my faithful departed

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Can i ever forget you my love?
Can there be a time when i dont look at your picture
and not teared for this loss?
Can i ever look back at those times and not missed you
from the deepest of my heart?

can i ever forget those nights
sleeping beside you
talking to you
listening to your stories
listening to your hurt and tears
listening to your love for your children

can i ever forget awaiting you
walking slowly up that hill
waving to you excited to see you
wondering what gifts you brought

can i ever forget your hugs and kisses
your comforting words to my cries
your pride in me
i love you nenek

can i ever forget those nights
you sitting crossed legs
watching your favourite news channel
smoking your cigar in silence

can i ever forget your nice hair cream smell
you in perfect uncreased uniform
sitting guard in front of that jewellery store
visiting you a trip of luxury

can i ever forget those lonely nights
taking care of you just being there for you
preparing your favourite simple dish of tempe and steaming rice
i love you atok

can i ever forget your love?

for the answer will forever be no
i will never forget you
i will never stop crying
i will never stop missing you

for your love is strength
for your love is beautiful memories
for your love is humble and generous
for your love is my mother’s being

your God’s signs

there are times when you need answers, God gave you answers in the most unexpected ways through unexpected people?
please believe in that.

i think i am getting some signs.

No. 1: My husband will always support me about becoming a housewife
No. 2: Out of a sudden, my teacher-mentor smsed me, although we were discussing about something, however, at the mention of her mother being in and out of hospital, my immediate respond was to tell her about my mother and she said she was actually thinking about my mother too. at the end of our conversation, she gave a simple straightforward statement. it brought me close to tears. and till now. i cannot stop thinking about it.

is it enough?

why is it so hard?

womanhood

so well, womanhood is just getting more real. im still getting over the traumatic moments of some medical checkups whereby for every uncomfortable claims that any woman made is pure pain to me. i am beginning to think that the reason i am not pregnant yet is probably because God knows i may not be able to take in the pain, and so He is sparing me all these trauma. wAllahu a’lam. we are trying and i leave it to Allah Ar-Razzaq and He knows what is best for us. at least, we still have each other.

oh hei, it’s june isn’t it? i did not even realise it and june doesnt mean anything to me because i have many tasks i want to be able to complete before the school reopens. well, except i will get 4 weeks of pure weekends. i applied for off-in-lieus for all my sundays coming back to work and thankfully it was all approved. i am so looking forward to truly spend the weekends with my husband. he deserves this and i owe him big time because he has just been patient with me all these while. my fate for the next 5 months starting July is not sealed yet. i have no idea what is going to happen and i do not want to think for it. i am just compartmentalising my brain and to do things one at a time, think and plan for things one by one and not everything at the same time, because it is going to be crazy.

i am a proud sister to my sisters who have just graduated last week and both gotten a job as soon as they had their convocation ceremony. siti in keppel and nuri in prison HQ. both getting the jobs they pretty much planned for. (even i dont plan properly, heck, i didnt know what i wanted to do back then and that’s why im stuck in this path). i am proud but i am also worried of what they are going to face in this harsh world. and more so the spiritual needs. i have been busy taking care of other people’s children, i barely think about my own siblings. i really dont know what have i been doing all these while. and that brings me to whether i am taking good care of my parents.

you see, my parents have had their days in the hospitals early this year. i felt it was a slap on my face that i have not taken care of them truly. and just recently i made more efforts to visit them and its becoming frequent nowadays. but my father still looks tired nowadays and my mother, she looked worst and being her, she is not taking this well. i want to be there for them, i want to cook for them and make sure they eat properly, i want to accompany them for their checkups, i want them to know i am here for them. and now that three of my siblings are working, except for the youngest, i feel that i could finally ease up on the financial needs and probably this is the time to take care of them.

except that i know, i have so many things i havent do back at work, i feel like no one can do the job im doing, although i dont think i am doing the job perfectly well either myself. so many expectations are dumped on me and i am afraid of letting them down. and maybe i am afraid of failing. i honestly could not fathom what is it that i am actually feeling.

but the crucial question will be, what if i dont do anything now, would i regret it later? would other people care if something happens to me and my family? definitely not, right? i am not a superwoman, and i cannot do everything. but maybe there is a hikmah behind all these and i just need to make a choice. the right choice. because i am feeling time is demanding me to take charge quickly and i am just being too slow.

and this guilt of knowing that i worked too much but not caring enough for my own family, my husband, myself. am i being fair? i can always say and pray that since i am doing so much for a holy place, surely God will take care of my family. but what if working too much means i am neglecting my own responsibility, my initial purpose and then bammm, i got hit on the face real hard only to realise it is too late to do otherwise?

i am now doing whatever i could. for every minute that i act i dont care, i am really thinking hard and my feelings just fighting within….and just maybe my unconscious mind will give me the answer i need.
well, old brain, maybe we need to spend a bit of me time…

be present

i think nlp is helping me here again. for the past few days, i had to commit to family and social meet ups. its not that i dislike having them, it’s just that my introvert-ness sometimes rule more than the need to be involved in the gatherings. and i thought i would make a change. it is also an opportunity to practice some red thinking profile, as emergenetics has proven that i scored badly in this.

little did i know that reframing the mind is all that it needs for this self to come out of its shell and overcome shyness. yes, even with the family i need some coaxing because i just totally go lazy or ‘shut down’ if i need to go out have dinner outside. i know, chronic illness ah this shyness and homely attitude sometimes.:P

i just tell my brain – the unconscious mind 😉 ‘i need to be present.’ keyword. tops. just that. with a little bit of goal setting, i tell myself that i need to be present, i need to focus on my family/friends for today/now. it really helps.

when usually i would seem bored and quiet, i was able to strike up conversations and be involved in their conversations as well. i’m surprised at myself. just today, i had dinner with a group of friends which sometimes i find difficulty getting into, if you know what i mean, but today, i think i did better than usual. i am more my self. we talked we joked we laughed. i finally could truly enjoy a social meeting.

so its been days of birthday lunch and dinners. glad i spend dinner with some friends for May birthdays!

although by now, i am exhausted. it takes a lot to be present but no regrets. it is important to spend some time for friends. speaking of which there are other groups of friends which i have yet to spend time with, erk.. and i look forward to a restorative niche with my husband for this two days i am fortunate of having.

now, i need to be present for my husband.

ottoman may

birthday love

Happy birthday Abang dearest.

I pray for your health, barakah in the rezeki you worked so hard for a humble life for both of us, rahmah and forgiveness from Allah swt. May we stay strong and together not only in this world, but in heaven Amiin.
We may not be perfect, but in each other, we find completeness. with all the imperfections and weakness, we are right for one another.
I love you.

happy birthday dear

and happy birthday to my brother haliffi too. you will do great insya Allah. we will always support you and most importantly, take care of your health little brother. we are not getting any younger 😉

past quarterlife crisis

hi. been busy these days with work and school. i like that..saying ‘work and school.’ like i have a meaningful mission to accomplish.

school has been mild going at the moment although the lecturer has started to remind us about the assignment that we need to do. its been all theories, a reminiscence of theories i have had the fortune to learn back in uni in Intro to Psychology. i was reminded of pavlov and freud and erikson. i enjoyed them. although back then i learnt for the sake of learning and was not inclined to take it up as my second major, i never regretted doing it. i chose sociology instead. again, no regrets, oh except for one, i wished i had the chance to do criminology. that would have sealed the deal. but already deviant behaviour was such an eye opener and depressing. haha.

so back in my specialist diploma class. i was introduced though, to quarterlife crisis and the lecturer invited us to reflect on that. what crisis did we face back when we were 25? i couldnt think of any in class but on the way back home, i thought about it, i guess i cannot say i did not have a quarterlife crisis. everyone has.

my crisis was about choosing a career. i was doing temporary projects at that point of time and i realised my position was in jeopardy because i cannot see myself doing what i was doing. i was thrown from one task to another without specific something to focus on, except for the sudden interest in education and curriculum. i was also teaching part time and quite put my mind and heart into it, up to a point that my parents questioned when was i going to ever spend a proper rest day at home? and then i got thrown into a fulltime job, which was what lead to what i am doing now.

and then there was the matchmake decision i had to do. thrown into knowing a man chosen by my parents and uncles. it was about whether to go for this relationship or to continue leading a single life when week after week i receive invitations to weddings of schoolmates, uni-mates, etc etc.

my crisis was with myself. too shy too boring too quiet too simple, still quite unsure of what to do with my life just yet. just look at my blogposts year 2009. 😉 heck, go straight to January 2009 and see what you get, a questionnaire with song titles. one question: what is your life’s purpose? my answer? =damn regret! (by the red jumpsuit apparatus) fuhh! that’s one for the memory lane!

it was a matter of making decisions. but i cannot say i did not have some achievements that year, no?

i have not regretted my decisions but work is really taking its toll on me.

but with all the odds, i braved myself to claim time off, left whatever pending works and took halfday to spend last thursday with recovering mother, although it was more of her accompanying me to a massage session. which i am really really glad i did. the makcik masseuse ‘untie all knots’ till i am practically bruised. and i understood why so many people have been saying i look tired! my body was really really tired, i have just ignored it. poor body. but it was pampered for a whole two hours. even my mother was relieved i finally made the massage appointment. i am glad to announce this makcik as my personal masseuse. hehe.

and then i spent the whole day friday with my mother and sisters. its been such a long time since we all girls went out together. i truly am happy and grateful we get to do this before my sisters start working and my mother well enough to get back to work. so so glad. i practically splurged on myself and on them. i feel like i was going through a wardrobe overhaul! i really did though i was very happy with the dresses/blouses i bought. i am thirty after all, need to dress well i must say. i loved the day. i wasnt even feeling tired when i had to go straight to class. i just had such a fulfilling day chatting and shopping with them. really we had so much to talk about.

slowly getting over my quarterlife crisis. slowly make the right decision. as of now, i will work my ass off. sorry the pun intended.

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happy bookhoarder

i just had the best power nap i think.

im at my first home and just had a rest in my sisters’ room which is now installed with an air conditioner! its been a long while since i get to sleep with the cool nice aircon on. me and hubby have been going ‘green’ with just the good ol’ fan. (of course its just because the air con in the other home has gone bonkers and hubby thought its not economical for a new one, not yet though :/)

and sis’ pillow feels just nice. my headache disappeared the moment i lay my head on it. ok that’s exaggerated. i think i just had such a nice nap i am appreciative of the things that contribute to my deep sleep half and hour power nap.

anyway this house is totally zombified. everyone is watching Walking Dead. even my parents!

i just received my 1001 inventions book!! and guess what, no surprise, i go and buy some more books. tsk tsk tsk. but i just saved 30bucks on my book purchases! i am so happy with opentrolley online bookstore! i found out about it recently and i received $10 off voucher with $80 purchases. so the story goes is that i have some books in my amazon cart which i didnt get to buy because they are a bit expensive, especially the shipping, oh dear, the shipping is more expensive than the book itself and mind you, it’s in US dollars! so i have been waiting for the right time and the budget to get them. so since i got this voucher email, i tried my luck from opentrolley. searched for the exact same books on wishlist from amazon and i was so happy that they are available at opentrolley!! bought all three titles and surprise2, it just add up to about 83 $ing dollars. i got my three books, i got them eligible for $10 discount, and delivery of only $4.90 which was waived due to payment via dbs cards. i paid only slightly above $60! you have a happy customer opentrolley! no..this is not a paid advertisement. i am just happy thatbi will get my books which i have wanted for so long!! and i hope to receive them in the next 4 days! i cant wait!

actually i want to talk about another thing, but another post coming along. this is so off topic already haha!

well a happy nap makes a happy book hoarder!

matrix re-life

i am watching The Matrix as im typing this and im brought back to a time, in my pre-u days when i had a general paper lesson and guess what the teacher made us do? Watch The Matrix! and i am introduced to a world of learning where it was not based on textbook and from then on, i learnt to watch movies with a critical mind and learn the language at the same time. of all the lessons i have learnt, this particular lesson practically etched itself in my memory. it invoked a sense of learning, wonder, critical inquiry but at that point of time, i have to admit, all the while watching the movie with my schoolmates, i was thinking: why the heck are we watching this movie, wont we get caught by the principal or the discipline mistress, despite the knowledge we are watching this with a teacher in class. but, hey, it’s keanu reeves, if we can watch him in class, why not?! and giggle to his handsomeness along the way. but now, im just thinking, it was still a process of learning. im in the education line now and i realised the need for me to be on par with what is happening around me, the community, the world, the religion. i can say i have been quite ignorant, coz it’s bliss they say. not anymore. as much as my introverted personality wants to shy away from all the chaos, my analytical thinking style would really like to do something about it.

so the machines used in the Matrix, kinda obscure now that the world is more advanced and technology wise more sophisticated and smart than those shown in the Matrix. i never really get to fully understand The Matrix though, not then not now. Dont even talk about the second and third Matrix movie. the second movie, i always stopped watching when it reached the part where they are all partying in what looks like an indigenous cave. so now what, what makes Neo’s life different or more pure than the life the matrix has computerised human to believe in? i just hated the club dancing scene.
so What is Real? well here’s real for you.

life has been a rush these few weeks, aint it? i have this mosque officers course i had to attend and in the midst of it all, my dad had a hard attack and warded in ICU for a night and just when everything is going back to normal, my mother was warded due to high fever and suspected of TB. SubhanAllah. the challenges this family is facing and it is only March. Mom is undergoing treatment now, she’s home but on hospitalisation leave and has to visit the polyclinic everyday for the next two weeks to get her medication. already she’s looking weak and frail, lose weight and have no appetite. and its kind of heart wrenching seeing my father taking care of her at this point of time now when he himself needs to slow down a bit recovering from the heart surgery. so they went through some hard times but i know the depth of love they have for each other. i am glad the choice is still this. life.

i am praying for health in the family, even my husband who himself have been coughing close to two months now. after all this settled, mom, dad and hubby gets well, i am going to do a check up of my own.

2014 has been something, maybe something good will happen soon. pray for health and happiness.

Rabbana aatinaa fiddunya hasanah wa fil akhirati hasanah.

the body cannot live without the mind… so the mind needs to live for the body.

being the eldest

dad is currently home now. discharged last Tuesday. I made the decision to attend my training half day and was grateful that the chairman and the trainer was very understanding.

my father has always been an independent person, he never relied on any one. and although I think he would willingly go home on his own, I cannot let that happen. Siti and Khidhir managed to see him first on Tuesday and report back to us about his scan that morning and whether dad can really return home. once I got the confirmation, at around lunchtime, I was able to go straight to the hospital. I think my siblings kind of liked the sense of importance and responsibility of taking care of dad. sat through with Dad while the pharmacist explained in detail of all the medicines he has to take. there’s about close to 10 meds he needs to take daily.

and I have to admit, for once, I made regular visits to hougang ave 8 just to check up on him. he definitely is recovering and looking well, and staying true to his promise. I just thought this ordeal is almost a reminder to me to start taking well care of my parents. already my mother is looking frail and sickly, I had to tell her to stop whatever supplementary pills she’s taking and to concentrate on her actual medicine. all these products out there, I don’t know, now I feel like I cannot trust them. because my mother is looking too thin and my dad had this heart attack. maybe they are not to be blamed 100%, but who knows. supposed to be keeping them healthy! and their diabetes is nowhere lessened from taking these supplementary.

I need to take an active role back in that house. I left the house too long that things are getting disorganized. I don’t mind rushing there during lunch, cook something simple but healthy for dad and rush back to work, after work cook for dear hubby also. I really don’t mind doing that. I have to think through my life table again. just few posts ago, I was saying that I need to reschedule my life table due to my night classes, now I have to put in the hougang ave 8 into consideration. May or may not be long term, but I guess, it needs to be done somehow. it’s just me to be taking up and doing everything, taking care of everything and than I drown in exhaustion. balance, Seri, balance.

oh I have to say my siblings have been very helpful around the house too, and they need the encouragement. I guess we are all moving into that adulthood phase. the responsible adult. I have always been proud of them and their achievements. we will do well.

and also giving my full attention to my dear one and only hubby. this is another boy I have to give my heart and care too. but this, I will do with all my heart.

heart heart

my family had a wake up call last Saturday.

my father had heart attack. dear calm and strong dad had a heart attack.

I was at work. got a call from my mother at about 4.30pm telling me that dad wanted to go to ttsh because he was having chest pains since 2pm. and afterwards, it was kind of a fast and slow turn of events.

I immediately called hubby to fetch me and straight away to get my dad and drove to ttsh.

Once registered, when we mentioned he complained of chest pains he was immediately sent inside, without waiting for any of us that when I came in to follow him, I found myself in a busy room with nurses moving everywhere and beds with patients waiting to be tended to, but no sign of my dad. I asked a busy looking nurse at the counter and asked where my dad is, they only mentioned he’s in ‘resus’. I was like what the heck is resus and can I go meet him now? no, only the patient is inside. so I waited inside not knowing what to do. after about half an hour inside, hubby called and guess what, a doctor already asked for the family members outside and requested to go and wait at another room. hubby sounded serious and he said they don’t always requested for family members at a&e unless it is truly dangerous. my heart raced. honestly, it all felt like blur and a fast movie playing in my head.

it was another hour or more of waiting. we were the only family waiting there.

dr ashok came out with a serious and stern face, I was already worried. Mr Kamir had a heart attack. a serious heart attack, he said. at any moment it can turn out really critical. but he is safe now. my brain had to digest two different news in a split second, I do not have time to react. he could have…

they did a stem operation on his heart. although another artery is almost as bad. this was his second stem operation. he had one while I was in Uni around 2006. he stopped smoking for quite a long time and only in recent years, he went back to smoking, and that caused the attack. except this one was more serious. he had to stay in the icu for two nights.

we went to see him and for awhile there, he looked real frail and exhausted. tears coming out from his eyes but still giving us a smile. always the one to give a brave face and saying ‘it’s ok I am fine now.’

I am blessed he got through this one. he is home now and back to normal. but it hit me hard and I realised this is the time to really take care of my parents. the responsibility just sinks in. because if anything happened, I am the next of kin, the first person to call. it’s just, my parents are looking so frail nowadays.

I am blessed that I have my husband around with me. the shoulder to depend on.

I am exhausted. and I have a sore throat coming up.