Of the things I've been doing and handling

Oh have I got news!

For the past few weeks I've been really really busy (I miss blogging). Well, if you count sleeping most of the time busy then yes. I've been busy. I sleep during day time and night time. It was horrible. Ok lah fine. Other than sleeping I've been trying to finish a chapter of my thesis and simulating a new project at the same time. I've got to give it to you. It's not easy. Thinking and expressing it in technical writing. Pheww..really drain out the brain in me. Kudos to other PhD students. I totally understand you guys.

We've also been care taking 5 cats in this small apartment. 4 kittens and a mama cat. It's my friend's and they'll be bringing back the mama to Msia soon. OMG! these cats are hard work. Other than the fact Fairuz labeled me Monica of friends, how do you keep your house clean with kittens all over the place playing tissue paper which god knows where they got it from?

A few of our friends have gone back home for good. And fewer and fewer have come to the UK to study. With the new government and ruling, I honestly don't think UK is the best country to live in at the moment. What with the visa restrictions, limited working opportunity for foreigner, ridiculous raising expenses and not to mention gloomy weather and tasteless food. It you want to come to Europe, come for holiday.

But nevertheless I still thank Allah for the roof I'm under, for the livestock I have and for the wonderful husband I'm with. Fairuz has been a doll for the past few weeks, not that he wasn't before but he was extra caring now that I couldn't thank you enough to Allah s.w.t for giving him to me.

Remind me to cut his hair in his sleep tomorrow.

And last 2 weeks we went for another theatre titled 'the flare path'. Staged in a hotel during world war II. It was really really good and we were sitting on the second row. Practically can see the actors spit when they talk. And one of my favourite British model was one of the main cast! Siena Miller. So we got to meet her backstage after.

She's sooo pretty real life!

Actually nothing interesting happened that could explain my lack of writing. Other than a lot of work to be done I'm just being a little old wife staying home couching. No, I don't usually do this laziness a lot, just lately. And oh, just so you know, the news...

Theoretically, I'm 7 weeks pregnant. And trying desperately to adapt to the new weird experience and grasping the insane idea in my mind.

Me? A mom? No way! But do pray for me ya?

We are what we eat

Ever heard the phrase "you are what you eat"?

Of course you do! It has become a universal phrase to this day that everyone have atleast heard it once. It's a notion that to be fit and healthy, you need to eat healthily. Really. This, is believe to originate from an essay written in 1826 by some French guy named Brillat-savarin who wrote

"Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es." [Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are]

And of course a few other brilliant writers was reported have also wrote it in a different manner in the 19th century. Though I've never actually read the essay, I couldn't agree more on the phrase.

When I lived in Msia and first arrived in the UK I couldn't be bothered on what I eat on a daily basis. Deep fried food, mmm yumm! I eat when I'm hungry and sometimes worst, I only ate junk and processed food. I dread cooking. Because of this I've had very sensitive skin. Constantly sick and more often than not I'd developed rashes and I never really had deep thought about it let alone fathom the reasons behind it.

Then after a year living with 5 girls in a flat near London bridge, each of them from different continents, I've noticed about something that the western pay attention to more than us. Apart from other things food is one of them. They eat a lot of raw and steam vege. Sometimes grilled poultry and they cook all the time. When buying groceries they choose wisely. Nobody ever tell them what to eat and what to drink and such.

Once I was on my way home on a train, I saw a young guy eating. I can see that he was hungry since it was already 7pm. So he was eating. But you know what he ate? A plastic bags of fresh vegetables. So consumed that I think the vege was like his big Mac.

And once I was back in Msia, just got married, it was the time prosperity burger came out. I love prosperity burger to death, I ate it every single day for a month. It was horrible. I found out this is what fast food like McDonalds do to you, I gained huge amount of weight. I felt tired constantly, emotionally unstable and I felt that I was so ugly I couldn't bare looking in the mirror. My husband did what was a very very wise decision. He registered us in a gym with a personal trainer in a package.

For the first time I had meals diary. Noted what I ate and what time I ate. It was a small thing but it sure does have huge effect. For once we realized how unhealthy we were. We consumed a lot of sugar and fried oily food. After we got scolded by the trainer, we went on a detox. Nothing major. A lot of plain water to flush out all the toxic. Eat brown rice. Grilled chicken. Something boiled or steam. And no sugar after 11am. And lots and lots of exercise.

Honestly, it never felt great! Waking up in the morning seems easy and energized. And since then I've never had any rashes on my sensitive skin. And my brain is able to learn and understand more easily. Not exaggerating. I'm being very serious. See my face  ^_^ ? Ok, maybe not that emoticon. But you get what I mean.

And then I had more realization (I had a lot..haha). It's not just how we feed our body. It's how we feed our brain and heart. I realized we have to take care of what we have. Allah s.w.t gave us this body to live in and it's our responsibility to care it as best as we can.

Apart from healthy food for the body, reading books and learning new knowledges everyday is the food for the brain and reading Quran everyday is the food for our heart. Our prophet (pbuh) said:

"Verily in the body there is such a piece that if it remains alright the whole body keep well but if this piece of flesh develops some defect the whole body becomes unhealthy. Behold, - this piece of flesh - it is heart." (Bukhari, Muslim..)

I pray that all is well and in the pink of health. Love yourself. Love Allah.


Toodles.

My Idols the Great Women

As a young girl years ago when I was in secondary school, I, like any other young girls, had an idol. Truth be told, we all wanted to be like somebody else. We wanted to be a princess, a popstar, a tv actress. Yes these women are beautiful in the eyes of the world, who wouldn't want to be them.

Me, those days it was Britney spears. Haha. Yes I think my family had enough of her. Her songs was constrantly played in the house, in the car, in the walkman. OMG, do they still make walkman? Anyway, my point is. I had loved britney not because of her fame but because the fact that she's very successful at a very young age and did you know that she works so hard to achieve her status? So hard that sometimes she missed meals and fainted. So, who's your idol? I hope not someone who fainted nor lady gaga. (she's disturbing)

Now that I'm older and wiser, I have found my true Idols. Apart from my mom and dad, these women are those who's successful in every different field in life. Economics, politics, education, jurisprudence, medicine and agriculture. These women have strength in their own field. The men respect them and Allah love them. Although each of them is different, most importantly they share one thing is common. They fight to preserve the true teaching of Islam. These are the great women of Islam, who were given the good news of paradise. Now, who's britney spears again?

I've been reading this book that I bought and it made me realized how small we are. We're just a tiny speck in the world. How insignificant. I have my favourites (note that I haven't finished reading it). These are Khadijah r.a and Aishah r.a.

Khadijah is the mother of believer, she is the first woman to embrace Islam without any question asked. She was born in the world of luxury and she's a successful business woman in the Prophet s.a.w time. Very successful but yet she donated all her money to help propagate Islam. Her tribe throw her away and she died in pauper. But everything was overshadowed when she was greeted by her husband on behalf of Jibrail and of our lord. And was promised a castle in heaven.

Narrated Abu Hurairah r.a: Jibrail (Gabriel) came to the Prophet s.a.w and said. "O Allah's messenger! This is Khadija, coming to you with a dish having meat soup (or some food or drink). When she reaches you, greet her on behalf of her Lord (Allah) and on my behalf, and give her the glad tidings of having a palace made of Qasab in paradise, wherein there will be neither any noise nor any oil (fatique, trouble, etc.). "(Al-Bukhari)

Aishah r.a on the other hand was intelligent, brilliant mind and have remarkable memory ; and the distinction of being the source of the most Ahadith because of her long association with Muhammad pbuh. Her knowledge of the many branches of religion like fiqh and shari'ah, her wisdom interpretation, her mastery of teachings of the Prophet s.a.w, her trustworthiness and integrity - all these qualities made her one of the most remarkable personalities of the time. All the sahabah goes to her for her knowledge. everyone goes to her when they needed help. She was generous and nobody ever leave her house empty handed.During her lifetime the Prophet s.a.w gaveher wonderful news that she earned a place in paradise. She was choosen by Allah to be the Prophet s.a.w wife

Aishah r.a said: Angel Jibrail brought my picture wrapped in the cover of green silk in the Prophet s.a.w dream and Allah said: "She is your wife in this world and hereafter." (Tirmithi in the chapter of Fadha'il)

The book is like a blog for these women believe it or not. It tells their everyday stories, their mistakes and their achievements even in the war (yes they accompanied the Prophet s.a.w in war too). So you see, the understanding that woman in Islam are suppressed and are meant to just stay in the house and be 'kuno' is utterly misleading. These women mentioned are great successful women and moreover they are promised a paradise (Who wouldn't want that right??). And these women are timeless. They are mentioned in the quran and sunnah and they should be the idols for all the young ladies out there (not Brithey spears..*snort).

Who says we can't be successful at the same time balance our religion. Afterall, that is the purpose of living. As long as we hold onto the sunnah and quran and make an effort to learn everyday about our religion, Insya'Allah, Allah will blessed us with halal livelihood and a place in heaven. We're save dunia and akhirah. For he is ever forgiving and generous.

Start will a simple gesture, start with a salam for our everyday greet.