BIRTHDAY CAKES

I have MUCH to update, but I DON'T have MUCH TIME.

we had a small aqiqah do (for my lil bub) with 2 birthday parties inserted. hehehe... so much for cost saving!

so here are 2 photos of my sons' yummy and beautiful birthday cakes.

two siblings with totally different interest at this time. :)

anyway, i ordered these cakes from a friend of mine. her blog is here.

WE COULDN'T EAT WALLACE AND GROMIT FACES

IRON MAN CRAZE IS INEVITABLE

 

 

Fictional Love

there should be a statute that every written word must be supported by some fathomable feasible and rational evidence.

but then again, if i were to agree to such a statute, there goes my favourite genre at the bookstore - FICTION.

yes, my love of fictions has been a old kind of love. the enduring kind, because i grew up making stories using a regular school exercise book, with imaginary characters, drawn of course with my own two artsy hands. (yes i consider it artsy because it was rather 'pretty' and 'handsome' at the time - to my eyes, that is)

i grew up with fictions. i have to admit i was into the guy meets girl scene. guy does not know he loves her until much later. girl is too proud to admit that she likes guy as well, because they are friends. or perhaps, the more dramatic one would be, girl and guy were betrothed. yes this would be a historical romance. guy is a pain in the you-know-where because he is older and cynical about the world. guy doesn't mind the betrothal because he thinks he can continue his life as before when he gets married. but then he doesn't plan to fall in love with the girl, whose innocence and optimism win him over. things like that...

i suppose one could easily take a guess on what type of fiction i am into. (i can't write 'was into' at the moment, because i have to confess that i do love to read them still). yes i am in love with romantic fictions, be it the modern day romances or the historical ones. although, i assure you that i am not a romantic fool. that's relative as well!

i am not sure what types of books which have shaped me growing up, but i have read all of my mother's beloved Judith McNaught collection. there were also the occasional Mills and Boons which i would 'borrow' from her - trashy novels when you were a teenager seemed unfailingly rebellious. truth be told, i do not get much of what was written then! 

i also love reading thrillers and crime novels. i have loads of Stephen King and Dean Koontz books. i also read all three Hannibal Lecter series (Thomas Harris). then, there was a phase when i would read a lot of Alex Cross' novels by James Patterson (even before the novels were made into movies). i do not remember reading much while i was studying overseas. except for that one time when i was raring to collect all of the Green Miles series - Stephen King released the book by chapters then, most probably for gimmick reason. i supposed in the United Kingdom, i was either busy watching telly or reading the course books were already too much. not that i read most of my accounting books. i remember i started reading more vigorously again after coming back from the U.K. although the genre would be more varied and focusing on family, relationship and life in general, rather than the airy fairy world of romance. 

i love Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True. it struck a chord or two within me because it was essentially a story about twins. i also love Audrey Niffennegger's Time Traveller's Wife. and then, there was Cecilia Ahern period (but all her books after P.S. I Love You were not as comparable). also the Sophia Kinsella's bug. i did read some of Tony Parson's books but none of them were memorable. there was also one of those one-hit-wonders, like Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) and Prep (Curtis Sittenfeld). and then i got curious about the best-selling self-exploratory book called Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert) that i had to read it. it was not that bad - was not great either, but it did provoke some thoughts. some are welcomed and some are not. 

although we are discontent about our lives, but we are so used with its regularity and familiarity that we rather leave it as it is - however unhappy we really are. i wonder at times whether that is keeping me from trying out something new which is the unknown. it is not so much of the ambiguity and probability of failure, it is more about not wanting to leave my comfort zone. the next question is how long would i last?

the last great book which i read is called 'One Day' (David Nicholls) which was about a year and a half ago. i love the premise of an enduring friendship between a man and a woman. i love that they could talk about everything except how they felt about each other. i love that friends turned to lovers. maybe i am reaching out for something that is lacking in my own relationship. nonetheless, it is good to be lost in the whole fictional relationship for awhile. consume the unattainable but pleasing to the senses and leave graciously and willingly when it is time. 

hence, the reason why i love fictions. it could not be as factual as real life. it does not need to. it lets you escape for a while into a world that is different from your own. to learn about things which are familiar and yet foreign. and perhaps to learn about yourself as well. if you let it to.

for the heart

Why Aren’t My Prayers Being Answered?

Question: Why aren’t my prayers being answered?  Answer: May Allah reward you for asking such an honest question, and may He guide us towards the truth.Ameen. I think what happens in this type of situation is that we mix up our meansand our ends. When we make du`a’ for a good husband, for example, is that strong marriage a means or an end? I think many people take it as an end, which explains much of the disillusionment and disappointment that often follows (ironically in both cases: whether we get it or we don’t). Like everything in this dunya, marriage is only a means – a means to reach Allah. So if we pray for it and we don’t get it, perhaps Allah has chosen another means for us – perhaps through hardship, the purification it may cause and the sabr it builds, to bring us to that end: Allah. It may be, as only Allah knows best, that had He given us that amazing husband we made du`a’ for, it would have made us heedless and therefore not achieve our end at all. Instead of seeing it like this, however, I think the problem is we are seeing things as just the opposite. The dunya (that great job, certain type of spouse, having a child, school, career, etc) is our end and *Allah* is the means that we use to get there. We use that means, through making du`a’, to achieve our end (whatever it is that we’re making du`a’ for), and then get disappointed when our means (Allah) didn’t come through for us. We throw our hands up in the air and say our du`a’ are not being answered. Our means just isn’t coming through for us! But, Allah isn’t a means. He is the end. The ultimate objective of even du`a’ itself is to build our connection to Allah. Through du`a’ we become closer to Him. So, I think the problem is that our focus is wrong. That’s why I love the du`a’ of istikhara so much. It’s just perfect because it acknowledges that Allah only knows best, and then asks for Him to bring what is best and take away what is not best. The focus of that du`a’ is not that which you are asking for. The focus is what is best in this life and next. This is not to say that we cannot make du`a’ for things specifically that we want. On the contrary. Allah loves for us to ask of Him. But it means that once we ask, do our part to the utmost, and put our trust in Allah, we are pleased with what Allah chooses for us. And we realize that Allah answers all du`a’ - but not always in the form we expect. And that is simply because our knowledge is limited, and His is unlimited. In His infinite knowledge He may send us what He knows to be better for us in achieving the ultimate end: the pleasure of Allah (swt). Wa Allahu `alam (and Allah knows best).

Source: http://www.yasminmogahed.com/2010/05/11/why-arent-my-prayers-adeyah-being-answered/

On a side note (something I learn):

Du’a is something that we always make but I think many of us fail to see the light and purpose in it. I remember a scholar once shared during his khutbah about du’a. Many muslims he observes make du’a as if it is not a big deal… it is seem as part of a ritual after salat; in a sense that the du’a is the same after another, they are usually rushed and the recitation of the du’a is on automatic mode (dah hafal doa-doa yg afdal). He also observed they usually have blank expression and even yawning compared to those who make dua with hard or soft expressions like teary face, weeping, closed eyes + frowning, bowing while hands raised high above the head….

But, as muslims he said we cannot judge other people because we cannot tell what lies in the heart, only Allah knows that. So the scholar advised that we should make du’a when THERE is a NEED for it for Allah will judge and favor on those who really NEED His favors. ONLY WE on own OURSELF can tell whether our du’a is empty or not. While it is good to include recitation of du’a from the Quran, examples from beloved prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his companions (amalan doa yg afdhal)… he advise that we should also include into our du’a by words expressed of our ownself. Only thru this, our du’a is meaningful coz we find the NEED for it and it will not be as empty nor on automatic mode. Especially for muslims whose Arabic language is hard on the tongue. Du’a is free from rituals of physical order (tak ikut tertib macam dlm solat) and it is free of language. Du’a can be made anytime, anywhere and any way you like. E.g. in the heart, after prayer, conversation, in congregation/majils, e.t.c

Du’a is an engagement session with our Creator so it is best to make du’a all the time for ALLAH loves those who always praise and remember Him. Allah is our personal counsel, confidante and saviour – that is why muslims put their ultimate trust in Allah and never give up hope in His mercy. Lastly remember Allah is our final end. So let us make meaningful du’a everytime we make one and hopefully Allah will forgive us lovingly, shows His bountiful mercy on all of us as we journey to our final destination in His straight path, ameen.

PS: this is from something that arrived in my mailbox.

last day

today is the last day of November.

i havent been writing much of late. been about two weeks since i last updated.

yes i'm still in my funk.

anyways, i am trying to cheer myself up with the number of quotes i have compiled over the past months.

if it doesnt motivate you - meaning it just makes you gag - just close this post. no one's forcing you to read anyways.

(eeeewwww.... i do sound  a funked up person, aren't i?)

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

"Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece."

- Ralph Charell

"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and. I'll understand."

-- American Indian Proverb

"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force."

-- Irving Berlin

"The winner's edge is not in a gifted birth, a high IQ, or in talent. The winner's edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success."

-- Denis Waitley (American author, motivational speaker)

"Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it but can

describe it only from the vantage point of distance."

- Charles Lindbergh

"I believe that everything happens for a reason, people change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so that eventually you learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together!"

- Marilyn Monroe

 "Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it."

- Mark Twain

"We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing."

- Louisa May Alcott

"Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be."

- Samuel Johnson

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

so which ones are your favourites? 

the one that i need to remember most at the moment is the last bit. my heart maybe breaking but i will not let myself become bitter. i pray to Him that i have the strength to do what i must. to change. to become better. to live my life. Amin.

InsyaAllah.

note: initially drafted on the last day of November, but only got posted today... due to writer's traumatic experience yesterday.

homely retreat

as i plough through another sickly day, trying to make sense of the tiredness, i came across this in my mailbox. 

it heartened me. the sheer visual of the beautiful room just made me (and my heart) smile.

Lou's jumping on her bed!

doesn't this make you want to ooh and aah?

i especially love the beads chandelier :)

as well as the accompanying story : a mother planned to redecorate her daughter's room with the sole goal of her sleeping in there more often and ended up being the winner of the first Washington Post Kid's Room Contest.

in gist, Krista Salmon, the mother, has been undergoing this 'Big Girl' project to make the room for her lil' girl, Anna Louise aka Lou more livable. something that both of them would be proud of.

(see the whole story here)

if you want more inspiration to do up your kids room, please go to Krista's personal blog called Kiki's List. the post on the revelation of Lou's room could be found here.

now.... what could i do to make my boys sleep in their own (non-existent) room?

hmmm... first off, need ze hubby to get cracking by inciting him with the idea of more privacy. :P

next up... i need to think of a palette for the room. Big Brother likes Purple... and lil brother likes... er... Pink. for now. hehehe.

Dont Fall For It! :)

AS PER USUAL, i do not know how to edit the image to make it fit the screen but i think you get the gist of the picture.

this is from Net-a-porter site. more specifically, the issue is on the Fall 2011 Must Haves or trends.

i especially love the lists on 2. A Shirt Story, 12. Fancy Pants 13. Arm Candy 15. Modern Maxi 19. Lace Is More and 21. High Drama.

since we dont have four seasons in Malaysia, i would advise that you follow the trend...with due caution. :) 

(i.e. parka, cape, fuzz are not applicable to us)

here's the link for your ease of browsing later. 

http://www.net-a-porter.com/theedit?cm_sp=homepage-_-edit-_-edit

MM 2, albeit belated

I promised to post about my MM on er, last Monday.

but alas, the tug 'o war of the small lappie was not mine to win.

(although i didnt even try to wrestle it from my beloved cutie pies... i'd only use it when the boys have had enough of it, which is rather rare because after one has his turn, the other would want his... the obvious solution is to get another laptop/netbook but that could wait)

anyways, i have had this draft for the last two days. i was thinking of something interesting to add in MM 2, but there was nothing much that caught my eye.

and then i received a mailer from Zara in my inbox (starring two cute kids, made up of a boy and a girl) and i was gob-smacked in love with those two pictures. then it struck me that i'd always love advertisements that feature kids in them.

yes i know it's not much of a Marvel to you but to have kids modelling is something of a marvel to me. to look effortlessly happy and oh-that-cute demeanour, after spending long adult working hours on the set, one has to wonder if it's inherent - as kids are still innocent and could easily be moulded to be awed with all things new - therefore, when we, prospective patrons, who look at their smiling, cheeky faces, we could not help but smile back.

and isn't that pretty much MARVELLOUS?

anyway, the mentioned Zara ads are the first two below.

I wonder what he was asked to look at to induce that melting smile. :) and he  reminded me of my second son.

effortlessly beautiful that you wonder how she would look like smiling. :)  plus... i dig that outfit!

these are GAP Casting Call winners (US) - i read that mixed kids with exotic looks have high chances of winning. so ... do you consider Javanese plus (white) Mamak (Indian Muslim) exotic? :P

i love the boy... he seemed to be having so much fun. i like the other ad  which i've seen at the store where he was furiously 'leaning' against three other girls - causing all of them to laugh.

nevertheless, as much as i love kids in ads, i wouldn't subject my boys to it. an opportunity did crop up, but i declined because i know my son was not ready.

maybe one day i'd change my mind. for now, i just want my kids to be kids. :)

B.R.O.G.U.E.S.

Fashion Trend : BROGUES 

Brogues - Definition :

a durable, comfortable, low-heeled shoe, often having decorative perforations and a wing tip often with ornamental perforations

a coarse, usually untanned shoe once worn in Ireland and Scotland

I especially like the etymology of the word :

type of Celtic accent, 1705, perhaps from the meaning "rough,stout shoe" worn by rural Irish and Scottish highlanders (1580s),via Gaelic or Irish, from O.Ir. broce "shoe," thus originally meaningsomething like "speech of those who call a shoe a brogue." Orperhaps it is from O.Ir. barrog "a hold"

off white brogues are just fineeeee with these jeans. *

the perforation on these shoes maketh the brogues.

ASOS black patent brogues - as depicted in next pic.

lady.... you really know how to work those brogues of yours. *

okay, no brogues, but luverly Balenciage bag :) *

been obsessed about brogues of late.... but then i havent made up my mind on which brogues to get. 

i like mine with a bit of lift or height. i dont know why... the older i get, the safer i feel with heels. 

the heels are like my personal back straightener. (granted, they also hurt my back, but not when i'm using them).

so these are my current faves. i haven't seen them in the local high street shops yet. but then again, i haven't been actively looking.

(Amazon.com), heels are just right to NOT be called a witch's pairs.

mind you, the trend has also gone to the kids' fashion segment.

because last week, i found these at Ginger Snaps.

chic pair of baby brogues in metallic beige that i'd want one! :)

Photos credits in * are from a fashion blog called wheredidyougetthat, specifically, a post entitled http://www.wheredidugetthat.com/2011/08/high-voltage.html

Hari Malaysia

i posted this on my Facebook wall last Friday, in conjunction with the 48th Hari Malaysia (Malaysia Day).

regardless the tawarikh of this 16 September as Hari Malaysia (and other historical facts being raised by some ungrateful quarters), i would just like to say Selamat Hari Malaysia, because 

due to it, we get another public holiday. :)

so do remember and take heed of this. 

as we have so much to be thankful for. 

listen to this song and wait for my next post