(",)

My daily assistant at the Store... 

Hehehe.. (",)

Another Fasching Season (",)

Salam...

This is actually a last Saturday's story, before it gets rotten, I better bring myself to write about this because... 

you know... 

For future reminiscence... (",)

This is something special, which we'll never have in Malaysia, it's a celebration or a carnival season in Germany known as Fasching.

It's a time of festivity and merry making, there's parades, dancing in the streets, people from all ages wearing costumes, you'll get to see so many types of costumes!

It's fun, and the atmosphere were filled with vibrance and merriment!! 

So, there was a Parade held in Mainz last Saturday, so off we went..

It was about 1 and a half hours journey by trains, and the kids were well equipped with entertainment to avoid boredom hehe..

As we were nearing Mainz, the atmosphere inside the train changed tremendously, as more and more people entered the train with costumes, they sang a song, cheered and the air was filled with vibrance!!

And once we've reached Mainz, wow!! We saw more and more people with all kinds of costumes!

Everywhere!

The parade was due to begin at 2.15pm, and we've decided to have our lunch first in a Restaurant which Hubby had searched online. But, while we were on our way to that Restaurant, we've passed by another Restaurant which looked presentable, comfortable, so I told hubby, let's just have our Lunch here.. and hubby insisted on finding the one he had found on the internet..
mmmmmm camtu lah hubby, if he has decided on something, it's very hard to change his mind ^_^

I had to agree though I felt a lil bit dissatisfied hehehe...

So, we finally reached the Restaurant, it was small, not as comfortable looking as the previous one, and it was a lil bit crowded too...

And we had to wait longer for our food and the Parade was going to start soon.. and the previous Restaurant was a little vacant compared to this.. 

And perhaps if we had gone to that Restaurant, we would have enough time to eat, to watch the parade, to find the Mosque for Zuhur and Asar prayer...

So I began expressing my dissatisfaction at hubby's choice hehehe...

But, I shouldn't feel dissatisfied for anything, just make doa for whatever decision we were going to make, let Allah guide us so that we make the best decision even in a small small matter like deciding where to eat.. do you agree?

Yes, there's hidden 'hikmah' for everything that happens, either you see it straight away or you have to wait for a while to see it, or wait longer but eventually you'll see the 'hikmah' and reasons behind it...

So, even though it seemed like a wrong decision, fortunately enough the Parade starting point was just a few steps away, just opposite the Restaurant, we could even watched it from the glass door of the Restaurant. So while waiting for the food, I took Afeef and Fatini outside to watch the parade and collect candies, while Hubby and Aleena stayed inside the Restaurant, and wait for the food.

And later, the Restaurant workers told us that we could perform Solat in their store room which they themselves used as a prayer room.

There were 'sejadah' ready and all...

So sweet... masa solat rasa nak nangis...

You know, I regretted complaining earlier....

How God has made things easy for us, and all we did was find faults.. huhu

My point is, don't complain, don't argue because Allah certainly has plans for us in every single thing we do.. So Trust.. (",)

So..... These were some pictures I took during the Parade....

Paling cute (",) 

Yang berstroller, yang kecik molek, semua ada hehe...

But, the part I enjoyed most was.....

........Watching the bystander..... hehehe

It's cute to watch the whole family dressed in costumes... right?

 (",)

Afeef and Fatini had a great time collecting candies..

Our Lunch... (",)

Hasil Kutipan hehehe...

Banyak buang aje sebab tak halal..

One beautiful view I managed to capture in Mainz (",)

After the Parade, we went to a nearby some sort of a Fun-fare held in conjunction with Fasching season. 

The kids watched the sky-fliers in awe heheh..

Serious scary benda ni huhu..

On the way home, I captured a unique tree plastered against the wall of a building. 

And Aleena with her little teddy, always carry that teddy anywhere she goes, cute kan (",)

Nowadays we rarely bring a stroller along, just to train her, and it worked out well... only hubby had to carry her once in a while, it's ok.... hubby kan nak build muscles hehehe!

On the way home...

 We reached home about 9.00 pm kot, had our dinner and dropped by at the store, but still the kids were all energetics! 

And... 

I felt new all day, I was wearing one of the most beautiful shawl, even more beautiful because it's a gift from a wonderful friend recently (",)

And lastly, Afeef's school celebrated Fasching last Friday, which he wore a Police costume, (I forgot to take a photo of him) and Fatini's kindergarten celebrated it last Monday, and she had on her Rapunzel costume!!

Our last Fasching.... insyaAllah...

(",)

WoRdLeSs SuNDay... (",)

(",)

Moments in Life...

Salam....

Two days ago I had a parents meeting with Afeef's teacher, since hubby was a bit busy that day, so off I went with the kids...

A journey to Afeef's school always was tiring, 15 minutes journey that if I walk with my regular pace, but with the kids tagging along, I need about 25 minutes approximately..

And it's a journey up hill..

And worst, I couldn't bring the stroller along, because we need to go through a staircase which is a route that offers shorter distance to his school...

And it was raining lightly...

Surprisingly, despite the light rain and the fact that I must carry Aleena from time to time because she was tired from the journey up hill, I found last Monday's journey to Afeef's school and going back home were one of the most memorable ones.. (",)

While we walked together hand in hand, we passed by this sign:

And Afeef quickly pointed at it, yeah yeah he told me about this before...

Afeef's main concern was the 100euro that this person offers for anyone who'd found the cat, and Afeef's so excited bout it that he'd missed another important point here;

'Someone is grieving and that person is willing to give 100euro away and it occured to me that this person could be just a boy or a girl with only 100euro in his/her saving and is willing to give it all away in desperation to find his or her beloved cat!!'

Oh, I know Afeef has a good attitude now, he saves a lot, he has his own money, and whenever we go out, he would bring his money along and buy whatever he wants using his own money, and that he would not simply buy stuffs, he would think thoroughly before buying anything even if it costed him only 1euro! 

Which is good, and he never gives a second thought for buying anything not more than 2euro for Fatini..

Which is good also, for his willingness to spend for his sister more than for himself. 

But, I don't let Afeef buy anything for Fatini anymore unless if it's her Birthday or she had done anything special, Fatini needs to learn the value of money as well, so nowadays Fatini has her own savings too.

On the left is Fatini's savings and on the rigtht is Afeef's.

So, back to my story, why Afeef was so into that 100euro, because he needs some extra money to top up what he has so he could get a new Nintendo..... Mmmmm Nintendo ape ye??

Never mind... Coz that's not the point.

The point is, money will never be enough no matter how much you have, and things you wanna buy will never come to an end! 

The key word is, to feel enough with what we have and to be thankful, that's it...

If we open our eyes for every single tiny things Allah has given us, oh my, there's too many, and we wouldn't want anything else in this whole wide world, because we have everything!

So I told Afeef,

"Afeef, if I found that cat, I'll just give it to the owner and I'll not take that 100euro...."

And he asked me in disbelief,

"Why???!!!!!"

I told him, that there are other far better things in Life, values, love, how beautiful it feels to help others, and money is never a priority, because with God's will, we'll feel complete even with only basic needs to survive. 

And he will understands someday when he loves something badly and I'm sure he's willing to give away all his money too.. Right?

Ahah 'nodding' though reluctantly hehehe..
But, he'll understand someday, I know he will... (",)

To end my lenghty speech bout life, love and all, I told him;

"We'll help find that cat but not for the money but for the sake of helping others.."

Mmmmmmm smiling he said, 

"Ok... "

 This time I detect a note of sincerity in his voice and his smile (",)

So I hugged him and let him know that I'm soooo proud of him!

We reached Afeef's school in time to meet his teacher, had a little discussion bout how Afeef's doing in school, and learnt from his teacher that Afeef is one of the best behaved student in class, very obedient, done his home works all the time, very good in reading, one of the best student in Mathematics, (Alhamdulillah all those efforts pay off..) but terrible in writing hehehe.. (tulisan sambung which is important in German schools)

It's ok Afeef, we'll practice more (",)

And, the part which I'll never forget was when I informed her that we'll be going back to Malaysia end of this year, she looked at me in surprise, sad, disbelief all at once.

But the most prominent expression was sadness..

She looked genuinely sad, I could see it in her eyes, her expression, and when she looked at Afeef and told him that he'll be missed and not having him around anymore is going to be a huge loss, I knew she meant it, she really really meant it... (",)

A sweet teacher.... And Afeef loves her...

I felt sad too...

On the way home, I asked Afeef if he's sad to leave all these behind, 

He said,  "Yes, terribly..."

It's ok Afeef, insyaAllah you'll find great friends in Malaysia later and teachers too.. 

InsyaAllah...

We don't WAIT for things to happen, we'll MAKE it happens....

Life's Like That.....

(",)

PS: It's been snowing since Yesterday, thunderstorm hit yesterday too, for the first time witnessing 'hujan batu' seriously hehe.. hujan batu ais lah tapi hehe.. I'll make an entry bout it later, and today's activity; finish a novel sambil tunggu aleena main snow.. I know it'll take hours... ***sigh***

Have a nice day everyone.. (",)

A Pet @ Home...

This is Aleena's pet hehe..

She's just showing her pet how beautiful the view is outside (",)

They've all been asking me for a pet at home, they want a cat..

I kept telling them,

"Later in Malaysia we can have a cat..."

I guess I'm gonna have to open my heart again for a cat in my life... 

To have them, is to love them..

It's been so long since I last really really loved a cat, more than 10 years I guess... 

I mean, now I still like cats, I do play with them, I still feed stray cats, but to get seriously involve, meaning to love them, is something I've stopped doing since.... long time ago....

Why???

This is my long story, for those who understand how it's like to really really love a pet, please read.. :)

Being a pet lover, I couldn't recall a day in my childhood years without a single pet around. 

 I've gone through the fun of having them around and also the pain and sadness when they were gone..

Some died, some just gone missing, but most of them were replaceable...

But, there was this time when I got myself involved in taking care of a little kittens left abandoned without a mother, there were three of them if I'm not mistaken, one of them had somehow grown up to be so close and special to me.. she had a very special place in my heart, I've named her Puteri Balqish!! hahah

She had been the one I hugged when I was sad, the one I took with me when I went to bed, the one who greeted me when I got home from anywhere!!!

I loved her soooo much, that when I recall now, it was the same feeling, the same kind of love I have for my children..

But then, one tragic day in 2001, it was morning, I was sooo busy dealing with a Calculus assignment, that I did not pay any attention to Balqish.. maybe I even forgot to feed her... 

So, when my assignment was finally done, I went to get ready for class, and when I got downstairs again, I saw Balqish on the table, she was all over my assignments maybe searching for something to eat, and I got soooo angry that I yelled at her to get down from the table at once. 

I remember the look of shock on her face... because.... I've never raised my voice at her.. 

But I did that day, because she was on my assignment....

Then I left home for a lecture I must attend..

I didn't even say goodbye to her..

When I reached home that evening, I saw her lying on the floor like she was taking a nap or something.. (oh my, while I'm writing this, I see it all again in my head, still so vivid...)

She didn't greet me like she usually does, so I thought she was asleep, and I ran to her excitedly...

But.....

 Ahhhhhhhh! 

She wasn't napping, her eyes were wide open, she was breathing fast and there were bubbles forming at the corner of her mouth!! 

She did't respond to anything I was saying, nor looked at me.. 

She was just staring into space.....

I started to panick, and went a lil bit hysterical, I couldn't believe what I saw, because somehow, I knew, I knew in my heart, i knew she was going to leave me...

Refused to accept that idea, I took her to the vet..

I was crying all the way, sobbing and shaking and I held her on my lap.. 

At one point, she went convulsive and I knew, I knew for sure she's not gonna make it.. 

She was dying...

I couldn't accept it, couldn't believe it, I hadn't even told her I was sorry....

I knew she's gone even before we've reached the vet, but I took her inside anyway hoping for a miracle...

But, she was gone, I still couldn't believe it, I remember staring at her still and lifeless body, overwhelmed with sadness, I cried and cried until there's no more tears left..

There's nothing the vet could do.. 

They only said that by looking at her symptoms, she had probably eaten a rat poison..

Yeah, I've had later found out that my father had inadvertantly left it outside that morning and forgot about it.. 

She must have then eaten it...

 Feeling all empty and lost, I took her lifeless body home, spent the entire evening staring at her body.. Wishing that this was all just a bad dream, that I would soon wake up and my Balqish was still alive!

But, it wasn't a dream...

 It was real... 

And it was hard to handle.. 

Hard to believe, hard to accept..

I couldn't focus on anything for a week or so, had a fever the whole week, a terrible headache and a constant dream bout balqish coming home, that she was still alive, still there for me to hold and hug..

I've missed her soooooo much..

But that was all so long ago, though it was just between me and a cat, losing her was like a huge blow in my life, that incident really taught me a lesson and was enough to make me a different person...

For instance, I have no more desire to have a pet, let alone create a bond with them, (that's in a negative way..)

And in a positive ways, whenever I started to get angry at my children for anything at all, my mind would always gone back to that morning when I was mad at Balqish, and then she' gone..

I'm so scared if something like that happens again, 

and because of that one incident, I've learned to make doa everyday, that if I were to lose someone I love, let me be ready for it, and strong to handle it...

We will lose someone we love someday, either we leave them or they leave us..

Either way, somebody will grieve...

So, if I were to let my kids have a pet at home, this will be as much important to me as it is to them, because I know, my kids will love it as much as I used to.

And I wanna share that love (",)

And I wanna be there for them, to comfort them and to understand how they feel when they've lost the pet they loved, and cry with them.. 

So that they know, that they are not alone, and that it's not wrong to Love, Lose and Love again...

Our Purpose....

Ehem... I'm about to give a speech here :D

Ok, 1st of all, a friend tagged me in a post today on Facebook so I could give a little opinion on something...
mmmmm....

About being a housewife and at the same time a Bachelor Degree holder..

Ok, from my point of view, I mean being a housewife myself and at the same time a Degree holder, I would say this :

If you find yourself in these situation :

You have a degree, you have a family, children, and a responsible husband who provides everything that you and your kids need, then ask yourself,

"Why do I want to work???"

If your answers are:

I have a loan to settle, and it's quite an amount which my husband can't afford to cover or you've just completed a Bachelor degree in Medicine or any other equivalent with which your presence in the working field would contribute so much to the Ummah, or you have this opportunity that you must grab, then I would say, go for it, provided your children will not be neglected!

But, if your anwers are:

I can't stand to stay at home with my children or being a housewife is humiliating, boring, or I can't bear the way people look at me when they knew I'm a housewife, or I have a Degree, it's such a waste if I just stay at home, or I need a friend then I must go out and work or anything like that,

Then I would say, ladies, what is our purpose of life? What is our purpose as a wife and a mother? Going out to work is not our responsibility but, taking care of our children is our responsibility.. don't stress yourself and strive to make yourself 'somebody' too much until you miss the whole purpose..

Facts that most of us rarely realized;

1~~ You are already 'somebody' when you chose to be a housewife.
2~~ You are more than just 'somebody' to your children.
3~~ It is not such a waste to have a Degree and yet you chose not to work, because knowledge and education is not a preparation for life but it is a life itself.
4~~ You have all the time at home with your children, you are educated, use your knowledge to teach your children at home, educate them so that they'll be a successful person fiddunya wal akhirah.
5~~ Isn't that what we should aim for as a mother? And most importantly, you are there all the time for your children when they need you. Isn't that really something?

I know it's not easy being a housewife in Malaysia, I was there, I know how it's like to feel so small when they give you this 'look' the moment they've discovered that you are a housewife..

The kind of 'look' that says,

'Oh, she's just a housewife, she must have not completed SPM!!'  Hahaha!

But then, so what??? Let them think whatever they wanna think, let them talk behind us, let them

Underestimate us, because after all, it's never between us and them, it's always between us and God..

Our missions in life is, to fulfill our responsibilities, to have God's blessings, to give as much love and joy as we can to our loved ones, to give the best for our children and to make them a successful person fiddunya wal akhirah, so that someday they could contribute to the Ummah.

Life is too short, live it wisely and always always be thankful with what you have...

Ps: To Siti Hajar, saya ada PTPTN yg perlu di bayar, cuma jumlah nye sangat sedikit hehehe ;)

Yesterday's activity,

Seharian bersama Snowman (",)

Snow Lagi!!!! Hooorrraaayyyy!!

It has been snowing...

It was Friday, and it was almost time to pick little Fatini up from kindergarten, and I looked out the window, and........

It's all white!!!

"Cepat-cepat, jom Aleena kita turun bawah!!!"

mmmmmmmmhhhhh.... melompat la si kecik Ratu snow nih! hehehe

She's soooooo excited!!! 

mama pun sama excited, jakun tetibe macam tak pernah jumpa snow hahaha!

Bukan ape, like I said before, perhaps this will be our last Winter here :(

Lepas tu tak sempat2 la nak main snow, keluar2 kindergarten je terus nak main... haaaaaiiiihhhh...

Menggigil-gigil mama kat tepi tunggu budak berdua ni main snow huhu..

I like! I like!!

Antara view yg di snap on the way home :)

Dah sampai rumah, tak puas lagi tu, sambung lagi...

haaaiiiihhhh terer betul.. 

Memang la budak2 gile snow hehehe..

Iye Fatini, nice snow ball :)

Aleena ternganga tengok, camne kakak buat tu ye??

Dan kami pun tersengih2 gumbira hehehe..

Oh, my feveret!!!

Ok, enough of it, lets get inside! Brush yourself up!!

And today was sunny, view sgt2 cantik!!

Kaaaaaaannnnnnn.... ;)

I'll definitely miss all these someday....

I'll cherish it all while I still have the chance :)