It was Sunday, late afnn, i was at the pool watching my kids swim, when my hubby texted me "Suharto has died". My reply " innalillah..... may ALLAH blessed his soul".

The whole of this morning (Monday), i was glued on TVRI , watching the funeral procedures of the late, Bapak Suharto. The time where his body was being shrouded at his home in Jakarta, then brought to the airport to fly him to his family muoseleum in Solo..which was abt over an hour from Jakarta.

At Solo airport, some world leaders flew in to pay their last respects. There's Royal Thai Airways , Royal Brunei and some others. When finally the focker millitary plane that carried the body of the former late President arrived, the coffin had to travelled yet another 40km to the hilltop of 660m abv the sea level , where the family mouselum is. The millitary style burial was led by the Indonesian President himself, Pak Yudhoyono....

It was a lengthy process........sufice to say, i watched till Pak Harto disemadikan. It was sombre and very emotional atmosphere. I was effected actually, not so much of his death.....it's infact more of the whole process of death and funeral . Secretly, I cried in my heart...... Ia memberi sesuatu keinsafan di dalam diri ini, bahawa apa yang akan kita bawa pulang nanti hanya lah sekedar kain putih yg meliputi jasad kita yg kaku. Harta, kekayaan dan semuanya akan ditinggalkan. We all know this, but it acted as my own personal reminder.....kekadang kita lalai .

What also amused me, was , the sound of ayam berkokok and burung2 peliharaan Almarhum Pak Harto. They seemed/sounded to be crying........seriously.!! Tidak henti-henti berkokok and berbunyi seperti mentangisi sesuatu. Even the lady commentator, mentioned abt it.
Binatang memang mengetahui akan sesuatu yg baik atau yang ganjil, tetapi mereka hanya tidak dapat menerangkan kepada manusia.

Death comes at anytime........im not sure if im prepared to face my Creator, which i doubt i am. Death is something so inevitable, yet so very often forgotten. Each day that passes, each day we breathe, each day we go about our lives, sinning or doing good, is but a day closer to our end, closer to our return to our Creator - Allaah the All-Mighty.

"Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and good, and to Us you will be returned." (21:35)

I went to my kids' school earlier, for a brief Parent Support Group meeting. During the meeting, i also told them that i wont be able to help out in any areas anymore, due to my domestic committments.

After the meeting, i left the room and walked towards the canteen, where the bookshop is. I need to get an art file for my daughter. In front of me, was tis lady that i used to see her in the school, as she's also one of the parent's volunteer. Usually, we just smiled at each other but never talk. She stood right in front of me, once a while she'll turn behind and our eyes contact. So I decided to say "Hi' to her and we started to talk (for the first time).

I just have to open my mouth and said "you lost weight eh" "wat did u do? exercise? on diet?"
Her answered shocked me ...i dunno how to react at first...i couldnt believe my ears. She said " i didnt do anyting, i just lost my husband a month ago " :( I sensed sadness in her voice. She didnt want to elaborate. My heart just sank.

My mind got so many things to ask her, but the time and place were not right. After getting the books , she waved at me and left. I never see her again.

I was at the nearby Mall the other day, browsing some books at the Times bookstore, standing and reading one of Sophie Kinsella books, w/o realising that i actually read 5 chapters of it. ! If only i have enuf time dat day, i tink , i would have finished reading it at one go..haha.

Anyhowz, my legs are getting weaker by standing too long, so i decided to stop reading and get out of that place....not until i bummed into a old frend. After all the "excitement" of meeting old pal, we decided to go for a drink at McD. It was just a short while, cos, i need to rush home.
So we talked and catch up on stuff....she's holding a professional job, but decided to call it quit and wanted to be a stay at home mom for her 2 growing kids. She's confused and not sure if she is making the right decisions. Im really not good at giving ppl advise actually, but me being a stay at home mom for almost 10years , i guess, i can give my 2cents worth.

There's NO survival kits and NO bed of roses actually. I used to get snide remarks frm some pple , just bcos im a SAHM, but that didnt bother me much. I have my daily mundane routines to do. I have good days and i have bad hair days. My kids can drive me crazy and drove me up the wall....i have piles of laundry and toilet bowls to scrub. The floor has to be vacuum and mop. I gotta cracked my brain cells of wat to prepare for lunch /dinner...not forgetting supper,sometimes. I have to ferry the kids for their classes..........im also a referee when squabbling among the kids happend. homework is the killer !

Some days are fun...other days ,u feel like packing your troubles in your knapsack and leave ! The lists just never ending..............

In any cases... balancing life is important. I glad im able to do things that keep my sanity going...despite those stressful days. Being a member of a parenting forum for years already, and ive made good frends from there. Therefore, I know im not alone in this . I try to have my "ME" time whenever time permits. To have a cuppa in the morning w/o your kids calling for you......... spelt as L/U/X/U/R/Y !

There's pros and cons in everything. Life is like dat, you win some, you loose some. Stay-at-home can be rewarding but verrrrrrrrrrry exhausting..(Im on demand at most times). Im in NO way a SuperMom.....i failed many times..but at relaxed mode, i allowed myself to recuperate from all the pressures that i put upon myself and try to "perfect" my job.

After years of being at home, if u ask me now, i really have forgotten wat was it like to go to work...hahhaa. My lifestyle had become so ingrained within me that it was difficult to imagine life any other way.

** just to add wat i just remembered while stirring my soup of the day (see how women can multi task hahaa)...whether u are stay-at-home mom or working mom, we all have the same role play.......to nuture, the trust that is given to us **

Watever choices, my friend has made...."good luck to her" ! :)

Alhamdullilah, FaithHub first public talk at Harmony Center @ An Nadhah mosque turned out smoothly, despite the heavy downpour.

We were worried that the rain , might dampened the attendance. The talk was delayed for few minutes, cos, we were waiting for few more late comers , before we start. The auditorium was filled , gradually. The rain was indeed a challenged for us, but it turned out to be a blessing.

It was really nice to see some familiar faces **u know who u are** :)

It wasnt an easy task as it seems, but Alhamdulillah, we survived ! ;)

These are some shots , courtesy of my son, Akesh. The pics are kinda unclear, cos, he took these from the far end , from where he sat.


I swear Ustz Yasser doesnt look like a monster .












Bro Mehboob












some of the ladies and the men.
















There'll be another such events coming soon ! Next public talk will be at Al Iman mosque @ Bukit Panjang and i cant wait for the InterFaith dialogue in April. Insya allah.

FaithHub will be organising a public talk in English at the following details.

Topic: Talk on " Lessons from the Prophets"
Speaker: Ustad Yaseer Abdel Maksood Fares
Date: 12th Jan 2008, Saturday
Time: 5.00pm sharp till 7.00pm
Venue: Harmony Centre @ An-Nahdhah Mosque
9A Bishan St 14 Singapore 579786

Every body is welcome to attend.
Admission is free.



**i'll be helping out on certain tasks on dat day, so if whoever coming, do come forward (if u see me) and say "Hi" ok ** :)

Welcome 2008!

I want to put 2007 behind me and moved forward to a brand new "beginning".The past years has taught me and make me grow a lot , but yet ive many more to learn. I got goals to score and hoping HE will grant my wishes. Insya allah.

Today, is the first day of school for the kids. Im glad the morning was alrite......

I dunno wat to expect and wats instore for me this year...but somehow i got good feelings, that things will work out fine...Insya allah.