Effortless Da'wah.

Assalamualaikum wbt,

Watching this video shared by my junior in MRSM KKB, Bro Azmir Azlan, made me feel I would like to share one of my status updates (trust me if you are a follower of my Facebook account, one just have to bear with me with super lengthy status updates. I always hang out with Ummi, my mother especially when she is always and out of the hospital and we have doctors' appointments almost everyday, so I release my stress on it just to communicate with other people) about da'wah and hidayah on women.

This video, enlightened me on the fact that if we keep having good intention among others, without trying to preach them but showing good examples, and especially pray for them, Allah will help us to spread da'wah effortlessly. This 5 minutes video also made me cried a bit, because in this vid, Aamir Khan pushed his mother's wheelchair among the millions of humans during Hajj season. Reminded me during Hajj 2008 when Ummi was sick as well, and I had my lunch but Ummi was too weak to follow me to the dining area. I got a plate of food for Ummi, but as usual, there were too many people waiting for their turn to get on the elevator. I gave up on waiting, and Allah knows where I had the might to climb up 20 flights of floor to reach our hotel room at the 10th floor. Just because I was worried Ummi was getting hungrier by the minute. We might think that it would be something for us to do for our parents, but no that kind of deed could never ever be compared to our parents' love and sacrifices for us.

You may see that right now I keep updating my blog more, even backdated posts because sometimes it gets too exhausting from managing my mother's illness, I just relax myself a bit by updating my blog. Where I feel like I am in my own zone. Although I intend to have my blog more like a Travel-Foody blog (not so lifestyle because I mainly focus on travelling and eateries reviews) but insha Allah if I have status updates which I might feel beneficial on us mankind generally and Muslims specifically, I will share just with the intention and hope that it will bring benefit to others no matter how small it may be.

This status update was well-received (almost 200 likes) so maybe, insha Allah, if others read it, ponder over it, might spread more benefit I hope. I have edited it to add some more points which I think explains more of it. So here goes :

"One reason I am never sarcastic or harsh about Muslimahs who do not observe their aurah (yet) because I always remember who I was before I observe my aurah. 

And I always remember my sister when she wore skirts & definitely no Jilbab yet, she was condemned & those who condemned her also condemned my mother & I for observing our aurah while my sister did not, were the ones who observe their aurah 

or as for the men, the so-called pious ones. And yes these 'pious' people hurt my feelings so bad till I cried wondering "What have I done to them? Did I ever hurt their feelings?" 

However when my Sister obtained hidayah to finally wears hijab, lillahi taala, after she read a Malay novel which had the sentence "What if when one wants to repent on the 12th hour, dies at the 11th hour?" Only when she confessed to me, that moment I confessed I wept when people condemned her for not wearing hijab yet, while I know she's a good daughter, protects her modesty and prays 5 times a day. And on 1st Ramadhan last year, she started to wear Hijab, I remember most of those who congratulated & supported her are the ones who don't observe their aurah, while those who condemned my family, and made me cried with such bitter words, the 'pious' ones, did not make a sound at all.

So yes those are the reasons that I don't judge people by their appearance. Some people I opine, are riya' and takabur with their piety. They look down upon those who are not as pious as them. I reckon that is wrong because I always remember Allah is Powerful, if He wants to make us all humans as Muslims or all of us Muslims as obedient Muslims, with all his Might & Power He can, only He chooses not to for His own reasons because He is the Wisest. I am also in the opinion, if, we are sarcastic to whom we may think not as pious as us, and we only mingle among those who may be on the same level as us, then how can we spread da'wah? 

I have experienced in my life a few ladies, whom wore skimpy clothes before but when I complimented them after their Hijrah, they told me "I wore them because I see that you are so beautiful in Hijab. And you are nice to me although I didn't wear like you before." So for me, da'wah can be spread with smiles, tender loving care, and especially good kind words & respect. One of these ladies I mentioned, she past away right after a few weeks she wore Hijab in Ramadhan, and past away in Shawal. Before that when I knew her, she would wear the skimpiest clothes even during Ramadhan, but when she started to wear Hijab, she started to be close to Al-Qur'an back, but Allah had better plans for her when she died in a car crash, the car was entirely burnt. It gave me goosebumps when I saw her photo in the news that she was wearing the Hijab that she bought from my booth (our Ramadhan booths were neighbours so our families became close). So I wonder, she past away when Hidayah came to her, so it was not impossible that she was purer than most of us at the time of her death. Wallahu'alam. I also recently encountered a 63 year old woman, sitting very high positions, but she humbly asked me "Can you teach me how you wear your Hijab? Your style is so pretty. I just recently wore Hijab." I just smiled to her and said "Alhamdulillah of course I can." So if a lady that is so much like my own Mother, can have great humility on the aspect of life which she feels she does not master, who are we to belittle others on the imaan?

I always pray for my Hidayah to be steadfast, but I don't like to judge, I will always remember who I was before. And who I am going to be tomorrow, I don't have the power to foresee my future. I may still be observing my aurah, or nauzubillah I may not. I may still be a Muslim, or nauzubillah I may not. However I always try my best to pray for myself & others, with the hopes others will pray for me too. However sarcasm on one's ibadah or 'amal is never my way of life. Allah is the Most Powerful to turn someone into a better or worse person. If we love our brothers & sisters just like the Rasulullah SAW loves us, I believe we should be kind to them, and pray for them insha Allah. And Allah will help us insha Allah. Wallahua'lam bissawab."

Just to recap, the lessons learnt from this very video are :

1) Allah can guide anyone he pleases, so never give up hope.

2) Do not pre-judge anyone, no matter your perception of them is.

3) Allah draws the creation to his friends and grants them honour.

4) Do dawah with wisdom and kindness, so as not to overburden and pressure people.


As usual, thanks for reading. =)

XOXO,

Sue

Jom Makan! Gourmet Ice Cream @ The Cream & Fudge Factory, Alamanda, Putrajaya.

Assalamualaikum,

When I slept at Aunty Ana's in Putrajaya, Kak Aerma & I were feeling pretty bored the next day. We left our mums, the best of friends at home while we headed to Alamanda for Kak Aerma to do some groceries shopping. I was surprised to see how fresh the vegetables are at Alamanda's Carrefour as compared to the one nearby to my place at Wangsa Maju.

After that, we treat ourselves with some sweet, cooling desserts. There's a joint of The Cream & Fudge Factory, serving gourmet ice cream. Kak Aerma chose some Caramel with Strawberries ice cream while I opted for Mint & Chocolate Chips ice cream. We chose cones rimmed with chocolate dip, mine the plain one while Kak Aerma had peanuts on them. 

RM 15++ each. Both tasted delish (especially mine) and filling. Kak Aerma barely finished hers. The Cream & Fudge Factory is also available at Suria, KLCC (their other branch that I am aware of).

Thanks for reading. =)

XOXO,

Sue

Wedding Kak Hanis @ Kg. Masjid Tikam Batu, Sungai Petani, Kedah (November 2011)

Assalamualaikum Readers,

My family and I planned to visit my cousin's family at Pulau Pinang @ Penang for the Awal Muharram holidays. In conjunction of the long weekend, there were definitely wedding invitations. I was lucky because I received invitations from my ex-classmates at my law school, AIKOL, IIUM. Kak Hanis & Fauzi in particular. Both weddings were in Sungai Petani & Baling, Kedah respectively, although the route was further up than our original destination in Penang, but how nearer can I be to attend their weddings right?

Breathtaking view of green paddy fields enhanced with the blue sky as the backdrop.

Initially I planned to attend Fauzi's wedding which was scheduled to end at 6 pm, however when I arrived at Sungai Petani it was already almost 4pm and Kak Hanis's wedding scheduled to end at 5 pm. We were supposed to arrive earlier but what to do, the highways were jammed from time to time and unfortunately we encountered some accidents on the way. Oh yes not to forget we also passed by 2 convoys of 20 Mercedes Kompressor and 15 Ferraris. And they were all Singaporeans. Dang.

Oh yes coming back to my story, since we were at Sungai Petani at almost 4pm, we decided to find Kak Hanis's house first. Crazy story was, I did not confirm to attend both their weddings, and I didn't have their maps also their phone numbers, so I just counted on my luck to arrive based on my own research. Alhamdulillah we reached Kak Hanis's place, located at a humble village and welcomed by her mother. We tried not to be awkward since apparently Kak Hanis and her beloved hubby were not at the wedding, they were already snapping photos for their bridal album at Pantai Merdeka, a nearby beach.

These were my meals there :

Newly cooked, hot fried chicken! Yum!

After stuffing our faces, we asked for directions to meet Kak Hanis. I got her phone number and she asked us to wait. While waiting in our car, we bought a cup of fresh coconut juice at a nearby stall at only RM 1.60 and we confirmed it was one of the best coconut juice we ever had, the coconut meat so thick, and juice so naturally sweet. Too bad I didn't manage to snap a photo.

Meanwhile Kak Hanis phoned back and asked to meet us halfway. We did and yay! Alhamdulillah we managed to meet the newlyweds. =) At a very awkward background, we snapped photos to freeze the memory hahah. =D

The happy couple in purple. =)

By that time, it was 5 plus which made it impossible Fauzi's wedding before 6 pm. So we cancelled the trip to Banting but alhamdulillah Fauzi knew I tried to attend his wedding. As for Kak Hanis, I am happy I did manage to show up at her wedding because well both Fauzi & Kak Hanis are not close to me, I cannot even recall if I ever spoke to Fauzi but I am happy when those who never spoken to me at uni added me on FB so somehow the friendships start there. Now they have included me to attend their weddings, of course I feel honoured and touched and will try my best if I could attend. Well I was pretty much a lone ranger at uni, but Kak Hanis was a really great soul to me. Never she said no whenever I ask for favours from her especially on assignments, notes etc. She is always so helpful, and I believe if she always helped me who is not close to her, definitely to others she has helped more. She is also very cheerful and funny her husband is lucky to have her. She has resigned from being a lawyer at Ampang to be with her husband at Taiping, which is better because closer to her family in Kedah as well. Maybe I will not bump into her much like I did at the courts before, but I will always pray the best for her and will never forget her insha Allah. =)




Oh yes and here is a random pic of the old-school Bunga Straw (Straw Flowers) which were popular many many years ago still found relevant at the Sungai Perak R&R Restroom. Nice. =)

Christmas Decor & Farewell to Iqi @ Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (November 2011)

Assalamualaikum Readers,

As much as I am a Muslim, I always respect the celebrations of other religions. Since I was a kid, I was fascinated of Santa Claus and the Christmas decorations. Only since in Malaysia, Islam is the official religion, somehow I wish, the Christmas decorations to not overshadow the Eid decor at shopping malls especially. I was quite sad to see, on the 2nd day of Aidilfitri (yes I was at KLCC on 2nd day of Eid) all the Eid decor were gone. And the concourse area was empty. I mean if the admin put so much effort on putting up the decor, what's up with the rush to remove them? Well I think I better save on the KLCC admin part *sigh*

Anyways, again, Pavilion successfully mesmerized shoppers and visitors with their fabulous Christmas decor. Which was kind of a fantasy Toy Land. Oh yes Pavilion too, for Merdeka (National Day), just to put a gigantic Jalur Gemilang flag on the front boulevard, not impressive. Be more patriotic please Pavilion especially you are now the IT shopping mall.

Kids & adults alike were really happy to see this. 

Gigantic Cake with Lollipops.

My most favourite! A giant size Hello Kitty! Can I bring it home? =D

The centre of attraction : Carousel which you can actually ride sponsored by Hong Leong Bank.

Zahia with a Christmas Fairy with a Harajuku twist. =D

Finally it was time for me to say goodbye to my beloved good friend here. We bid our farewell, I promised to be there for her family if they need me during her absence and we hugged. Twice. I wish all the best for her in Colombia and I hope I will manage to save enough money to visit her there hehe insha Allah. The last time I checked, I am grateful to see her safe and sound, surrounded by great, cheerful colleagues alhamdulillah. Just to share with you guys, a photo of her at one of the oil plants in Villavicencio, Colombia.

May Allah protect you dearest friend. =')

Again, as always, thanks for reading people =)

XOXO,

Sue

Jom Jalan! @ Tokyo Street, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang, KL (November 2011)

Assalamualaikum Readers,

After having an awesome lunch at La Bodega, we practically roamed everywhere at Bukit Bintang till Changkat and came back to Pavilion. Apparently both Zahia and I are not much of shopping buffs and we cannot afford almost everything at Pavilion unless if we have really prepared mentally & financially to shop hahaha.

Nevertheless, at one of the top most floors, there is this cool, quite new place (opened in July 2011) called Tokyo Street.  Fast & Furious! Drift! Drift! Ok I don't know I just have to sing that. =D The first time I went there was with my family, so it was my second time there and the first for Iqi.

Basically Tokyo Street is quite a spacious area which locates a number of dainty shops that offer Japanese brands & products. Gifts, household products, home decors, eateries to even spas and saloons using Japanese products. The central area was designed according to the traditional wooden Japanese shops, and the ambience is filled with Japanese pop music therefore you will literally feel like you are in Nippon-koku. =) I was lucky enough to experienced a homestay programme in Osaka when I was 16, and visited Tokyo at the end of the programme so yes Japan was incredible back then, should be more amazing now, so as for now, I cannot visit it again yet, so Tokyo Street is pretty amazing as an alternative since they have almost everything imported from Japan whether it is something you like to own or to eat. Oh not only that, they also conduct programmes from time to time such as Origami lessons, Harajuku fashion show and other programmes relevant to Japan.

Check out the Japanese architecture. Cool huh? =)

Iqi in front of Toy Garden.

Best Buds. =)

Zakka Bits & Pieces. Not surprisingly, many Japanese products, you don't really need them (except for the technology area) but they just look too cute and adorable you feel like owning them. =D

Shizusan Tableware & Gifts. Mental note, to buy one of the teapots here for Ummi's collection insha Allah.

Yes! Finally a shop at Pavilion where we can buy something (or more!) Daiso the RM 5 shop. =D

Some things are not worth to buy at RM 5 per item, some are just worth it to buy at RM 5. Today I bought a cute, glittery pink notebook for my collection and some fake eyelashes for me to try on my clients. I love Japanese style make-up. =)

Oh Japan here is one cute store that caught my eye because it sells cute gifts here.

Serviettes with adorable Sakura or Cherry Blossom print with an adorable Japanese girl cartoon wearing Kimono.  MADE IN CHINA. =D

This thing Iqi held reminded me of Russian dolls which I try to collect as well but selective ones. And the ones which do not cost too high.

Bride & Groom! =)

I fell in love with this! A small pouch with gorgeous Matryoshka dolls print suitable to keep your make-up products or stationeries but only this tiny was RM 99.  So I snapped a photo to satisfy myself. =D

Yumiku here is one of the bigger shops here. It sells mostly gifts and snacks. I can see Hello Kitty there! LOVE HELLO KITTY! =)

Sanrio products yay!

A Hello Kitty & Dear Daniel notebook =) Ok I am not sure whether Dear Daniel is her boyfriend or her brother. =D

Awwwwww~ Aren't these just to die for?? =) My favourite Little Twin Stars & Melody's journals.

Assorted snacks imported from Japan.

Capsule Station. I remember when I was younger I used to waste money on these kinds of machines just to get their mostly collectible yet crappy toys haha.

At ActionCity and there was Iqi with the infamous Domo! Arkkk! =)

And I assume these were The Beatles? Cute! =)

They sell unique, cool knick knacks such as mini figurines of cartoon characters, assorted colours of iPhone cords to these just too adorable To-Fu Oyako notebooks. Love the images and colours but I noticed the expressions of the Tofu were mostly depressed or problematic haha.

Oh yes! If you are a photography lover and you just love to add Lomo Cameras in your collection, you should never miss to visit The Click Shop.

Lomo Cameras from every model & colour imaginable maybe. I am not a camera freak but I fell in love with the so cool designs especially one shocking pink one and another chili red one. I saw that the prices were about RM 200-  RM 300 depending on the model so I guess they are not so expensive after all.

Oh yes I mentioned that you can enjoy Japanese cuisine here. Well yes because at Tokyo Street you may enjoy from the street food or snacks to the finer tradtional Japanese dishes.

Santouka Hokkaido Ramen. I love eating the Ramen (Japanese noodles) when I was in Japan but here naaahh I opt not to because as usual I have doubts with its halal status and especially I have so many more other options than Ramen here. =D

Suki-Ya Eat All You Can Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu whatever that means. So people who can eat a lot at a buffet (like me but unfortunately not here) you should try this place I guess.

As it says there, Moist & Creamy Japanese Nama Roll.

Maybe will try this in the future, Kindori Japanese Ice Cream.  Says there, fresh and natural fruity indulgence. Yum.

Cafe Takahashi. This place sells a fusion menu, Japanese and Italian. Those mock dishes sure looked tempting!

Japanese Crepes from Shimino.

Ah yes, Bubble Milk Tea is the in thing these days. Healthy and delicious. Ochado here had the longest queue I saw that day in Tokyo Street (apart from Daiso hehe) so maybe will try their Bubble Milk Tea one day insha Allah.

And yes guys, what better way to end this post other than having Iqi posing in front the infamous pop culture icon of Japan - The Ultraman! =D


Thanks for reading guys! =)

XOXO,
Sue