to me in the future

Salam wbt,
Hello people! ^^

Yup, I know. I've been lazyyy. But today, I feel like I want to write something.
I read few blogs before this, so, I feel motivated to write one. But, I'm not quite sure what to write.
So, maybe I'll just write down random stuffs. Feel free to press the 'x' button on top of your screen.

This is all coming from my heart. So, let me just say this.
I've learnt that our 'iman' can increase and decrease at certain times, right?
And for some times before this, I think my 'iman' had went down drastically. I can feel it.
I had not been able to maintain the pace and be 'istiqamah' in my ibadah. *sigh*
I guess, I'm still not strong enough to fight my 'nafs'. *double sighs*
But, I'm recovering right now. hyaaa! \(^^)/
I spent some times to reflect on myself on what I've done wrong and what can be improved.
I've realised that, our relationship with Allah first and foremost need to be strong and of course our relationship with the Qur'an as well. Those two things are very important to fight the 'nafs' especially when we don't have people around us to remind us of it.

So people, don't be like me. Be strong.
Maintain your pace. Check your 'iman'.

I wrote this, so that I can remind myself again in the future to never be like this again. OK!

"O Allah, forgive my sins and strengthen my 'iman'...for you are the most forgiving of all.."

Till then, Wassalam.. ^^

when Ramadhan ends..

When Ramadhan ends, it marks the beginning of everything. All those hard works during Ramadhan will be put into test. This is a test for our 'taqwa'. To see if we had achieve our aim for fasting in the first place as stated in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:183).

"Isn't the Eid-Fitr a day for celebration? Why should we worry about this 'test' thingy?"

Yes, it's a celebration, a victory for us after being able to fast for a month, guarding our senses, speak good words, give a lot of 'sadaqah' and wake up at night for 'qiyam' and everything else..MashaAllah! May Allah accept it from us and you..'Taqabalallahu minna waminkum'

But, we don't know..we don't know if all those deeds are accepted by Allah.
Imagine this, Ramadhan is like the examination weeks in which during this time, everything that we do, revolve around the exam..
We ate while reading a book,
We slept with a book on our face,
We walked with our minds full with formulas or facts to remember,
We planned our time to maximise the amount of studying,
We reduced the time for playing around,
We studied till late at night..

The same goes for Ramadhan, rite?
We ate because we want to have the sahur or breaking our fast,
We slept because we want to be able to wake up for 'qiyam' and sahur,
We walked with our ears listening to the Qur'an recitation or memorising the 'surahs',
We planned for where we are going to break our fast or when we want to read the Qur'an,
We did good things, and avoid bad things,
We woke up late at night to worship Allah..
Everything that we did, we are trying to get the maximum benefit from Ramadhan..

And so, back to the exams analogy,
After the examination weeks are over..
We celebrated it like it's the best day ever!!
Like all our hard works are finally paid off to have this burden lifted off our shoulder..
When instead, we are not even sure if we will pass the exams and get good marks..
Until the results are released.

So, does that mean, after the exams are over we can just relax and forget about everything that we had learnt? [i know i did forget about lots of things i learnt during high school..=_= heh.scratch that.]
No, rite? cause some of the things that we had learnt will be applied later in our studies, at work and in our life. That's the purpose of learning.

Thus, with Ramadhan, everything that we had consistently did for a month, do we just want to forget about it after Ramadhan ends??? All those efforts...will be a waste if we just leave them like that.

Like I said before, we don't know if the 'ibadah' will be accepted by Allah. So, we have to continue to do what we did during Ramadhan to gain rewards even after the blessed month of Ramadhan. If I remember correctly, in one of the hadeeth, it says the best act of worships are those done consistently ('istiqamah').

You can also imagine Ramadhan as a training arena for us to prepare for the rest 11 months until Ramadhan next year, insyaAllah..Let us be like a caterpillar that will turn into a beautiful butterfly at the end of Ramadhan..yeay!

So, let us be steadfast in this religion and in our 'ibadah'. InshaAllah, everything I wrote is mainly a reminder for me, and it will be great if they can be a reminder for you too..^_^

ps: oh, btw..i'm still fasting today. Melbournians are celebrating the eid tomorrow..how lucky are we to get another day with Ramadhan..:) Happy Eid Mubarak!!

i wanna be like..

I wanna be like Siti Khadijah, who was a super woman. Great in doing household chores and taking care of her family, a great wife to Prophet Muhammad SAW, as well as being a great businesswoman..totally inspiring.

I wanna be like Aishah binti Abu Bakar who was a great woman and a great wife to the Prophet SAW. She was a bright and intelligent woman and had a formidable memory. She transmitted many hadeeth and even the Companions would ask Aishah on any difficult matters. She was a great teacher and had a very clear and persuasive manner of speech.

I wanna be like Abu Bakar, who was a mild and gentle person but stern when necessary. Known as As-Siddiq. A great leader and a great companion to the Prophet SAW. And, one of his good deeds are as much as the stars in the sky. MashaAllah!

I wanna be like Umar Al-Khattab who was a strong, courageous and fearless man before and after accepting Islam. He was known as Al-Farouq and his power and strength had help Islam to stand against the musyrikin. His faith is so strong that even the shaytan will walk the other road if they see him. When he passed away, Ibn Mas'ud said nine-tenth of all knowledge vanished with him. That knowledge is the knowledge on Allah.

I wanna be like Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud who knew about the Qur'an more than anyone else. Allah has given him the talent to recite and understand the Qur'an to the extent that the Prophet directed his Companions to follow his example. He was also a brave man. He was the first person to recite the Qur'an aloud to the Quraish.

I wanna be like Uthman bin 'Affan who was a wealthy man. He was a generous and extremely kindhearted man and looked upon his wealth as a means of helping others. He was also the first person to give up his hearth and home for the cause of Allah. Tears used to roll down his face because of his fear of Allah and he was a strict follower of the sunnah of the Prophet.

I wanna be like Mus'ab bin Umayr who stay firm in his faith even though his mother stand against him. Whose faith and good personality had helped in the spreading of Islam in Madinah. He gave up his luxury and wealthy life in the cause of Allah.

I wanna be like Ali bin Abi Talib who was very brave to sleep in the place of the Prophet during the migration to Madinah. He was the hero of many battle fought in the lifetime of the Prophet SAW. He was a good judge too and the other three caliph agreed he was the best among them.

These are one of the many role models that I look up to. Reading their stories amazed me and there are still lots of other stories of the Companions that I haven't read yet.

What about you? ^______^

O Ramadhan!

One more day till I can see you..:) I'm truly excited! This time, it will be the second time I meet you in Aussie..^_^ wee!

Ramadhan is a blessed month where all our good deeds will be rewarded more than any other month. So, what are you waiting for? Grab this opportunity! Read the Qur'an and try to finish it by the end of the month or do qiamullail or give money to charity or do zikr or basically do as many good deeds as possible. Cause we don't know if we'll ever see Ramadhan again.

They say Ramadhan is a month for us to prepare ourselves, to equip us with enough strength to face the other 11 months. Because during this time, when the shaytan will be lock up in hell, it'll be easier for us to do good things..(insyaAllah..).

If you have been waiting for the right time to change, Ramadhan will be the best time of all. Let say if someone want to quit smoking, quit backbiting, quit slandering, start praying the sunnah prayer, start going to masjid, start doing sadaqah...everything will be bless by Allah..insyaAllah..=)

The most important thing I think is to be consistent in what we do and Allah said so in one of his hadith. We may think that what we did was only a small thing, like donating a 50 cent to a masjid everyday, but insyaAllah Allah will reward us generously with that.

So, let us savor the moment we'll have with Ramadhan this year. So we'll have no regret later. Are you ready? ^___________^

first step

There's always a first time for everything, agree? And most of the time, the first step is the most difficult step to take. It is the step that will determine if we can move forward and continue that journey or it is the step that will hold us back and put us in doubt.

I know, to try something new or be involved or committed with something takes a lot of courage and determination but once you feel the thrill and excitement in doing that thing, subhanAllah, amazing. Even more amazing if we're doing it in the cause of God..

Remember when we were cute lil' babies trying to learn how to walk? Nahh,,of course you don't remember..but from watching those cute lil' babies learning how to walk, can we imagine that was us twenty-one years ago..? [well, for me lah. not sure bout u..oh, dah tua la jugak rasenye..=_=]

So, babies fall down and cry. But, do they give up? Did we give up once upon a time, a long, long time ago? Nope, right? cause if we did give up, how on earth did we learn how to walk now?

Because we have that determination and the support from the people around us. And of course from Allah..^_^

My dear friends, if you feel and think it's the right thing to do and it is not against Allah's command, why not try and take the first step? Cause who knows what's in store for us in the future. Open your eyes, open your hearts and pray that Allah guide us in the right way because Allah said in the Qur'an in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 216.."....and it maybe that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know".

Still learning and always will be. Reminding myself before others~

warm winter

Salam to all..=) It has been a long time since I wrote the last post. Winter break almost come to an end. Another week to go..and a new semester will start.

I don't want winter to end. Don't get me wrong, it's not because of the coldness of the weather but because of the warmness of the hearts..=)

I've met lots of new friends this winter and become closer to those I've met last year. And I can say that I finally feel the "sweetness of ukhuwah" that everyone have been saying. SubhanAllah, amazing..^_^

And I'm very thankful to Allah for not giving up on me and continue to give me guidance to the straight path to Jannah.

All these while, I think I've been doubting myself and unsure of certain things, but it's becoming clearer now, Alhamdulillah. And I pray to Allah I can stay strong.

One verse in the Qur'an that really stuck in my heart is Surah Al-Hajj (22: 77-78).

"Believers, worship your Lord, bow down and prostrate yourselves before Him and do virtuous deeds so that perhaps you will have everlasting happiness. Strive steadfastly for the Cause of God. He has chosen you but has not imposed hardship in your religion, the noble religion of your father, Abraham. God named you Muslims before and in this Book, so that the Messenger will witness (your actions) and will be the witness over mankind. Be steadfast in your prayer, pay the religious tax, and seek protection from God; He is your Guardian, a gracious Guardian and Helper."

my heart ♥

Oh, the title reminds me of one of the famous Indonesian song during my days in boarding school. Raise your hand if you know it! (well, of course I can't actually see your hand). The song is not really great vocally, but well, it kinda stuck in your head after hearing it for couple of times over and over again.

Anyway, that's not what I'm going to talk about.. It's about something else.

In one of the hadith,

Al-Numan bin Basheer narrated that he heard Prophet Muhammad SAW say,

"Surely there is in the body a small piece of flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and that is surely the heart" (Bukhari & Muslim)

Got it? So, I think right now, my whole body is just corrupted, cause my heart is. This heart is so full with envy, jealousy, anger, dissatisfaction, greed, hypocrisy..all sorts of things, you name it. I personally think our heart is the most difficult thing to control. When you are angry, you'll just be angry. Even though it's not shown physically but the real fact is you are angry deep down inside your heart. And with the continuous whispering from the shaytan just make it a lot worse, right?

Astaghfirullahalazim. Don't let our heart stray away. I always try to keep that in mind. Let's do this. Fight our nafs! Don't let our nafs control us! Be a mujahideen fighting with our inner self to keep on this straight path to Jannah!

I wonder how black my heart looks. I wonder if I can bleach my heart with 'clorox' or something to make it whiter and shinier. I want my heart to fill with love for Allah, for Prophet Muhammad SAW, for the messengers of Allah, for my family, my friends..Ya Allah, please help me..

Allah said in the Qur'an,

O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (the Qur'an, ordering all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that (disease of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences, etc.) in your breasts, a guidance and a mercy for the believers (Surah Yunus 10:57)

Those who believe and those whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest (Surah Ar-Ra'd 13:28)

Remember Allah and read the Qur'an. Yup, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Those are the remedies for this corrupted heart.

May Allah grant us with His blessings and guide us in His path towards Jannah. InsyaAllah..=)

Reminding myself before others~

don't know la..=_=

My father loves to give us a pop quiz randomly..about history, physics, chemistry to current issues, religious stuffs and general knowledge. You name it! And it will usually occur during our breakfast or lunch or dinner or in the car, anywhere. Our usual answer will be, "Ntah, tak tau..=_=". And his standard response in a sarcastic way to our answer will be, "Kalau tak tau buat ape? tengok kartun? citer korea?" erk..>__<. *dush2*

It amazes me that my father knows about a lot of things. The things that he learnt during his school days, are still fresh in his mind and he knows about lots of things! [this might sound like I'm promoting my dad, but who cares, he is super cool! ^__^]. One of the many things that my father loves to do is reading. Lots of books that sometimes I wonder if he did finish reading all of them [of course he did..=P].

I do loves reading, I pick it up after him I guess =). I can finish reading a thick book with hundreds of pages in a day. "Impressive", you might or might not say. But, before you get the wrong idea, that is in the case of a novel, a story. Not an educational one..=_=". If you come to my house, you'll see these collection of books, mostly novels, from Meg Cabot, Danielle Steel, Jodi Piccoult, Sophie Kinsella, JK Rowling and lots more. There are educational books like the Disney's Encylcopedia and these series of "I wonder why" which I don't think I've finished reading all of them as compared to Harry Potter series which I've managed to read all the 7 books 2 times.

Knowledge are meant to be seek. It doesn't come naturally. We did not wake up one day, and we suddenly know everything about the "Chebyshev Inequality" or "Gordon's growth of perpetuity model" [Mr Google is there if you need them ;)]. We need to find and learn about this stuffs in order to understand them. Even geniuses, I think, have to put effort in learning about something.

Anyway, my point is, seek knowledge. As much as you can. The typical answer, "Ntah, tak tau lah.." should be changed to, "Oooh, I don't know about that. I will look it up after this" (^____^). The positive spirit to learn about something new should be there, cause there are many interesting, exciting and wonderful things that we are yet to discover. Reading is one of the medium to learn about these new things. Even the very first revelation from Allah to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for all of us was to Read!

Here's a snippet of the translation of Surah Al-'Alaq:

Read! in the name of your Lord who created all things, He created man from a clot of blood. Read! Your Lord is the most Honorable One, who, by the pen, taught the human being; He taught the human being what he did not know. Despite this, the human being still tends to rebel, because he thinks that he is independent. However, all things will return to you Lord.....(Al-'Alaq 96:1-8)

MashaAllah, amazing isn't it? Allah asked us to read, of course, it makes sense! Because His guidance to us are written in a book, The Holy Qur'an for us to read.

The culture of reading, I noticed, is widely practiced here in Australia, be it the businessmen, the construction workers or even the skateboarders love to read. While waiting the tram, while drinking coffee in the cafe, while in the tram, while lying down on the grass, while sitting on the bench.. most of these Aussies will have a book in their hand to read.

I wish this culture can be adapted in my home country. So, instead of gossiping or sitting there doing nothing, why don't we grab a book and read? Or even better, read the Qur'an with translation if you don't understand arabic. If you say, "Nah, it's too bulky/heavy", we have these smartphones and gadgets that have apps for books right? and the Qur'an with translation nowadays came in various of sizes that can be carried around easily. It may seem a bit awkward at first. Maybe we are conscious at what people might say about us being a nerdy or weird. But guess what? Who cares? As long as we get the benefit and doesn't harm other people, why all the worries? Like the Aussies favourite quote, "No worries mate!". Sometimes, we think too much about what other people think and we forgot about what really matters.

So, back to my personal problems.. I'm now trying to channel my love of reading from reading something that is not really beneficial to something that can increase my knowledge and my faith in Allah..insyaAllah =)

Wait a minute, those readings actually helped me somehow to improve my English but not beneficial spiritually, of course. heh. =_=. My love of writing also developed from one of the books that I've read.

Hmmm, anyway, my point is find your passion to read and seek knowledge! [heh, macam promote untuk kempen membaca la pulak..=P]. Happy reading!! ^_^

Strike while the iron is hot

Once there was a blacksmith and a young man who wanted to become his apprentice. The eager young man watched closely on how the blacksmith worked. When it's the time for the young man to do the job, he did perfectly from the beginning until after the iron had been put in the fire and at the point when the iron needs to be strike to attain the desired shape. He tried few times to do it but ended up not being able to shape the iron. He put it again in the fire, and tried it again, but with no luck. The blacksmith came to the frustrated young man and said, "Do you know that you have to strike the iron at the right time to shape it? Once you're late, you'll not be able to do it."
That's the story behind the phrase. I did not know that till I read it in a book which is called "Life is an Open Secret: Think About It" by Zabrina A. Bakar. I did paraphrase the story and change it here and there, so it's not plagiarism..:)hehe.

So, what about this phrase that I want to talk about?
About opportunities of course(duh!). Our Prophet Muhammad also reminded us about these opportunities that we have in our life in this hadith:

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet (pbuh)said, "Grab five things before five others: Your youth before decrepitude, your health before your illness, you wealth before your poverty, your leisure before your work, and your life before your death." (Al-Hakim)

MashaAllah. Very true indeed. [oh, i can hear u sing the raihan song. yes, i can..;)]

Let us think about it. Youth before decrepitude, or in other easier word to understand youth before old. So, what are the opportunities in our youth that we need to grab before becoming old? Yes, a lot.. I know. I remember most people will say.."Masa muda ni lah nak enjoyyyy.." Right? I agree, enjoy our youth. Do what we want to do. Enjoy every minute of it. But with what? It's the same with other four opportunities that are listed above. If we say, "Time skarang nilah

nak enjoy habis2, nanti dah tua aku insaflah gi masjid".. Sounds familiar? Yes, it's a mindset to some people that only when we grow old that we want to change to be a better person. But, here's the catch.. Are we sure that we'll have the chance to grow old? We do not know when we'll die, right?(life before death).. Or maybe one day, we'll be sick and bedridden...(Health before illness).... Is it too late at that time? Think about it.

Let us go back to once upon a time, a long, long time ago. Do you remember Sultan Muhamad Al Fateh, who successfully conquered Constantinople at the age of 21! *dush* How old am I again? Almost 21. What have I achieved so far? *dush* How many precious time that I've wasted doing nothing benefit at all..*dush*dush*

Why do we need to grab the opportunities? Because like the blacksmith said once we missed the chance, we will not be able to shape the iron. That tiny bit of chance. Like, when you have a lifelong dream to do something, and suddenly that opportunity is right in front of u..or Like, when God give us a flick in our heart (hidayah) and He open up a pathway for us to change.. to be a better person.. Grab it. Strike while the iron is hot. Don't miss the opportunity cause we might not get it again or it might be harder in the future. Go for it!!! Yes, take the first step..InsyaAllah, He will show you the way and ease your path especially if our niat is for Allah.

"O you who believe, if you help God, He will help you and make you steadfast in your faith" (Surah Muhammad, 47:7)

InsyaAllah, this is a reminder for me who's still learning and hopefully will be beneficial for you too..;)

Dare to be different

Imagine this situation.

You have a party to attend, and you dressed up specially for the event. When you walked through the door, suddenly everyone is staring at you. You were shocked and embarrassed as well. You looked around the room, everyone else are dressed formally while you are dressed as a pumpkin! You taught it was a costume party! If it was a costume party, no one would take a second look at you as everyone else will wear costumes too. But, in this case, you stand out from everybody else and every people stared at you like you came from another planet. Some even laughed at you. Just because, you are different than everybody .

That's the case where you involuntarily i.e you didn't know about the details of the party and thus, you didn't actually choose to be different. How about when you already know that it's a formal party and you still wear the costume? Because you just like to wear it and you've been wearing it to other events as well.

Well, the example, seems a bit hyperbolic [who would wear a pumpkin costume?].

But still I hope I made my point clear....hee..

Being different make us stand out from others. Being different makes people noticed.

So, it's not necessarily bad to be different. For example, in the case of doing an interview for a job. Hundreds of applicants will be applying the same position. Everybody has the same qualification and the same passion for the job. So, how do the interviewer make the choice? They'll choose someone that has something different from others.

Now let us relate this to being a Muslim. It's obvious when we go to the country where Muslims are not the majority, Muslims will stand out from others especially Muslim women because of our hijab. But, does that mean we have to be embarrassed with our difference? No. Instead, it's something that we should be proud of. We should be proud to say that we are Muslim to the whole world [This reminds of the story, "My name is Khan, and I'm not a terrorist"...hee...^^]. Our hijab is our identity and that made us special and different from others. Instead of feeling like it's an obligation, I think we should think that it's a present from Allah to make us feel special cause we are different. Different in a good way :)

I had few encounters where people asked me why I wear the hijab. And it makes me feel proud to tell them that I'm a Muslim. One of them didn't even know that Islam exist. The person thought I'm wearing hijab because of my culture. To me, that's the valuable experience when studying overseas. I can say that the experience here made me appreciate Islam more. It also open up my eyes and see Islam from a different perspective.

I admit, when I first came here, I felt awkward about praying in the open place in front of other people. I felt awkward trying to make wudhu on the sink. I felt conscious about what people

would think of me when I walk into class because I look different from everybody else . Now, Alhamdulillah, I feel more comfortable in doing all those things. And I'm happy that indirectly we can also spread Islam to other people .

[image taken from here]

Dilemma

I don't like being pull in two directions. You know, like you have to choose between two things..=_=

Both are equally important, but how do you make the right choice? Haishh..

For days, I've been trying to look for some answers. In Kuliah Selasa yesterday, they talk about taking risk and making decision. And there's this verse in the Qur'an which said,

..And when you have come to a decision place your trust in God alone, for He loves those who place their trust in Him (Al-'Imran 3:159)

Ya Allah, give me your guidance for indeed I am helpless without your help. At a time like this, I wish somebody could do the decision for me. But that's not the way it is. People always said, "Follow your heart". Can someone please teach me how to follow our heart? [I knowwww, it's not something that can be taught.] I'm just curious to see if someone has a solution..hee. Do let me know if you do :)

It's been pretty hectic for me these days. Endless stream of assignments. Thank God, I have no mid-sem test except for one subject. And the assignments, two of them are group assignments, so, it's pretty complicated since we had to collaborate together with other group members. It's hard to find a common time for all of us to sit together and discuss the assignments. That's the challenge I guess. Another thing is, when you are busy preparing for tutorials and doing your assignments, you can hardly find a time for you to do your independent studies. Yup, that's my problem right now,, I need extra TIME!!! =_= [Again, I'm asking for something impossible..heh]

Enough with my rambling. Sorry, this is just one of my way of getting out the feelings that I have. Hmm, in the end, I still have a decision to make!! Wish me the best! ^_^

story of honest people :)

I've not always bees so careless..(at least, i don't think i am >_<)

But, lately I've been clumsy and careless..=_=

One evening,two weeks ago, I lost my phone at the university tennis court.

I think it slipped off my bag or my pocket. After finished playing, I went around and looked for it.

But, I couldn't find it. So, I decided to just go home. My coach asked me if there's anything wrong, and I told him about my lost phone. He said he'll helped me look for it. I thanked him, and I walked back home.

I can't actually described my feeling. I know the phone is not as valuable as an iPhone or Blackberry.

I sort of feel a bit uneasy but not really depressed about it. I don't like to stress myself. So, I thought to myself that if the worst case happen, I'll just use my other phone that I brought from Malaysia. I don't know why but I had a strong feeling that somebody will find the phone.

At home, I tried to phone my lost phone few times hoping that somebody will hear the ringing and found it. And later that night, I told my mother about it. My mother of course was worried and asked me if I already cancelled the sim card. And, I actually forgot to do that =_=. And I said I'll call the company next morning as it was already late at night. My mom persuade me to call them that night, as she's afraid somebody might stole the phone and use it.

So, I tried to phone the customer service, but as I suspected nobody answered. So, I decided to just call next morning. Next morning, I went to class and during the break, I called the customer service again but, no answer..heh. To save the trouble and not wasting time waiting for them to answer, I decided to just go to the shop and cancel the sim card there after I finished class. So, I was on my way to the shop when I suddenly thought of going to the sport centre first to see if somebody had found the phone. I went to the counter and asked the lady there. Andddd,,,Alhamdulillah,,,thank God...an honest person, had found it and gave it to them..:) At that time, I'm just thankful to Allah and glad that there's still an honest person in this world. I know how lucky I am because I lost my phone once and I never got it back..

Another story is about the similar experience but it was not my phone this time. It was something more valuable than that.

I was at the ERC to do my assignment. I borrowed the laptop from the counter and sat at a table to do my assignment. We can borrow the laptop up to 3 hours, and as I had no class that morning, I sat at the ERC for almost 3 hours. As I went to return the laptop to the counter, I saw on the counter a pink purse. I was quite shocked as it looked the same as mine, and I looked twice from far and yup, that definitely looked exaclty like my purse. I checked at my bag, oh crap..I lost my purse and I didn't even realised it was MISSING!!!!!!!! (>_____<)"

I said to the person at the counter, "Ermm,,I think that's mine". She didn't look really convincing as I said it really casually. So, she checked my ID with my driving license in the wallet. And yup, sure enough..it was indeed my purse.. She said to me, "You are really lucky." I said thanks to her and I walked away as I was so quite shocked from the experience. It was happening really fast. Now, I feel really bad as I should really thanked that person or whoever that found the purse. When I was walking away to my class, it really hit me that it would be really bad if I lost the purse. Inside the purse was almost everything..ID, money, debit card..and all sort of valuable things. As compared to my phone, I valued my purse more. I'm really, really thankful at that time. This is another way of Allah showing me to be thankful and grateful for Him, and for the honest person that still exist in this world.

One important lesson that I learnt from here is that, we know Allah watch over everything that we're doing and He will always take care of us..but, we should not take granted of what we have. Of course we know nothing will happen without the will from Allah. But first, we must put an effort to do our best, tawakkal and put trust in Him. Just like a hadith I once heard..

One day Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it and he asked the Bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in Allah.” The Prophet then said, “Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah” (At-Tirmidhi).

I'll be more careful next time,,InshaAllah. And hopefully you can learn something too.

a thought, a reminder

Day by day, we're alarmed by horrific and sad news from all over the world.

Let me recall few weeks back to the big flood in Queensland, cyclone yasi in Queensland too, then the earthquake in Christchurch, and floods I heard in some parts of Malaysia. And then this earthquake plus tsunami in Japan.

Some might say, "Oh that's just the nature of the world" [somewhere along the line.]

But, to those who believed in God, will know that it's a sign. A warning perhaps from our Creator.

These things happen, to wake us up.. to show us that He is the Greatest and He will make things happen if He wanted to. Just like what He did to all the perished nations of 'Ad, Tsamud and others. We might think, "Oh, this is just a small sign. We still have lots of time till the Day of Judgement." But, the truth is, it can happen this Friday. If Allah wanted to, He will make it happen.

Okay, you might think..."This Friday? I still have few more days. To amend my mistakes and make my taubah." But, maybe tomorrow, the next minute, or the next second, Allah can take our life away in the blink of an eye..even before the Day of Judgement. At that time, we realised, if only..if only Allah give me more time..to make good deeds, to make my taubah, to be a better muslim..it's too late. It's too late.

I'm writing this to myself. To remind myself of those time I wasted. Maybe, this will help to remind you too. That our time left in this world is really, really short. Make the BEST from what's left in this world and prepare ourselves for the hereafter. InshaAllah.

"Lord, guide us to the right path, the path of those to whom You have granted blessings, those who are neither subject to Your anger nor have gone astray." (Al-Fatihah :6-7)

one at a time

Sometimes,

when there seems to be lots of things to be done,

take a deep breath and take one step at a time.

Stressing out is neither good to you nor will it get things done.

Another key point is patience.

One day, everything will turn out to be alright.

One day, everything will fall back into places.

One at a time :)

In the mean time,

put a big smile on your face..

and pray for God's help to ease our pathway.

Cause He won't burden us beyond our capability.

Get those brain works and your hands dirty,

solving one problem at a time.

An extra hand is always helpful.

Faster and easier.

Less things to worry about

and bigger smile on our faces..^_^

today my life begins

Wake up and look out your window. What did you see?

I see, blue orangish sky with soft fluffy cloud.

I bet everybody can also see this during the sunrise.

No matter where, no matter when..sunrise is the same everywhere in the world.

I think waking up to see the sunrise is the best way to start the day.

Along with a cup of warm coffee or tea. Or in my case, milk..:P and some biscuits.

It would be perfect if I can hear the birds chirping, but the moment I step outside..

brrrr..it's freezingggg..! btw, it's summer.(o_O")

Looking through my window, I can't help but thinking..

If everyone wake up and watch the sunrise,

and really appreciate the peacefull-ness and the tranquility..

the world would be a better place.

Instead of waking up and thinking about the evil plan to destroy the world and innocent people,

their mind would forget about it, and begin their day with calmness in their heart.

Don't you think so?

[or maybe those people don't sleep at all and busy plotting their evil master plan

and forgot to appreciate God's creation.]

Anyway, Alhamdulillah, praise Allah the Almighty for giving us another day to live..

to see this beautiful sunrise, to appreciate His creation, to begin my life..:)

Hopefully, you will too.

[the view from my window]

[on the airplane back to Melbourne. the best view ever..:)]

things do happen for a reason

what have i been saying all these while? look up at the welcome note.

yup. things do happen for a reason.

you never actually believed that until it did happen to you, right?

well, i think i've experienced this in these few weeks.

let me tell you a story.

first thing, back in malaysia, i received an sms saying my flight on the 15th of february had been cancelled due to some reasons. so, airasia said that we can rebook the flight at any date that i want without any extra fees. so, i was quite shocked and a lil bit angry as well.

then, the next thing i know, i'm moving out from my apartment in melbourne. so, i have to find a new house before 14 feb.

and then, there's some issue with my studies which i have to resolve as soon as possible.

so, that's why i end up going back to melbourne earlier since the previous flight i've booked has been cancelled.

i also end up getting on the same flight as my cousin.

as a result of going back to melbourne earlier, i managed to find a new house, settled in and resolved my issues.

plus, i got to go to the Australian Open! and experienced the summer in Melbourne!

see, things do happen for a reason. sometimes, the reason that we never expected :P

so, when things doesn't seem to go the way that we planned..don't be too disappointed as better things might happen in the future as a result of the event.

so, people..cheer up! :)

:)

Can't believe that I've finished my first year already!
And I'm officially on break for three months.
that's a longgg holiday..

How did my exam go?
hmm, you know me.
Once I've finished my exam, I don't talk about it..
I did my best, we'll just see the result..:)
Right now I can just pray n tawakal to Allah.

People always say that I'm a very optimistic person.
To me, I just think that.. why wasting time being pessimistic?
Don't you think that it will only be a burden to your heart..
that you'll constantly worrying about something??

Why not look forward for something else in the future..
rather than worrying about the past?
Cause we definitely can't go back to the past,,
instead, we'll encounter the future..insyaAllah.

But, of course, we have to learn from the past..
and make adjustments for your future.
Just like if you fall, you'll get back up again!
You may have some injuries when you fall, you may cry if it hurts..
but, that'll make you even stronger.

Remember when you were small,
I don't know for you but I did fall once in a while..
and I got minor bruises and cuts. I even got some stitches on my forehead.
And I also remember, I'll cry or wail or scream to be exact.
because when I was that little, it probably really hurts to get a minor cut on your knee.
but then, after my mom put some cute "handiplus" on it.
I'll be up running again. Like nothing had happened..;)

Do you realise, that as we get older,
if we get a cut or some bruises, we didn't cry or scream like a little kid anymore?
Why? because we're stronger than before.
because we've experienced a bigger pain than just a little cut on our knee.
So, why can't we just get up and spring back to life when something bad happened?

Anyway, these are just my train of thoughts..You can like it or hate it
and I don't really care.:P
Oh and here somethings I wanna share too. I think I've wrote this before.

"Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope... " (Al-Baqarah:286)

Till then, have a great day..:D

three more days

Three more days, and it's done..*big grin*
But, in the mean time, still need to study..i have a lot more to cover..=_=*sigh*
but, the feeling of excitement is just so overwhelming inside me...*another big grin*
there are lots of things going on inside my brain..kih2.
Lots of things need to be done before going back to Malaysia.
Now that I think about it, it's kinda sad leaving Australia..hehe. Don't get me wrong, I do miss Malaysia.:)
Most of my seniors are going back to Malaysia for good this year.
Although we've only known each other for not even a year, they are much like my own family, like big sisters that I've always wanted..spoiling their little sisters.*grinning*
It's sad that we weren't able get to know each other more. But, I learnt a LOT from them.
I'm gonna miss them A LOT.
I feel that time past by too fast. It seems like just yesterday I arrived in Melbourne but now, I almost finished my first year..
I hate saying goodbyes, but I want to wish them all the best in their future undertakings.
Some of them are getting married end of this year, which is so exciting..It's like your own big sisters are getting married. How exciting is that? :P

But you know, time wait for no one. Friends come and go, but the 'ukhuwah' will still be strong, InsyaAllah..That's all that I can hope for.

i'm truly impressed

Have you watched the finale of Junior MasterChef?? If you did..then, you know what I'm talking about.
Man,, I'm so jealous. I was a bit sad my favourites are not the finalist..but, it doesn't really matter cause I love Jack n Isabella too. They were really awesome! Truly great cook. Isn't it amazing that at such young age, they already know what they want to do in the future?? and they really..really had a go for it..?
Well, let me tell you something, when I was a kid, you know we had to fill up those some sort of report card or something at school..and they asked you to list down the top three list of what we want to be when we grow up. Do you have that? or is it only in my school? Anyway, u must have thought about it when you were a kid right?? And I remembered one of the things I wrote was to be a contractor [this is hugely inspired by my dad of course.what can i say, i'm daddy's little girl ;)] and what else..hmm.maybe a teacher or something.. I'm sure all of you had wanted to be something when you were a kid..an astronaut, a doctor, a fireman, a policeman, a superman..yup, you know that..:D

That day I called my mom and we chat a lil' and then our conversation came across this.

Mama : Mama ingat lagi dulu yan pernah cakap kat mama nak keje kat SAJ bile dah besar..kan? [btw, SAJ is Syarikat Air Johor]
Me : Haha,,, ye ke? tu bukan ira ke? [ i seriously didn't remember this.:P]
Mama : Ye la kot. Eh, entah la..antara korang dua orang la..
Me : Haha. Ntahlah yan pun xingat.heheh. maybe kot. *more giggling*

So, my point is..kids have their own interpretation of what they want to do when they grow up. And mostly they will be influenced by the people around them, by the one they look up to. It's pretty funny to think about those old days..[haish,,feeling pretty old already.=_=]

Back to the masterchef thing. Yup, they make me feel like I'm moving in a senseless direction. I mean, I'm not even sure what I want to be. If you said to me do what you love to do.. then I'll say I love to do so many things..drawing, scribbling, designing things, reading, writing, being a part of an organizing team, helping people, volunteering, getting to know other people, traveling, taking pictures, baking, cook a lil bit,..and the list goes on and on.. :P See, I'm confused with all these vast interest I had...and I truly don't know to go in which direction.
That's when Allah came to help. He knows what best for us. Of course, Allah wants the best for us or else, why would He create us?
But, to get His help, we must pray and obey His orders, right?

So, I'm depending on His guidance to what's best for me. We didn't know what's best for us. Just like one of the ayat in Al-Qur'an which I wrote so many times already..:)

"..and it maybe that you dislike a thing which is good for you and you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.." (Al-Baqarah:216)

What I can say is, we planned, we made an effort, but God make it happen. So, I'm here now in Aussie, studying in University of Melbourne. That happened for a reason. And for now, I'm gonna do my best in my studies.. no matter which route I took..even if I'm not sure what I want to do in the future..I know Allah had planned something for me far ahead. And I just have to work for it with what I have now..:) Maybe I'll own a big company one day, who knows? haha.

This post is mainly about encouragement to those who still have their exams or who will take their exams in the near future..or who had already finished their exams..or who feel a bit down due to certain things..so, hope this post will give you something to ponder upon..cheers! ;)

i'm losing it

no, i'm not losing my mind..[alhamdulillah for that.] i'm losing my focus. haish.=_="
there are three more papers to go! come on fairuz!! macroeconomics was sort of okay i guess.
my definition of okay here means..i survived through the exam..so, that's a good sign, rite?

the next paper will be on tuesday and wednesday morning..which will be the accounting and linear algebra exams. [wish me luck!] looks like i'm gonna celebrate my 'hari raya qurban' with my head buried in the exam papers..:( in this building..
oh, btw, that's where my examinations take place.the name is Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Garden next to Melbourne Museum. pretty cool rite?? though actually, those flowers are not there right now.[that's too bad.] but,it still looks pretty cool :). most of the melbourne uni students took the exams here..so, u can imagine how many of us will be swarming in front of the building before the exams start..and when the invigilators call out to go inside..we will be rushing to go inside and finding our seats..settling down..arranging pencils or pens on the table..calming down..it's a pretty good experience i must say.

when we finished the paper..for me, no matter how the exams went..good or bad..after stepping outside from the building..i'll feel calm and relax looking at the trees and flowers outside the building..subhanallah..:D
and to complement with the feelings..a cone of ice cream will be a great choice..so, we'll stop by at il dolce which sells the best ice cream u'll ever taste :D that's the part of the exams experience which i like so far...ehheh..\(^.^)/

anywayyyy...enough bout exams.
i can't wait to go back home.seriously. and to go to brissy!
my sisters are all back from their hostels. huu..

it's okay.it's okay. take a deep breath..phewhhh..
put a big smile..:) yes, i'm alright now. v(^.^) peace!