Some blabs before Raya arrives

My Eid this year will be a lot different than the previous ones. Of course it will be extra special with Zara's presence :) I'll be celebrating the first two days of Eid at husband's grandma's place. It may be a lil awkward I suppose since most of the relatives there are very much new to me. Oh well, like husband always says, that's how grown ups celebrate their raya. Yeah.. And in a few weeks' time we'll be moving to Bangi. Gosh.. I'll have my own set of neighbors.. Even the neighbors around my parents' house, most of them I hardly recognize their faces. I'm kinda sure that I'll meet many friendly faces in the new neighborhood (I hope!)

Guess this year is the year of adjusting.. Adapting.. Totally grownups' affair..

Last year, we celebrated Eid in London. Though husband and I were surrounded by newly-met friends, but it was certainly a fun Eid. Perhaps it was due to our talent in the kitchen, cooking all sorts of dishes usually prepared during Eid, so missing Malaysia didn't feel that bad. Or maybe because we just knew how to adapt ourselves being far away from families..

The preparation for Eid this year, I think, is more centered around Zara. I guess it's somehow true that parents do shopping for their kids more than they do for themselves. Well, never I mind, because shopping for little girls has this sense of never-ending excitement. Can't wait for Zara to grow.. So that mommy can dress her up! :D

But too bad I'll only have 2 weeks to celebrate Eid. The remaining 2 weeks will be spent in Bintulu for work. Though Zara will come along, but honestly I can't imagine myself staying with only her without her daddy, aunties and atoks. I am beginning to think that being a working mother is not at all easy. But staying out of work is never a good idea.. No matter how thick-pocketed a husband is.

Oh well, Ramadhan is ending in about a week's time. Time flies.. Scarily fast..

If I can make wishes on Eid, I guess I would wish for the most time with Zara and husband. The whole-week leave is the best time for me to compensate the time I am away at work. And oh, I hope that we'll make it to move to our new home :) husband's really worked his b*** off to get all the renovation plan completed on time. This week, we'll be shopping for a few more items. Can't wait to get them done!

Alright, til then, I'd like to wish you guys Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin :) Enjoy your time with your beloveds!

Ustazah said..

Ramadhan is here again. I am so thankful that I am given another chance to experience Ramadhan again. And I hope I will use this given chance to improve myself spiritually; to seek forgiveness and blessings from Allah, and to improve my relationship with others. Insya-Allah.

Today was a great day at MISC prayer room. We received a visit from an ustazah. Well, it's not everyday that we, the jemaah, get to listen to 'ceramah' by ustazah. Can't really recall her name, but she was as pretty as Heliza. Soft spoken. A wife of a doctor and a mother of a nine-month old baby and has written a number of religious books alongside notable ulama' and motivators. She's undergoing her Ph.D currently (which made me think, where am I?)

What gained our attention was her topic of the day: Wanita (Women). There were quite a few important topics that she was able to cover within the given one hour: The story of Maryam (one of the four women mentioned in Al-Quran), favorite Islamic issues that anti-Muslims like to create confusion about... and there were few other.. which the one that caught the most attention was polygamy. But trust me, her arguments were clear and concise, and somehow helped the jemaah to understand better.

(Siapa rajin, baca la terjemahan + tafsir surah An-Nisa. I quickly referred to the translation of the verse as soon as we ended the session.. and got my understanding better..)

Before she ended the ceramah, she left us with a quote. It went straight to my brain and heart.

"Sebenarnya bukan perempuan bertudung yang patut dilihat ketinggalan zaman.. sebenarnya perempuan yang tidak bertudunglah yang sebenarnya ketinggalan zaman..... kenapa? kerana itu amalan orang jahiliyyah.. yang suka melanggar perintah Allah.."

The audience paused in a brief silence. I froze. I never thought like that before. Suddenly a few faces came to my thoughts..

.. Sekadar perkongsian di bulan Ramadhan.. moga tiada yang terasa.. wallahualam..