6 Syawal 1433H

Sekejap saja dah hampir seminggu Syawal berlalu. Dan... diam tak diam dah kali kelima beraya bersama suami tersayang :) Pelbagai kenangan suka duka ditempuhi dalam masa yang dipinjamkan Allah ini. Tahun ini, terasa agak terkejar-kejar beraya.Awal pagi darling hubby dah tak sabar2 nak ke masjid. Memang kali ini pertama kali dapat tempat yang strategik kedudukannya. Tapi panjang lebar pula segala ucapan termasuk ucapan politik sebelum sembahyang raya. Tahun lepas sampai-sampai jer terus angkat tangan untuk takbir. Sampai di  rumah, sesi fotografi seperti biasa. Dalam hiruk-pikuk mengumpulkan keluarga yang besar untuk bergambar, terlupa belum bersalam sesama sendiri. Anak-anak buah jer yang bersalam sebab dapat duit raya :) Raya kali ini panas betul. Jangkaan hujan di pagi raya tidak berlaku. Hanya pada malam raya kedua baru lah hujan. Dapat berkunjung ke beberapa buah rumah saudara-mara hubby. Yang berkunjung ke rumah MIL pun ramai juga. Nak beraya dengan kawan-kawan, kenalah tunggu masing2 balik dari kampung.

Raya ke-empat dah sampai di KL. I don't feel well sebab cuti-cuti Malaysia dah lewat. Ingatkan tak sempat nak solat Aidilfitri. Alhamdulillah diberi kesempatan tahun ini. Sampai2, perkara pertama ialah audit pokok2 yang ditinggalkan. Nampak semua masih OK. Kemudian terus pengsan selepas kepenatan beberapa hari beraya. Hubby lah yang terlebih penat memandu but on the way back I insisted on driving half-way. Sudah lah penat memandu, badan sakit2 sebab malamnya balik pukul 3 pagi main futsal dengan anak2 buah. Lepas diurut, memang lena hubby tidur. The next day I don't feel well. Terasa dada congested and ada lung inflammation. I can feel it. Handphone pula buat hal freeze on boot up screen. Actually dari semalam lagi but too tired to deal with it the day before. Sigh! Decided to do factory reset. Habis lah previous setting, tak dapat nak install macam2 lagi.

My brother came for a visit last night. Talking about our life makes me think of how difficult life has been to all our siblings. Masing2 ada cerita yang tersendiri dan cabaran yang berat untuk membesar dan jadi kami sekarang. Memang kesian dengan kami adik-beradik. Semua menumpang kasih dengan keluarga spouse masing2. Emak dengan emosinya yang tersendiri, abah dengan keluarganya. Raya pertama kami memang bukan dengan mereka. TQ hubby for being there and TQ to hubby's family for being there. Raya kali ini ada siblings hubby yang sebut2 entah dapat beraya dengan mak dan babah atau tidak tahun depan. Kalau mereka tiada, bagaimana agaknya suasana raya. Sementara mereka masih ada, hargailah masa ini.

Hari ini, dada masih tak OK. Berehat jer di rumah. And my handphone freezes again. This time due to SD card problem. After factory reset and SD card format, seems that internal storage masa root the phone last time, masih OK at slightly less than 2GB. Alhamdulillah... ingatkan dah habis virtual memory semua kena reformat. Tapi dah tak kuasa nak download macam2. Haritu banyak download photo editing apps untuk edit gambar raya before it freezes. Below is a photo with hubby, MIL and FIL. Merekalah tempat menumpang kasih.

Dan untuk imbasan tahun2 sebelum ini, related blog entries below. Cuma tahun lepas tiada entry untuk Hari Raya. Terasa rugi pulak bila tidak ada entri sebagai kenangan. Hanya gambar yang ada. Pada tahun 2009 pula, puas dicari gambar tapi tak jumpa. Memang tak sihat sangat pada raya tahun tu. Read the blog entry for more details.

Raya 2011 - no entry
Raya 2010
Raya 2009
Raya 2008

Semoga diberi kesempatan untuk beraya bersama the big family again next year. InsyaAllah AidilAdha nanti pun akan berkumpul lagi. Memang seronok berkumpul beramai-ramai. Walaupun jika dikira my family besar juga, tapi after university life, di rumah cuma dengan emak and my youngest brother. First brother has his own place. Itulah keluarga kami for several years. Sekarang... susah nak cerita. Semoga diberi kesempatan untuk memperbaiki keadaan my family.

At Home

Kelatnyer mata. Almost didn't wake up for sahur. I still haven't finished my drinks and take my vitamins when I heard the azan. Alhamdulillah managed to eat rice with asam pedas tetel (courtesy of SIL... iftar at her place yesterday), kurma and 4/5th glass of barley drinks. Last night I thought I didn't feel sleepy at all but I fell asleep almost immediately after my head touches the pillow. Woke up at 5:31 on my second alarm. First alarm went off at 5:00.

Alhamdulillah my 4 days training is over. The participants managed to participate and not fall asleep in class. A feat in fasting month and some were said to have broken their record by coming early to class to collect group points. Though they are unable to present in English due to poor command of the language, I have to laud them for good attitude. I'm talking about Gen Y here and I find them eager to learn, to do something, we just have to push the right button. My pity goes to them for education system that fails to prepare them for life.

Hubby sent me to the hotel on Monday. I thought the training will be conducted at the same place. Turned out training venue was more than 15kms away. Hubby has to be in Gombak by 9 the next morning. After thinking of possible scenarios, decided to drive back home and for me to drive to training venue after subuh next day. The hotel gave us a room that has not been cleaned despite us arriving there around 5pm. Beria tulis check out by 12 or RM50 charge per hour after that and check in after 3. Takkan tak sempat kemas. We were given another room after we complained. The room is big but no warmth. Feels very stark and sterile though the bedsheet didn't look very clean.

It took me about 1 hour to reach the venue next day. Not bad at all despite the distance. Stuck in KL jam may take even longer than that. After class, hunt for petrol station (drove more than 20km) and found one which happens to be quite near to highway. Dari penat terus rasa melayang sampai rumah. The thought of the stark hotel and iftar alone...rumah and hubby melambai2. Reached home around 7.

Next day, hubby decided to spend the night with me at the hotel. He surprised me by waiting infront of my room. TQ abang :) We were on the phone when I was driving back to hotel and he said he's somewhere in Shah Alam heading to Klang for iftar with unknown person. Hmmmpphhh... geram hubby tak nak cakap dengan siapa. Rupa2nya dah depan pintu :) We have the option of iftar at the hotel but not wanting to support overeating and wastefulness of Ramadhan buffet, decided to buy food at Pasar Ramadhan. Our first Pasar Ramadhan this fasting month. Everything looks appetizing. Our Ramadhan buffet in bed was superb. Licin :) Eating on the cold floor was not an option... tak sanggup, so I lay down as many plastic bag I can find on the bed and spread our mini buffet. Alhamdulillah no waste and not overeating.

The day after, my last night at the hotel was the planned visit by hubby. This time we iftar at a restaurant with my niece. She suggested the restaurant. Not bad. The next morning I checked out and went to class and hubby returned to MLK. So in the end I didn't spend iftar and sahur alone at the hotel :) Alhamdulillah. I still do not want to repeat the experience next Ramadhan though. Local training only. Ni setakat 100-120kms boleh lah melayang2 balik.

The pic of cows obstructing the road on my way back yesterday. Hari melepaskan ternakan di jalanraya ker? They're everywhere. Definitely not something I see everyday :)

16th Ramadhan 1433

It is already 16th Ramadhan. Half way past the holy month. Seems like the days zap by like a lightning and there are still many things I need to improve on my ibadah. Shopping is not important, eating a feast is not important, Syawal preparation is not important... what is important is grabbing the opportunity to spend the days and nights praying, seeking knowledge, tadarrus and doing other good deeds. This is a reminder to myself. So far managed to spend iftar at home except once at Abah's place and once at hubby's client's place. Next week will be a different story but working is also ibadah. So "Selamat Berbuka" everyone.

The Opppsss Moments

Opppsss Moment 1

I had a meeting last two weeks with a potential client. The representatives from client company were both male and I attended the meeting with another male associate. The meeting went well Alhamdulillah. After discussing their training needs and how we can potentially serve them, we dispersed. I went to the ladies and that's when I saw it. Quite clearly, the lipstick mark on my forehead. Opppsss.... how on earth didn't I notice it earlier. I did look in the mirror at home. Probably the lighting wasn't as clear as in the ladies. I kissed hubby and hubby kissed forehead. Hence, the mark. Well... nothing can be done now. Just smile... wipe forehead and went to get my car. I just can't help but think how small and narrow the meeting table was so we are seated quite close to one another for them not to notice. Sigh! Unless of course if the lighting wasn't as bright. I think it was. Hmmm... Takper... takper... water under the bridge. I wore a badge of loving hubby :)

Opppsss Moment 2

I was too lazy to carry my big official looking diary and planner so I carried a small notepad that can fit in my handbag. I didn't give it much thought until I laid it on the table to write my thoughts. Opppsss... the picture of Winnie the Pooh on the cover. Will I be taken seriously using a notepad like that? Hmmm... quickly hide the cover.

Opppsss Moment 3

I bought a handbag during BIL and SIL's wedding last April. It was small and quite comfortable. I can carry most of my daily essentials without it looking too bulky. It was an emergency handbag bought for $70 because I thought my flowery casual handbag was unsuitable for wedding occasion. Probably nobody noticed and bothered but I just had that feeling and I have not bought any handbag for quite some time *good excuse :)* The workmanship of the handbag wasn't very good. The thread wasn't very smooth, some appears out of place here and there, but it'll do for now. The best I found at the shop that fits my need and criteria. During training, I normally carry my bigger handbag as it looks more formal for office wear. But I sometimes am too lazy to switch handbag and resorted to using the smaller one. Two days ago I noticed the strap is tearing off. It can probably last a few more months but a tattered looking handbag is not appropriate for office wear. Furthermore when it involves meeting clients. Sigh! Yesterday I put my handbag under the table. I had a meeting in Jalan Raja Laut. After the meeting I braved the crowd to shop at Sogo. It's Friday and feels like the weekend-after-salary. Didn't these people go to work. Ohhh... it's lunch time. No wonder. I walked about 3 rounds, few more at Carlo Rino and Sembonia area since they seem to have the nicest looking collection but didn't buy any. The color not right, the feel not right, the compartment not right and nothing seems to really fit the criteria of replacing the small handbag I have. Hmmm... maybe next round of shopping nearer to home.

Opppsss Moment 4

I said I didn't have anything that I really, really want on my Birthday Wish List. Suddenly a friend posted a nice looking bracelet on her FB wall. Alamak cantiknyerrr... Hmmm... I just bought a new pair of spectacles that costs $1370. Sigh! The shop assistant said dual lense 'memang' expensive. It's not ready yet. Should be by next week. Then I noticed two more spectacle shop that I have not been too. The thing is, the process of looking for a suitable frame takes some time, then customizing the lenses also takes time. I can't afford to do everything, then leave and try at another shop hoping that I might get a cheaper price elsewhere. Even finding the frame that hubby and I like is a real hassle. Take a deep breath... it is OK. This is an investment for my eyes. I've worn my old specs for like 6-7 years so it is really worth it if the new one can last that long.

My rooted Android also acting up last two days. It keeps rebooting itself. I hope it won't happen for too often. Wait till at least end of the year for it's second birthday and more models coming into the market :) Seems like things went from 'none of the above' to 'all of the above' on my birthday wish list. Sigh!

Opppsss Moment 5

I have prepared myself mentally to conduct outstation training Mon-Thu next week when I was informed it is actually Tue-Fri. Opppsss... all arrangements made with hubby just will not work anymore. Sigh! Berat betul nak berbuka and bersahur without hubby. Maybe next year kena berkeras no outstation training during Ramadhan. If it is just for two days, we can still probably manage. But four days are just too much for both of us, even during other times.