i remember among the first selawat which was sung to me when i was a child by my mother and later in kindergarten was this nasyid Tala’al Badru Alayna. the older version which is imprinted in this mind and have loved it since.
Sheikh Mishary’s version sounds more mysterious yet emotional and love the video…definitely attract the younger viewers now.

i miss this feeling of longing and love to you Ya Rasulullah. please bring me back to your love.

i stumbled upon maher zain while searching for some worthy videos i could show to my students last year and i feel in love with his song Always be There. it has been on repeat mode for quite some time in my classes last year to fill up the silence when students are doing groupworks or the sign of calm when class gets too rowdy.

my students love maher zain.

ala kulli hal…in remembrance of the Prophet, this is one of my favourite selawat/songs.

i miss the maulids we had, back in school, my beloved Madrasah Al-Maarif. it has been a tradition throughout the years, for us girls to have the maulid every year to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday and it has been one of the best memories of my school years. i never wanted to miss any of the maulid.

i miss the voices of my ustazahs who had such great voice reciting the maulids. i miss the togetherness that binded us students. it’s the beauty of it.

oh well, i hope to attend one this month. insya Allah. if only the mosque i’m working invites the asatizah who can lead selawat and zikir. i have no idea why they dont and what’s wrong with having it? why cant it be a culture of the mosque?

despite the numerous videos out there in youtube, i have always loved the Qasidah Burdah.

its the birth month of the Prophet. and i have a project to remember him.

i was disturbed by this so called quote.

my response:

in the beginning
i thought i was going to be a job hopper for after my temporary contract finishes with, what i think the best, job i will ever had, i will be at a lost of what exactly i wanted to do.

i started out being an assistant doing very administrative works, just helping here and there when needed, and then they gave me some ‘real’ work to do and my organizing skills kicked in. time flies very fast, they gave me tasks or projects to handle, although one i thought i did not do my best, maybe not my forte.

being a net citizen, into social networks and all, i’ve always been an introvert person and physically or virtually, i cant bring myself to be an outgoing person. and thus, the failure in it. but i am proud i was given an opportunity to meet with many people in the media world and those who have vision and mission in da’wah through media. well, i’ve always known my da’wah is not that.

my da’wah is this. education. it was an impromptu decision but if reading The Alchemist ever taught me, it’s that the whole universe works towards a destiny. (heck, i should not be quoting from authors, i should be quoting from the Prophet or the Sahabats or the alims!!)

i guess there are few people i should be thankful for, playing a part in making me who i am today. of course, it was never a smooth journey. never. more hard times than happier ones but i’ll let myself persevere, for surely these hard works will not go unworthy. these difficult times are a phase which, upon reflection, i have to face. because, as i’ve always reminded my students, a challenge or obstacle is upon us not to degrade us, but really, we are chosen to face it because the Lord knows we can handle it, we can overcome it in victor. if not in the eyes of human, well, Lord knows everything.

la taziru waziratan wizra ukhra.

Excerpted from Al Maghrib Institute’s “Fiqh of Love” seminar with Shaykh Waleed Basyouni.

1. Great relationships don’t just happen; they are created. You have to work at it.
2. If your job takes all of your best energy, your marriage will suffer.
3. One of the greatest gifts you can give your spouse is your own happiness.
4. It is possible to love and hate someone at the same time.
5. When you complain about your spouse to your friends, remember that their feedback can be distorted.
6. The only rules in your marriage are those you both choose to agree with.
7. It is not conflict that destroys marriage; it is the cold, smoldering resentment that you hold for a long time.
8. It’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you do with what you have.
9. If you think you are too good for your spouse, think again.
10. Growing up in a happy household doesn’t ensure a happy marriage, or vice versa.
11. It’s never too late to repair damaged trust.
12. The real issue is usually not the one you are arguing about.
13. Love isn’t just a feeling; it is expressed through our actions.
14. Expectations set us up for disappointment and resentment.
15. Arguments cannot be avoided, but destructive arguments can be avoided.
16. One of the greatest gifts you can give your spouse is focused attention.
17. Even people with happy marriages sometimes worry that they married the wrong person.
18. Your spouse cannot rescue you from unhappiness, but they can help you rescue yourself.
19. The cost of a lie is far greater than any advantage you gain from speaking it.
20. Your opinion is not necessarily the truth.
21. Trust takes years to establish and moments to destroy.
22. Guilt-tripping won’t get you what you really want.
23. Don’t neglect your friends.
24. If you think, “You are not the person I married,” you are probably right.
25. Resisting the temptation to prove your point will win you a lot of points.
26. Generosity of spirit is the foundation of a good marriage.
27. If your spouse is being defensive, you might be giving them reasons to be like that.
28. Marriage isn’t 50/50; it’s 100/100.
29. You can pay now or pay later, but the later you pay, the more interest and penalties you acquire.
30. Marriage requires sacrifice, but your benefits outweigh your costs.
31. Forgiveness isn’t a one-time event; it’s a continous process.
32. Accepting the challenges of marriage will shape you into a better person.
33. Creating a marriage is like launching a rocket: once it clears the pull of gravity, it takes much less energy to sustain the flight.
34. A successful marriage has more to do with how you deal with your current reality than with what you’ve experienced in the past.
35. Don’t keep feelings of gratitude to yourself.
36. There is no greater eloquence than the silence of real listening.
37. One of the greatest questions to ask your spouse is “How best can I love you?”
38. Marriage can stay fresh over time.
39. Assumptions are fine as long as you check them before acting upon them.
40. Intention may not be the only thing, but it is the most important thing.
41. Good sex won’t make your marriage, but it’ll help.
42. Privacy won’t hurt your marriage, but secrecy will.
43. Possessiveness and jealousy are born out of fear, not love.
44. Authenticity is contagious and habit-forming.
45. If your spouse thinks something is important, then it is.
46. Marriage never outgrows the need for romance.
47. The sparkle of a new relationship is always temporary.
48. There is violence in silence when it’s used as a weapon.
49. It’s better to focus on what you can do to make things right, then what your partner did to make things wrong.
50. If you think marriage counseling is too expensive, try divorce.

Wholly taken from a friends facebook note
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1020139458#!/notes/fadiah-muzaini/50-things-you-need-to-know-about-marital-relationships/287733929998

i’m thinking
of this change that i’m facing
no longer one and only
but at long last
having my one and only

i used to think that i’ll be alone
for the longest time
just me alone
work and family
fulfilling days with friends perhaps
and my books definitely
and without a partner in crime

but now i found myself
a man so good hearted
who cares a lot about me
that i cant bear to hurt him
and so i’m no longer alone

so now its 3 weekends away
from our vows of marriage
and i’m wondering if i’m ready
to leave a life of alone
to a life of company
to leave a life of 7 crowd
to a life of peaceful 2

i will miss my room
my mattress, my bronze fan,
my ikea side table, my bookshelf of books
i will miss my travels alone
my zen mp3 accompanying me

i will miss my sisters
their laughters and shouts
our arguments and our hugs

i will miss my brothers
their teasing and craps

i will miss my father
his silence and patience

i will miss my mother
her nags and moodswings

i will miss that all these happen
under one roof within four walls of this house

and i’m moving leaving
no more of my footsteps and my voice

but i’m moving and praying
that i can be as Khadijah r.a
a wife loyal and true
that i can serve my husband
with love and care
sincere and patient
intelligent and dilligent
with all my heart

Lord, please guide me
through this change

For once, i have no monday blues and woke up feeling well rested, despite this rare woman cramp and not having to drag myself out to work. sometimes i think there is either something not quite well with me or the work… but anyway, today is national day and i am freaking happy its not working day!!

after a morning a lazing around and just breathing in the nice weather, did some laundry and later in the afternoon, went out to buy some pair of shoes for us girls for the wedding and MAC replenishment, and some very strong urges to be buy a bag but i managed to persevere, haha!

and yes the preparations for the wedding is so on the go now! just yesterday we bought our little brother a nice suit for the dinner. the wedding invitations are ready and i’m excited to send them out already! plus a piece of me with every card~

a lot of work to be done, wedding and workwise and i must remember to have some me time before the wedding! i definitely need that one day for myself and do what i used to do when life was just me…wow…it’s going to be a huge transition and i cant imagine how life is going to be, but i’m excited and nervous all the same.

so yes, an international me day definitely one of the days. even though it’s already the fasting month Ramadhan Mubarak.

i cant believe it, we are left with 5 more weeks?!!

i have been trying to find time to blog but its either my mood is spoiled by some random people or incident or plainly i couldnt find the right time but i decided tonight will be the night!

another year gone by and a new one starts, new number looking nice at 2 and 7. i’m starting to believe that this age brings so much change, like finally realising you age is catching up on you and counting just how many down the lists have you completed or achieved…and at the back of my mind thinking that there seem to be not enough time. gone are those days when i think i have all the time in my life to do whatever and whenever i wanted. still, i am ready for just about anything!

not to say that this is the very age i set for myself for….marriage. and the power of planning and setting goals!! 🙂 it is really happening. insya Allah. as of today, i think we are left with….9 more weeks!! and counting!!

I’m struggling to always keep on check what needs to be done and you, please tell me if you’re going to do something to your room…i think i need to help out, i dont want to be just receiving and let you do all the work and not do anything you see…

putting that aside. i had a lovely birthday.

i took time off for the day. and first treat…very unexpected from Mr Planner…my chance to hold a bow and arrow and relived the archer in me!! heh, if i’m still qualified, seems like years of no archery has made me arrow illiterate!! but i love it. the pull of the string, the feeling of letting the arrow find its way no matter how i pulled it, the eyesight searching, finding the right focus…magical…ok maybe i think too much, that’s why i cant find the bullseye!! lol.

and the legolas in him is revealed! my hero still..but hey, i’m going to catch up next time round 😉

followed by picnic by the lake. or reservoir..or whatever you may call it. such a nice weather, away from the urban business, calm and tranquility on a working day. i just love it. and no stealing monkeys! 😉

thank you for the beautiful day, for the beautiful gifts and the beautiful words. what more can i ask from you.

and at 2.7 i should be counting my blessings.

Alhamdulillah.