It's Not About The Money

Last night I was having dinner with my best friend and some crowd. One of them was saying about herself being cash-strapped, granted Allah s.w.t. doesn't rob her completely off money; and it brought me back to this experience I once had and I feel compelled to ink it down.

I was a teenager then, doing secondary school. My parents would provide me allowance on a monthly basis. Towards the end of a particular month, I was actually short of money. Maybe I had overspent it for shopping of some sort. But of course, knowing that I had the responsibility to keep my money in check, I shouldn't be asking my parents for extra. I didn't really feel like it at that time, anyway. I had very little money, but I knew I could still survive on that small amount, and it was during the last week of the month, anyway. Plus, school foods aren't expensive.

Then one day at the beginning of the week, I had a dream. Someone, or rather, something told me to open up the Quran to a certain surah, I can't remember which but I think it might have began with the letter 'F'.

When I woke up, I thought nothing of the dream. It was just a dream, wasn't it? Or was it just a dream? Okay, now I'm just confusing myself. Well, nevertheless, out of curiosity, I took out the Quran, and what should I have found there but MONEY! Money, I tell you! A solid RM15. Phew.

I was of course awe-stricken (from the word awe-struck LOL I'm not entirely sure if it can be changed to awe-stricken). So yes, somehow or rather, God (or could it have been Satan?) have helped me to go through the week not money-less. I feel... Well, until now I couldn't really put how I feel about that situation, but just purely flabbergasted.

Would you have taken the money or left it there? Would you think it's a trick... or treat? (LOL okay that was super lame).

Arrivederci.

Innocent & Pure

It's been way too long since I've blogged here, it took me about one minute to find the 'New Post' button. I wish I can find it in me to update my blog continuously. It's been like a tradition, to post one entry about how I haven't blogged and then post a random entry, which totals up to two entries per year. Maybe it's because I don't find it (blogging) satisfying, anymore. I mean, I still love writing, but, the thought of blogging just doesn't pop into my head anymore. Not because I don't respect my readers, but I like engaging in other things as well. A lot of other things. All the simple things. I find it hard to find the time to sit down and write. Usually nothing would come to mind. Ok, I'm rambling. Then tengok Nada asyik post blog, jealous pulak hahaha. I love you Nada :D

These days, however, I really can't find the time to blog. I've been working 9 to 9, Monday through Saturday, I actually love it haha. Balik rumah terus tidur. I suspect I'm capable of becoming a workaholic, just like my boss wants us to be haha. But I realized, I actually have the time 'within' my working hour to blog. Because, if I finish my task early and send it to me senior, they would always go, 'Wah so fast. Come I give you another work'. The truth is, I kind of have got the hang of some of it because I've learned a lot during my practical training. I thought for now, maybe I should appear to be the 'slow-learner' type. So today, I've decided to stall a little for a little bit of me-time.

Anyway, this entry is nothing entertaining. Just as a keepsake, so that I'll remember this particular moment for as long as humanly (and technologically) possible.

Last night, my family (all the Paks and Maks included) which totaled up to about 30 people, went to eat seafood at Jeram, Kuala Selangor. So first we went to Ibu's (Mak Long) house to gather. Then to go there we convoyed (is this a word?). So, everyone just rode in to whichever vehicle available. Ok ni tak penting.

Then bila nak balik, it was the same thing lah. My cousin, Zahirah, who is 2.5 years old, joined me again. So she sat with me. She was hyper as usual. Then, after most of the way, I suppose she got tired and sleepy. The kids played a lot at the restaurant as it had a mini playground. Then she curled up on me like a cat, with her head resting under my chin.

I said to her, 'Kak Huril sayang Zahirah...'. I said that because she's just so adorable haha. Then she said 'Zahirah sayang Kak Huril'. You know, she has that really soft voice that you only hear coming from certain graceful people. Not the annoying type at all. Then she asked pulak, 'Kak Huril sayang Zahirah?' I said la 'Sayang.' Then she asked, 'Banyak ke sikit?'. Then of course I said banyak. Then she lifted her head, looked at me, and said 'Hug dulu', then we hugged lama2. Then she kissed my lips and slept. Awwww.

Children, annoying or not, they are innocent and pure. Very much so. I deal with a few children in my life, because my aunties keep bringing them into this world haha. Someone once said, you should spend more time with people below 5 and above 60. Then you might know what life is all about. I admit, sometimes I lose my temper because of their craziness. I have to keep reminding myself now and then that they are innocent. We should treat them with kindness and compassion. Not expect them to know things that grown-ups do (know), like how I see some people treat children.

It's funny that some parents expect their kids to know all the things that grown ups know, but then they still treat them like they're kids, ie. you can't go out (how are they suppose to learn from mistakes?), you can't disagree (then why are they expected to act like grown ups?), everything you do is not perfect (were you so perfect when you were a kid?). I don't know, I hope I'll be a good mother one day. A mother who doesn't inflict pain & fear upon her children. A mother who knows how to listen to her children like they are adults, but still understand them as children.


" If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (Spoken by the character Sirius Black)

Culture Shock

Okay, tajuk English tapi nak tulis dalam bahasa ibunda, ya. Or rojak.

Saya tak pernah mengalami 'culture shock', defined as the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

Bukan niat saya nak memperkatakan orang di sini, sebab saya mengaku saya bukanlah baik sangat. But this is a whole different topic altogether.

Sebenarnya, saya berasa kasihan dengan mereka yang mengalami culture shock ni, terutama sekali kaum perempuan. Kasihan pada diri mereka, dan kasihan pada ibu bapa mereka.

Terdetik hati saya ingin menulis tentang culture shock ni (okay nak mengaku dulu, tak tau apa culture shock dalam bahasa Melayu), ialah kerana saya sedang melihat gambar segelintir kawan/keluarga di Facebook.

Maksud saya disini ialah these girls yang disuruh pakai tudung sejak mereka kecil lagi, akan tetapi apabila sudah dewasa, tak tahu ke mana hilang sudah tudung mereka.

It's just that, pada pendapat saya, certain parents are too extreme in protecting their children that the are blinded as to its consequences. They fail to notice the limits in their action.

Eh chup, kembali pada bahasa Melayu. Kena cuba untuk consistent.

Saya rasa sedih, apabila saya sendiri tahu betapa susah-payah sesetengah ibu bapa inginkan yang terbaik untuk anak-anak mereka dari segi menjalani kehidupan dengan cara Islam yang sempurna, tapi apabila anak-anak tersebut sudah dewasa, mereka lupa akan ajaran tersebut, hanya kerana mereka telah menjelajahi dunia luar.

Dari segi itu, saya terpaksa salahkan ibu bapa juga kerana terlalu extreme. Extreme yang tahap pentingkan perkara luaran tetapi tak memupuk sebab-sebab perkara luaran itu diwajibkan ke atas mereka (Eh, macam merepek tapi hopefully understandable).

Dalam konteks ini, maksud saya, ibu bapa memang dah suruh dari kecik anak-anak mereka pakai tudung, tapi tak explain kenapa, hanya cakap, dalam Islam wajib pakai tudung. Jadinya, bila budak-budak tu dah besar, they are exposed to new things. Mereka nak merasa apa agaknya perasaan bila tunjukkan rambut yang dikatakan mahkota wanita, dan lebih cantik tak kalau tak pakai tudung. Mereka nak rasa glamour kat dunia luar ni, where, presumably in their minds, perempuan yang pakai tudung tak dipandang.

Mungkin salah mereka, tak menyedari bahawa pemakaian tudung ini adalah zahiriah. In every action there is an underlying meaning, yes? I do not know much, but pemakaian tudung ni adalah salah satu peringatan, bahawa apabila tudung dipakai, rambut dilindungi, tetapi yang tersiratnya ialah, tudung itu adalah sebagai penutup, pendinding, what ever you call it, metaphorically, daripada perilaku akhlak kita (Okay, macam dah terbabow balik ayat).

I mean, okay, pakai tudung, jaga aurat, but symbolically, it's a reminder to jaga akhlak dan perilaku, yes?

It's the same concept as fasting.

Saya tak kata yang ibu bapa tak patut paksa anak pakai tudung. In actual fact, memang tak patut paksa, tapi patut didik. Didik kenapa tudung perlu dipakai, dan bukan sahaja atas sebab "Islam suruh pakai, pakai".

I know, all of you must be thinking, "Huril ni gebang je lebih, diri sendiri tak pakai tudung." All I can say is, memang, saya sendiri tak tahu kenapa tak pakai lagi tudung ni. Betul, sebab dah biasa tak pakai tudung dari kecik. Tapi baiklah saya dari tak pakai tudung ke pakai, instead of pakai tudung ke tak pakai. Biarlah saya sebatikan konsep pakai tudung tu zahiriah dan menjaga akhlak saya batiniah together.

Sekali lagi saya tekankan, saya cuma berasa kasihan.

Culture shock pon jadi extreme. Bukan setakat buka tudung sahaja, tapi bahagian lain pun buka juga.

It's just that in my opinion, generations and epochs are constantly evolving, and demography plays a part. The youngsters are perpetually exposed to new environments. Therefore, in disciplining them to a certain teaching, try not to force them bluntly, instead, instill a sense of rightness in that teaching.

I wish I don't have to feel so sorry for some of them whom I call family.

Chocolate

Hey ya good men and gentle ladies :)

Topic is 'Chocolate', ergo the chocolate (brown) font! Hehe.

So about this time yesterday, something delightful happened. Only during this time, though.

Because before that, I was not in an entirely good mood.

Germany lost to Serbia (how could that be, right?!), and I had a fight with my ex. And I don't remember what else, but it all came down to the fact that I just did not have any mood, good or bad.

So I posted the following as my status update on Facebook:

"I need chocolate. Lots of 'em. If any of you would be kind enough to give me some, it would be great. Call me. I'm serious. *muka serious*"

Only eccentric people would take that seriously, yea? Of course it was somewhat a joke, to highlight my frustration.

Apparently, there are some eccentric people out there, God bless them.

I turned on my Facebook chat and then Dian messaged me. She requested me to not sleep yet and that she'd call around before 12 midnight, but she had something to do first. I was like, yeah, sure.

Came 12AM and she didn't call, so I tucked into bed and read a novel. Then a few minutes after that, she called.

She told me she was outside my house. I was like, WTF?! I asked her who she was with but she didn't tell. She just asked me to come down.

So I scrambled around looking for a bra to put on, as some of you may already know, I don't wear them at night. I was wearing my caftan, though.

So I went down to meet her. She was with Faiz, her friend that I've met only once. Dian was like, Faiz has something for you. So I scrunched my face into a bewildered expression, wondering what on earth could this stranger have in store for me.

You guessed it, he held up a plastic bag with assorted chocolates in them AND an ice-cream. God knows I did not see that coming.

First Entry For Two-Oh-One-Oh

Hellooooo readers!

I know it's been awhile (awhile would be an understatement, yes?), but I won't give the excuse that I had been busy. Excuses are not meant to be entertained, anyway.

Shamefully, I had been indolent. You can say lazy, but I wouldn't want to appear too cheap hehe.

It's uh-maaayy-zing how some of my friends keep their blogs incessantly updated, like Esah, Nadia, and Nisa Rashid to name a few. Amir Hamzah tak payah cerita lah! Dah boleh qualify to be a published author dah.

How could I have let this happened when I claim myself to be an avid writer? No excuse, really. Maybe there were too many other things I was too involved in.

However, watch out for more entries!

Much love, peeps <3

And gooo Germany for World Cup 2010! Haha.

Open Fire, Cease Fire

No, I'm talking about BACKFIRE.

Notice my last post I mentioned "technology rules"?

Well, yeah, have you ever heard of a saying that goes; don't praise something too much or talk bad about something so terribly lest it backfires and happens to you?

Well, of course you've never heard of it, I just created that a nanosecond ago.

So here's the story. Last night before I tucked into bed, I charged my phone. Well, I needed to sleep badly, but I also needed to have my phone charged so that I could wake up the next morning. Alarms, you know.

I rarely do this, but last night I had no choice. I charged my phone, and left it there until I woke up the next morning. I would normally pull out the charger once my phone is fully charged, which usually takes up about only an hour or so.

I slept at 2AM and woke up at 8AM.

So in the morning I pulled out the charger from my phone. Then a few moments after that Nazim called. After I hung up, there's this beep sound that resembles the sound when I charge my phone. I looked at my phone, and surprisingly, it was CHARGING! I was like, what the F?

I stared at it for a few minutes, mesmerized, then it suddenly went like "BATTERY FULL".

It was an iterative process. It kept going; charging-battery full-charging-battery full.

Up until one point when someone called me, I can't remember who, and we talked until my battery died.

I turned it back on because I know my phone has been acting like a pile of dung lately.

Heck, I only talked for like less than a minute!

Only after that did it stop being a lunatic, in terms of the 'charging-battery full' routine.

The battery is still a pile of muck.

HINT: I NEED A NEW PHONE!

Old School

Went into a small tepi jalan shop.

Found the traditional rollers.

Bought them.

And decided to try them on:

The outcome was dreadful.

I shall not embarrass myself in public.

Thank you (:

Now look at my little cousin, Alia (aged 10, I think) using them:

She looked like a grown girl! *ignore my "meditation"*

And her result was disastrous as well.

Lesson learned: Don't use traditional hair curlers/rollers if you're not a professional.

Technology rules in one way or another.