For Fathers and Mothers too

I have always been subscribed to Saifulislam.com. One thing that I like most about the ustaz is how he incorporates things that can be viewed as very secular such as watching movies, books, current political and historical events from an Islamic perspective. Here's an excerpts of one of his entry entitled Tidurlah Sayang.

Semasa bermastautin di negara Barat, ada banyak perkara yang saya perhati dan kemudiannya menjadi pelajaran buat diri. Saya selalu berasa teruja apabila berinteraksi dengan anak-anak Irisih yang datang berkunjung ke masjid. Ramai dari kalangan mereka mempunyai budi bahasa yang baik dan tertib semasa masuk ke masjid. Hingga terdetik di hati saya, bagaimanakah cara ibu bapa mereka mendidik anak-anak ini?

Saya yakin, tidak ada cacat dan kurangnya pada Islam. Tetapi mengapa sebagai Muslim, ada kalanya budi bahasa dan ketertiban diri anak-anak itu sukar untuk dicari?

Tanpa Islam, bagaimana mereka mendidik anak-anak dengan nilai yang murni?

Ada sesuatu di sana.

Also from the entry, he quoted a poem by Diane Loomans.

If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again
By Diane Loomans

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I’d finger-paint more, and point the fingers less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less and know to care more.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I’d do more hugging and less tugging.
I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I’d teach less about the love of power, And more about the power of love.

Definitely a food for thought for me.

7 Thingy Tag

Ok Famy. Another hutang from you. Here it comes.

The 7 Things Tag

7 facts you may not know about me:

1. I'm short. Well not midget short but definitely not as tall as I would like it to be. Well, apart from aesthetics, would've been nice to be able to spike those volleyball wherever I fancied if only I were taller, and when I could jump before


2. I had an ACL reconstruction surgery on my left knee a very long time ago, possibly in 1995. A quick check by my ortho friend 2 weeks ago pronounced that it was brilliantly done and my knee is still almost as good new.


3. I was breastfed until very late apparently. In tandem with my younger brother who is 2 years younger than I am. That should explain the everlasting fascination with the upper torso region of the opposite sex.


4. I started getting my wisdom tooth really early. Probably when I was 20 years old or so, if I remember correctly. And had the complete set of adult homosapien teeth by 29 years old. All still there, the last time I checked. Biologically aging faster. Ah well. At least somebody told me before I look better as I age :p


5. Only had 1 other girlfriend before I got married to the One at the age of 28. Somehow I found it difficult to find a suitable one when I was really looking


6. I used to drive very fast. Not anymore. At least I did not change into those low profile, 17 inch rims for cosmetic purposes only. I have been caught (and got away scot-free) driving at 150km/h in an 80km/h zone


7. When it comes to appearance, I'm very seasonal. There are times when I just don't really care how I look like and when I am so vain, checking out the mirror all the time. But lately, it's the former rather than latter mostly

7 things that scare me:

1. Commitment. Refer to no. 5 up there


2. Road accidents. I have been in a few though Alhamdulillah now all had been material but not mortal damage


3. Wife?! Bukan takut... sayang...


4. Going downstairs in the middle of the night to get a glass of water. But then, if the man of the house takut, who else la kan. So, gain enough courage and just go lah


5. Creepy crawlies really creeping on my feet. I don't mind chasing after or use a broom to brush it off but if those damn lizards somehow landed on my feet, those minute cold paws would bring shivers down to my spine... grrr!


6. Height. Imagine looking downwards from a 25th floor apartment's balcony. Heavenly.


7. The opposite sex. Or at least I used to be when I was in secondary school. Now I've learned to live with many of them around.

7 songs that I like the most:

Many, this one. I'll give the first 7 songs that I have in my recent playlist

1. Dewi by Dewa19


2. Aku Mau by Once


3. Ayat-ayat Cinta by Rossa


4. No Air by Chris Brown


5. Bohemian Rhapsody by Fugees


6. Won't Go Home Without You by Maroon 5 (my ring tone also)


7. Kekasih Gelapku by Ungu

7 phrases that I say the most:

1. Salam. Standard intro in chats


2. How are you today? That would normally come after no 1


3. Adess


4. ooooo


5. Ngantuk!!!


6. I'm hungry!!!


7. Apa nak makan ni? (while scratching my head thinking of what kind of canteen food that I can stomach for another day while pacing up and down the aisle)

7 of my precious things:

1. My glasses, definitely can't live (see) without it.


2. My wedding ring. While the silver ring has many scratches due to the normal wear and tear, the amethyst stone is still shining brightly.


3. My watch, bequeathed from my aruah father. Battery is dead but I am still wearing it everywhere


4. My pants. I'm not really into a habit of walking around naked you know. Ok should include t-shirt, shirt or anything to wear on top also


5. My hair! Or should I say the lack of it. Cannot see those receding hairline or thinning population of those black thingy? You're not looking hard enough


6. Ah well I don't need to be explicit about it. I won't be a man without it.


7. And of course the cliche, my family ehehehe. Hey I'm running out of smart ideas here

7 memorable first timers:

1. First time I was away from home at 13 years old in a boarding school. Superbly homesick and was compounded by loneliness because I was isolated in the district hospital. I contracted chicken pox on the first week.


2. First time the opposite sex expressed her interest in me when I was 16 years old. Rasa hensem, cakap lu. Especially when the woman said something like why was I born 6 years earlier than you are


3. First time I could not answer the Add Math question that was presented to me, and it was in SPM! Had my first experience of mental block, in the exam. Damn! Sweating profusely. Needless to say, I did not get the coveted A1 that I expected to get :(


4. First time setting my foot in the land of down under. So gayat and surreal to actually feel cold while the sun is shining brightly in the sky.


5. First time breaking up with a girlfriend. Heartbroken wa cakap lu. Cerita lama sangat dah tu


6. First night sleeping with my newly-wed wife only to find her sleeping on the floor. She could not sleep due to the melodious orchestra that I would conduct in my sleep. Ah well, no more complaints nowadays. Alah bisa, tegal biasa.


7. First time holding my own daughter. I'm not really a baby person but when it comes to my own, a different sensation altogether.

7 people I would tag:

1. you
2. you
3. you
4. you
5. you
6. you
7. you

Da Little Fella

I am bored obviously. So I'm submitting another entry today which is not quite like me. But anyway, I have not submitted smiling photos of the little fella. So here they are at 3 months old.



As you can see, he can already smile widely with those both dimples showing (though not visible in the photos) and will make those funny faces with big widened eyes, enlarged nostrils and pouty lips trying to squeeze out those ever elusive voice that will occasionally spring out. And yesterday he finally succeeded in turning around, lying on his stomach.

Thoughts of the Day

If women in stilettos are such sights to behold, why don't women in stilts bring instantaneous orgasmic pleasure?