that struck me was...

One day my MPV broke down and I was helpless ... have no one to turn to for help. I prayed hard and one night an old classmate called me over the phone. After a short while the conversation was cut off. Apparently her phone was out of batteries. The next morning after my Subuh Prayer, the same good Samaritan was on the phone asking me how I was. And I told him about my car which was giving me a scary ride along the steep hilly slope of Ipoh on a rainy day with no proper braking system on except its ABS ...

"Don't worry my dear, help is on its way from Allah" was his short remark and it was indeed a remarkable one!

Indeed help came... almost abruptly after he put down his phone.

"Sorry about the phone last night. The battery was flat. I remember the last thing I have asked was how's your car?" She came just on time to refresh the hanging conversation of last night.

"Oh yes, the car lost its braking system. I wasn't sure what was wrong with it but it was at the mechanics for a while now. Him not knowing where to get the spare parts and all" said I.

"I have this reliable mechanic near my house and we could have your car towed over and meanwhile you could have my Mercedes to use"... another unbelievable remark!!! Indeed it was unbelievable.

Anyway, I was lent her Merc and her Pajero for almost a month. The mechanic found the spare part from Senawang and managed to trace the root problem to my MPV. It was the servo pump which had stopped functioning.

People who have hearts of gold are rare to find... May Allah Bless them and their families with good health, long life and stay in High Iman and Taqwa always. Amin.

this posting is dedicated to the one with a heart of GOLD>

THEY SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

2011-01-21T01:10:00.001+08:00

MWA Documentary for Al-Jazeera with Aishah Schwartz and Rania Marwan Dec...

2011-01-21T00:36:00.000+08:00

problems uploading pictures

2011-01-19T23:40:00.000+08:00

I know it's been such a long time since I last update my posting... But that doesn't mean it should make me feel strange, alienated and singled out from this blog land. Huh? I am so determined to upload pictures to update myself, you and them... but for an hour now, the upload box just showing me "circling motions" instead of getting my pictures uploaded. Never mind... I guess I should try again some other time.

Been busy with so many things around me. My children, my grandchildren, life, house, chores, washing, hanging clothes to dry, attending weddings, breakfast out, lunch out and more... more, there should be more. Well, things are getting more active, easier to manage, to communicate and it is still the most up todate site... FACEBOOK.
Anyway, I really miss all my great friends in this blog land... it is most undeniable.

Memories are so fleeting... 29th 0CTOBER

2010-11-01T01:49:00.001+08:00

Emy Ismail Sharifah Noradibah Syed Omar, Sharifah Normah Syed Omar and all in the family. While I am grieving together with a cyber friend Rukiah Omar whom I have never met but sharing some common friends in FB cyber-sphere, I have not forgotten someone extremely dear to my young adult life, has returned to our Creator on this... day (29th), Allah The Almighty. Coincidentally, it's D's birthday.

18 hours ago ·

- Emy Ismail Diduakan agar rohnya dicucuri Rahmat, dihimpunkan dikalangan para solihin, dipermudahkan segala urusannya menuju Jannah, dipermudahkan hisab dihari kebangkitan dan agar mendapat syufaat Rasulullah s.a.w. Aaaamiiiiiiiiiiiin.
  18 hours ago ·
- Rukiah Omar ‎" In’na lillahi wa ‘in’na ‘ilaihi ro ji’un " May Allah bless her/his soul and may his/her family is comforted including you Emy. Sharing your memory to someone dear to you -kak Kiah.
  18 hours ago · · 1 personYou like this
- Emy Ismail
  Sis, SHE was the above-mentioned names' mother, used to be my neighbor, my adopted mom and the "step" towards my future. That was how Allah has arranged it and I owe her my life and everything that I do today. She had opened the door for m......e to enter, she was the catalyst who had helped to shape me up into what I am today. Subhanallah, Mashaalah what a wonderful mother she was to so many other "adopted" daughters that she had. Until today, her children and grandchildren (some) are bridging the relationship which are impossible to break with us all. How wonderful to have met her and she had played a precious role in my life.See More
  
  17 hours ago ·
- Rukiah Omar Like wise so is my dear beloved sister...who shaped my life in my formative years with her. Very strict she was but it did a world of good, dunia akhirat actually!
  17 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Emy Ismail
  I hope my children shall one day read my appreciation towards this wonderful lady who had not only walked, touched and crossed my path of life, my future and my well being but also she was a much Blessed person on her own. The last day I... saw her was the 26th October 2008, lying in the hospital bed, with ONLY her eyes that was familiar to me... while the rest were beyond recognition. Mashaallah, Subhanallah!!!!!!!!!!!! I could never repay Mak Ku Tengku Dalam Fatimah's kindness and cud never found another wonderful heart as pure, sincere and forever shining through her sweet smile and warm words. She never knew how to grow old and tired of helping people around her. She had touched so many hearts, lives and souls and have knitted the threads of so many lives... untangled them in so many ways that Allah has alloed her... including mine.See More
  
  17 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Rukiah Omar May Allah reward her million times over her kindness and love she showered to all those under her wings. I would call her an Earth Angel, doing Allah's work. Until such time we stoppe dmentioning their names, they are not gone. They live in our heart, don't they?
  17 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Emy Ismail
  Absolutely Sis. She lives, lingers on and on until we finally go back to our Creator. That's how much (still more) I could describe her through personal experience. As I dwelled my past with her... am not spared for another "blurry visio...n" this instant. Thank you for kind words sis. That's the most wonderful thing to describe her, an Earth Angel.
  Amin for you dua.See More
  
  17 hours ago ·
- Emy Ismail ‎****Kak Pah,yr comments buat adi lg rindu dan teringat segala pergorbanan dan perhatian yg diberi kepada semua..tak kira anak sendiri, anak angkat and anak tiri..miss her so so much.. ******** from her wonderful daughter who had been my shadow since she was little... Sharifah Nor Adibah... I copied this from chat box.
  17 hours ago ·
- Emy Ismail To ALL her children: Thank you for making it possible for me to share your most wonderful MOM .... one of the most wonderful in this world. I can't say enough and I can't find better words to express but humbly I hope all of you accept this as my appreciations... :-))
  17 hours ago ·
- Emy Ismail Am off to Ampang now for a class till mid day... see you all later...Have a wonderful Sunday and share something good with someone today.... even if its just a little smile that you wear on your beautiful faces.
  17 hours ago ·
- Sharifah Normah Syed Omar
  am lost for words....only Allah knows what's inside of me at the moment...I know we missed her but tis worse for Bah. Still asking what Mum pesan for him....I guess not being able to be with her during her last moment must have affected him......in a way that he is still searching for her last wish for him, and how to go on, after being so dependent on her strength, though he had not realised all this while she's around...
  
  ...and for all the hearts she had touched through her lifetime, it is you that made her life meaningful through all her tribulations and challenges.....reaching out for those who needed her strengths and care, because she cared and had a lot to give.......cos the returns of the giving to others and celebrating their happiness offset her loneliness and pain.....
  ..and that my friends, were the best things my mother had through her lifetime, the wonderful beings who became the extended family whom she knew, will further build and strengthen one another.esp. in the hour of need....THANK YOU for colouring her life with such beautiful etchings of feelings that had her always being thankful to Allah for such a blessed time here..and Insyaallah hereafter, AMIN.See More
  
  15 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Rukiah Omar Enjoyed reading about IBU MITHALI above. She would have been really happy to know you apprecaiate her. Bet she did what she did without expecting anything back. Little did she know how much she meant to all of the ones she touched. This thought goes to my mother too whom I have not forgotten, not even a day. With her in my mind my life is full of love so bountiful, pure and beautiful. May Allah bless all our 'mothers' who has given everything to us which only a mother could. Amin
  15 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Sharifah Normah Syed Omar
  Amin. Salam ukwah....
  
  Now Iam thinking that, yes, we may have lost our mothers, but see how many we have gained...a sister, a friend of the sister who, like us, shared many similar journeys...and who are willing to listen and care...together... we will be strong and will try to expand the legacy of love from our mothers for the good of mankind..InsyaallahSee More
  
  14 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Rukiah Omar Ameen. It is all Allah's will. May Allah bless our friendship, be it just in Cyber space only, I am sure the feeling is from the heart and as real as day.
  12 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Rukiah Omar Emy, I will be out for the day with Myra, need to help her driving as she will take her Driving Test (practical) in December. She has already cook for me a Fillipino Vegetable dish cakked 'Pinakbit' consisting of 'terog, lady's finger, petola pahit?, kachang panjang, chilli, ginger, mushroom. She adds alot of Ikan bilis and some budu sauce of some kind. Very nice indeed. I will take a picture ...
  7 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Emy Ismail
  Subhanallah, Mashaallah!!!!!!! Am in tears again after reading this thread that had touched me so much. The beautiful life that was knitted and threaded by Allah through His humble subjects have miraculously bind our hearts together, paved... the way to ukhwah, silaturrahim and insyaallah we may find our way to His path. To all our beautiful mothers : WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH BUT ALLAH LOVE YOU MORE...May every soul rest in peace and be placed amongst the
  Solihin. AminSee More
  
  7 hours ago ·
- Rukiah Omar Amin Wasalamulaikum. Need to go now for adrive. Tell Adik Cura not to worry about me being the driving instructor for Myra. I have attended a course on Driving Awareness!!! I have a history on my driving. May Allah look after me and Myra today.
  6 hours ago · · 1 personLoading...
- Emy Ismail
  Please send Myra, my regards and wishes for longer lasting friendship between you both. I remember having my driving test in winter. When the tested said "emergency brake!!!". I slammed on the pedal, the car made a loud screeching noise,s...kidded in the snow and iice covered surface, the old lady in white coat carrying a poodle turned to look and in panicky, away it jumped . I was laughing my heart out and I miserably failed the first test. LOL... something to cheer our
  depressing hearts...See More
  
  6 hours ago ·
- Emy Ismail Amin. May Allah look after you and Myra today, tomorrow and forever. Amin. I wud forward your message in his (CS's) column.
  6 hours ago ·

Amazing recitation of the Qur'an by a young child!

2010-10-07T11:12:00.000+08:00

MIRACLES AND SOFIYA'S ARRIVAL

2010-10-04T23:29:00.228+08:00

Emy Ismail October 4 at 10:32pm .... AS I was writing to a special FB friend ... Aishah Schwartz.

A miracle has taken over ME this morning. Alhamdulillah I did not have to go through what I went through with Amir Harith's birth two years and 8 months ago. When I was seated outside the labor room, I could hear everything... I mean from the little unborn's heart beat, with loud thumping noise coming from the monitor, the hassle and bustle, the nurses' voices trying to coax the mother-to-be between pushing, correct breathing, puffing and what naughts... that sent me frantically praying and saying my duas endlessly for her safe delivery. My heart beat went as rapid as it could. I was overly anxious. My mind went as wild as all the imaginations took me. Despite that, after reciting Yaasin, I still managed to write those encounters in a little green book which this morning, I did not forget to bring along. I was prepared to write something of that sort... if not worse.

SO when my watch showed 10:00a.m, I took out my blue ball point pen, I detached its cap, turning the pages to locate a fresh new page and I found myself asking from the deepest part of my heart...

"What shall I write this time?   Where shall I begin"

I scribbled a few lines
"I am now seated just as outside the labor room like how I did a couple of years ago to make dua for my darling eldest daughter as she was ready for another birth ..."

I was perhaps on the same chair but obviously of similar design this time and outside the same room (?) trying to jot down as it is happening. And as though the "switch was off", my hand had stopped writing, my mind went almost dead with ideas, I slowly closed the little green book and to my utter astonishment, Nothing absolutely nothing had came out of anything. It had happened spontaneously as though the norm had taken place. No words to describe anything from the labor room which was only a few feet away from me. There was absolutely NO sound coming from there. Only the nurses, Professor Silay from Cambodia and some assistance nurse were seen carrying out their "normal" duties.

So, I carefully, nicely folded and put away the little faithful green book into my black hand bag, and went on with Surah Yaasin reading a couple more times with a deep thought that struck the bottom of my inner heart, that this time, I had wanted to welcome my little grand daughter with this beautiful and distinguished Surah.

Just as I was finishing...

The young gentleman who is a banker with May Bank Selayang named, Mr.Jamal, whose wife was admitted at 1:00a.m, whom I saw was in great pain as she was shoved on a wheel chair by her own mom, had delivered their second baby at 1:30a.m, had stopped by to ask if my new grandchild has arrived. He was showing his concern.

Last night, since Tasha was still away from giving birth , I managed to offer my solat hajat (special prayer) for his wife, whom I never got to know her name, and of course to my daughter. As soon as I finished my prayer, I rushed up to the 10th floor of UMSC (University Malaya Specialist Center).

As the lift door opened, instantly, I heard a very loud cry coming from the labor room. Which labor room??? I wasn't sure. So, I was half running towards Tasha's room. It was not her baby but it was Mr.Jamal's baby.

MIRACLE!!!
He was born without anyone around except his own grandmother and obviously his own mother. Later, the nurses were heard running towards them. The nurses had miscalculated his time of arrival. They thought it was going to be hours later although she had already "breaks her water bag"...

You cannot tell THESE five elements in life which are ALL and ONLY in the knowledge of Allah the ALMIGHTY!!! Subhanallah!!!!!!!! First is : what is in the womb of a woman. Second, when (referring to the exact timing) is the birth taking place. Third: when is the death taking place Fourth: what is your fate in life. Fifth: when is world coming to an end?

Alhamdulillah syukur. Masyaallah and Subhanallah, their baby has already been delivered just then. And Allah had answered my prayer for an easy and safe delivery for this particular baby.

"Not yet", I replied with a smile and felt so contented inside.

"No noise, nothing. So I suppose there is no birth yet!"

He stood there smiling, in front of me. Describing how his baby is getting on what to name him. I had suggested Amir Hamzah which I instantly thought as "strong and perhaps powerful" . Coincidentally he said,

"Yes, that's what me and my wife were thinking too, a name with an abbreviation of A and H".

"My first grandson's name is Amir Harith", said I.

Another MIRACLE!

Things had remained so peaceful since I was seated there for the past two hours. Then one of the nurses emerged from Tasha's room and I had asked if there was any progress?

"The baby isn't here yet?" I asked innocently.

"Yes, the baby is already here, she was born at 10.27a.m"...

WHAT? Alhamdulillah syukur. I guess my son-in-law was too over -whelmed with this second birth that he had unknowingly and intentionally forgotten to take a peep out their door and inform us! He must also be over tired, fatigue and worn out with his sleepless night and eagerness to welcome his second baby. He was there since 1:00a.m.

I was with Amir Harith and Zaza, my second daughter. Just then Zaza had gone down to the parking lot , which was 10 floors below, to move her car which had blocked someone's vehicle.

But miraculously AND Alhamdulillah Syukur, this time Allah did not let me hear anything worrying and causing anxiety like that of two years and eight months ago. Nothing at all. OR, was the door so "sound proof"?

By the time I was asking the nurse, little Sofiya was already 13 minutes outside her mother's womb, born into this world, joining us all and for the first time in her life, breathing this fresh air with no more water to float her in, no more womb to cuddle in, no more umbilical chord to be attached to and she is a free human being well wrapped up in the nice clean flannel cloth to be welcomed by all of us.

I felt this miracle had come from Allah Subhanahu wa Taala. Alhamdulillah. For ME especially, this time there NO ordeal to go through. It was like my life's journey was going to be taken away when I heard all those "anxious moments" at Amir Harith's birth. THIS time, there is great difference. Allah Is Great, Allahu akbar!! It was the most pleasant and rarest journey of my life. Allah had listened, answered and Blessed my prayer... Amen Ya Robbil'alamiin.

Since you, Aisha Schwartz, have become a special part of my life, I want to share this wonderful and indescribable experience first , with you and then with the rest of my blogger friends and fans who silently crept in and out of my blog land.

Special thanks to ALL who have offered their duas for Allah to facilitate this safe and smooth delivery:
My sisters and their families
My relatives from near and far
My friends from the Kuliah Dr.Abdullah Yasin : KGPA group
My classmates from school 1972 batch - STF.
and of course - not forgetting FB and blogger friends.

In return I now want to record my duas for all of the above: Thank you ALL:

May Allah Bless you, your family and friends with His LOVE and giving all of us longer lives with stronger faith in Him, Obey His Order to do what He like and Obey Him into leaving all His dislikes, giving us the opportunity of repentance and giving us pleasant experience and making Hisab easier on the Day of Judgment. Amin Amin Amin Ya Robbil'alamiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin.

AMAZING LITTLE FINGERS

2010-09-30T23:33:00.000+08:00

Two days ago, (nope! Three, today) he had expressed himself to me...

"Harith want to sew beads" and I just had a good look at him.

Not reacting to his words positively.

"Harith, you are still small. I shall teach you when you are a little bit bigger and when you know how to handle the needle. It could be dangerous you know?"... trying to discourage him.

"Yes, I know" . He answered me sharply.

Yesterday, sitting in bed together with him, I recalled his interest and I thought, why don't I try. See if it works and see the wonders of Allah's Will and His wishes on His subjects.

So, I asked (almost confidently).

"Harith, do you want to try sewing beads?"

"Yes! Harith want to. I want to." Excitedly pushing towards me.

He managed to hold the needle correctly...When the needle was placed onto the garment, I told him two simple words,

"Harith, Say Push" and as he pushed the needle with his thumb and index finger alternatively and appropriately. I next told him...

"Harith, Say Pull" and he repeated after me faithfully holding and pulling away the needle perfectly correct! Amazing how Allah wants to show His Greatness... Meanwhile, I reached out for my hand phone and snapped these pictures.

I shall now let the pictures speak for themselves.

These little fingers belong to a Two years and eight months old grandson of mine.

NO COOKING BUT...

2010-09-08T02:59:00.001+08:00

One of my daughters had decided that there would be no cooking for this Raya, so we dialed up 019xxxxxxx that belonged to Wan so and so to purchase some NASI DAGANG and NASI MINYAK Trengganu for a specified number of pax. Hah! Sounds practical ain't it?
She said,
"I do not want to cook for this year's Eid celebration. It's tiring, I just want to buy the food!".

So buying we shall.

"Hello Kor! This is K.P. How about the Hari Raya this year? Are you going home to KT for the Eid?" .

Eager as I was ... shooting a polite question the infamous WS who is our expert in ND and NM. We seldom miss those great food of Terengganu in Subang Jaya on week ends. Once, I remember having them on two consecutive days and at the same time spotting him sitting in his favorite chair close to the entrance smoking and burning away his internal organs.

"Kor, what did you put in your Nasi Dagang?" I asked jokingly which he quipped with a sharp response...

" I letok (put) ganja (drugs) inside... Hahahahahah" he went on laughing continuously for a few good minutes.

His most prompt response had almost took me by surprise but of course I do not doubt this former banker's intelligence who at one point turning into a remisier which subsequently turning into a very successful businessman teaming up with his beautiful partner, Nah whose cooking of beautiful, aromatic, soft-long-grain nasi dagang ever found in the Klang Valley have attracted us all. Rain or shine, their special Nasi Dagang and Nasi Minyak would surely go into our noisy plastic bags despite the campaign against using the later. I normally get discounts or a box of extra Nasi Dagang each time I patronise their food stall which of late has some added exotic delicacies like laksam, pulok gaow nyor, roti paong/bluda, tepong kapo, rojok betik, nasi kapik ssamba to name a few.

To my earlier question, he gave a rather unwelcoming answer (sounding so especially to me).

"This year I rasa nok balik beraya di KT aaa. Lama doh dok balik. Dok wak nasi dagang aaaa. But I would let you know in case of any changes". Was his answer... (he was going back to his home town -same as mine, for the Eid celebration).

"But could I place my order before you go off and place the food in my freezer?" I gave him some mind-shooting queries.

"I would not guarantee that they would look and taste the same as very fine delicacies". Was his replies.

" Oh, okay then, please prepare me the dishes (lauk) if you could and I shall cook the nasi myself. I think am good enough at handling them". Was my not-giving-up response and some compromising "a quick-try-question".

"Well, I would let you know of this outcome if I were to change plans". There you go... some hopeful answer which was worth the try, thought I!

While we were going through this fasting period comfortably, a few days ago, there was this happy news coming through my mobile from a very familiar number.

"KP, I just wanna tell you that I dok jadi (not) going home for the Raya. Too many people requesting for them food and I guess you could now place your order through the SMS and I shall take note"...

WOW! Some happy news to share with my children. After confirming with my daughter, I placed the order and we were supposed to go to his house collecting the food early morning of the Eid which would be Friday the 10th. That solved the "NO COOKING" order from my daughter, Za2.

But this morning, I already went to the 100 percent Halal Shop called Metamorph in Pantai Dalam which sells almost all the consumer items required, to get some Organic Halal Chicken, fish, prawns and squids.

The "No Cooking rule" was "broken". I have prepared the "ayam masak merah's sauce", half fried the cleaned, skinned and well cut up pieces which I rarely do... Normally the skinning, cutting up and even de-boning would be done by the chicken seller but this shop offered nischt such services. This is the first time ever, I managed to pull them internal organs through with my own hand, cleaning them up, putting them by the chopping board waiting to be bathed under the tepid water with its last rinse accompanied by recitation of Selawat. Once done, I counted how many pieces I have already cut them into and placed them in the metal colander to drain the excess liquid before marinating with salt, turmeric powder and a few squeezes of line juice to enhance the taste.

Busy, ain't it? Yes, indeed I was. With a helping hand from Dee who is now, as I am writing this, already fast asleep and already away in her dream land beside me, I managed to even prepare Kuoh Rojok Betik which is quite tedious to prepare. With yet another extra hand to look after little Harith, who by now could relate stories from his own experience and from him observing others doing, Hafiz also in his capacity managing well with the de boning of 8 pieces of banana leaf-wrapped-grilled Ikang Selayang (Sardines) to be pounded (?) and added into the boiling chilly and bones of kurau salted fish to enhance its taste. Some tamarind juice were added with salt and plenty of sugar to offset the hot burning chilly taste. They were left to boil on the stove for a good an hour and more to ensure that the sauce devoid any uneasy stomach-ache which might be encountered by my guests.

A couple of dishes for breaking of fast were also prepared. Sambal Prawn and Petai adding to the list of menu to wet the appetite together with Grilled Fish in mild coconut sauce.

Well, by night time am done with them all. Dee was helping to pack them up and away into the freezer they all went, stacking up on top of other already frozen food... ready for consumption in two days time...

Who says then that there is no cooking??? I have two more uncut chickens from the four I had bought this morning to be cooked as rendang on Thursday (?)...

Lets see what's happening then. Meanwhile, I better get some rest and sleep. Come tomorrow I should imagine the unending chores already waiting.

Wishing you the blessings of Eid,

2010-09-07T23:55:00.002+08:00

from

Awang Goneng

Eid Day, Harun al Rashid on his steed

Riding in his Imperial robes, into the street

Soldiers clearing the Sultan's path

And the people applauded.

Bahalul the Wise Fool stopped Harun in his tracks

And recited words to guide the Grand Caliph

and through him, down to us -

And the gist of it is this:

The Festival is not for dressing up in fine new clothes.

The Festival for serving Allah and being aware of your Lord.

To celebrate is to be Sultan not of your realm but of your heart.

Sultans of the realm pass into oblivion,

but the Sultan of the heart is never forgotten.

To celebrate the Festival is to be delivered from the

divine punishment at the Resurrection.

The Festival is not for the wearing of perfumes,

but for being regretful of one's sins,

repenting and not committing them again.

It is not for riding on horseback, but for giving up one's faults.

Not about sitting on the imperial throne,

but about crossing the dreadful Bridge,

to sit on the thrones of Paradise.

It is not for boasting about one's palaces

and power, but by bringing the light

to the darkness of the tomb and equipping

it through good works.

The mighty Caliph heard this and wept.

Wishing you the blessings of Eid,

Selamat hari Raya, maaf zahir bathin

- Awang Goneng

***This came into my inbox @gmail... which I thought is worth publishing... so I do not have to write a new one.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA EIDL FITR TO ALL MY BLOGGER FRIENDS ... wherever you are!

UPDATED: Arson

2010-08-29T13:36:00.001+08:00

UPDATED: Arson at future Islamic Center site 'takes it to a whole new level'

UPDATE: 1 P.M.

One piece of construction equipment at the future site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro was set afire in the overnight hours while others had gasoline poured on them, according to a spokesperson for the ICM.

Carmie Ayash, spokeswoman for the ICM, told The DNJ Islamic Center officials were contacted by the sheriff’s department around 1:30 a.m. Saturday in reference to the damaged equipment. It appeared gasoline had been poured on several pieces of equipment at the site and one was lit afire. Ayash said it appeared the responsible arsonist was spooked during the act and fled the scene before other equipment could be set on fire.

“We were contacted by police department around 1:30 a.m,” Ayash said Saturday afternoon. “They said someone had caught fire to some of the equipment. I think they lifted the hood and poured gas into the hood and set it on fire.

“The other equipment had gasoline poured on it but was not set on fire. It seems like it was intentional. Probably, whoever did it got caught in the middle of the act, got scared and left.”

Authorities working the scene did not specify whether gasoline or some other accelerant was used to start the fire.

Islamic Center officials have contacted the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, according to Ayash, and sheriff’s department investigators “told us they will be investigating this as a hate crime.” Ayash later said sheriff’s officials “asked her to correct her statement,” adding they plan to explore several different motives while investigating the arson.

Ayash said the most recent vandalism to the site “takes it to a whole new level.” The site has already been the target of two other vandalisms, both aimed at a sign marking the future site.

“Everyone in our community no longer feels safe,” she said. “To set a fire that could have blown up equipment and, God forbid, spread and caused damage to the neighbors there ... we really feel like this is something that we and the neighbors don’t deserve. When they (ICM officials) called me this morning I started crying.

Ayash said it appears the intention of the arsonist was to scare members of the Islamic community and she added the arsonist has succeeded.”

The spokeswoman told The DNJ that Islamic Center officials have tried, unsuccessfully, to contact construction company, Ole South Properties, Inc., about the arson to its equipment.

“They did hurt the construction company,” Ayash said. “It’s not hurting us. It did put us in a fearful state, so they did accomplish that. I don’t understand where this is coming from.”

Check back at dnj.com throughout the day for more on this developing story.

— Mark Bell, 615-278-5153

REPORTED EARLIER:

An apparent case of arson to construction equipment at the site of the future Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is under investigation at this hour by fire investigators from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Sheriff’s department Lt. Randy Groce, who was at the site on Veals Road at Bradyville Pike Saturday morning, told The Daily News Journal that it was unclear “exactly what we’ve got here,” and declined further comment until more facts can be gathered. It is unclear whether the RCSO or ATF will lead the investigation at this point, he added.

Crime scene tape surrounded several pieces of construction equipment at the site around 10:30 a.m. Investigators, including arson investigator Groce, remained at the scene.

The current site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, located near the intersection of South Church Street and Middle Tennessee Boulevard, was closed when a Daily News Journal reporter went there to seek comment on the matter. No one from the center could be immediately reached via telephone this morning.

Check back at DNJ.com throughout the day for more on this developing story.

— Mark Bell, 615-278-5153

RoyalTLady

MOM, YOU KNOW YOUR BONES...

Not MY Work But ALLAH'S

MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT'S BOX

WELCOME. Someone is outside my door.

Mr. and Miss Anonymous

Sayyidul Istighfar

Selawat for all

Deep in thoughts with sadness

Draconid Meteor Outburst

Draconid Meteor Outburst

The Cab Ride

10 = 2

10 MINUTES = 2 HOURS

Police: Carbon dioxide led to death in McDonald's bathroom

Why My Body was Aching?

Spacecraft Sees Solar Storm Engulf Earth

I Have JUST Noticed

Mistakes and corrections...

What am I famous FOR?

Great CONTRAST of invasion

EAT WHEN HUNGRY LIE DOWN WHEN TIRED

THE HILLS, THE CONTRUCTION SITE, CONDOMINIUMS AND BRICK FORESTS

TAKING MY LAST AND FINAL LOOK

D Day 8th July 2011

Thursday 7.7.2011

Salam

A Big Surprise from the Edge of the Solar System

Solar Activity Heats Up

The Demise of our HRH The King's Mother

Monday, March 21, 2011

Sekitar Pengkebumian Bonda Agong

super moon

Very close encounters of the 'super moon' kind: Amazing pictures of our lunar neighbour... the nearest it's been in 20 years

Super Full Moon

Japan crisis:16 March 2011 Last updated at 17:05 GMT

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Japan crisis: Safety concerns

Juita Mohamad, returned to Malaysia

R. Tunaley, left Tokyo for Okinawa

“Start Quote

Robert Emmett, making plans to evacuate son from Tokyo

“Start Quote

Louis Chung, Canadian in Sendai, plans to stay for now

UK Foreign Office advice

Japan! Who next?

Agency: Damaged container may be causing smoke, radiation spike

REMAINING SWEET IN MY HEART FOREVER

THEY SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

MWA Documentary for Al-Jazeera with Aishah Schwartz and Rania Marwan Dec...

problems uploading pictures

Memories are so fleeting... 29th 0CTOBER

Amazing recitation of the Qur'an by a young child!

MIRACLES AND SOFIYA'S ARRIVAL

AMAZING LITTLE FINGERS

NO COOKING BUT...

Wishing you the blessings of Eid,

UPDATED: Arson

UPDATED: Arson at future Islamic Center site 'takes it to a whole new level'

UPDATE: 1 P.M.

REPORTED EARLIER: