Miss Rania

I can't wait for lil Miss Rania to make her passport in January and visit her ole auntie... Miss her to bits :)

Responsibility

It is so easy to attribute a success to one's hard work as though you earned it; failing to see Allah's grace, generosity, love and mercy. Subhan Allah wal hamdulilLah wala illah ha ilalLah Allahu Akbar. With Allah's grace, may I be able to expedite the amanah (responsibility) assigned to me to the best of my ability and may Allah SWT protect me from istidraj, insya Allah ameen ya Rabbal 'alameen.

Afternote: I'm instinctively reminded of mum's advice - "Allah will not forsake those who seek out His guidance and remain steadfast in prayer", subhan Allah... inna lilLahi wa inna ilaihi rojiun :)

Instinctively Amiss

Hmm, in the midst of my busy work schedule, I instinctively felt this odd hunch that something is amiss but could not put my finger to it. Shall not lose sleep over it, alhamdulilLah ala kulli hal. When the time is ripe, it'll come to me, insya Allah :)

Sorry to hear that Regy was down with DVT. I'll pop by this weekend with hot baked muffins, yum, after the earlier ones were eaten by my nephews, ha! Yes they are that nice. Shall leave you with a beautiful monologue from one of the touching movies I've had a chance to catch, learnt alot from it :)

Assessment D&D

AlhamdulilLah, glory to Allah SWT for enabling me to gain the Statement of Attainment (SOA) in the design and delivery of assessment module under the ACTA series by Singapore National Employer's Federation (SNEF). This new competencies strengthen my conviction of getting it right at the onset of any undertaking and one has to take the time to research and elicit the root of the issue before proposing a solution.

Afternote: 2 CUs completed last year, 2 CUs this year, 2 more to go next year, insya Allah ameen ya Rabb. Already, I can see the workload piling up, as hinted by my beloved supervisor, alhamdulilLah ala kulli hal :)

Usabiliity Bootcamp

Had a blast this week at the Usability Bootcamp organised by the great guys at Pebbleroad (thanks guys!). Christine Perfetti shared great examples of user-friendly design and I met some great folks during the networking session. The information I gained will come in handy when I get started on the next project - revamping the company's website... and you thought Instructional Designers just design and develop courseware! Don't ask... that was a vent ;P

Afterthought: I stand by my conviction, that great design is truly about empathy :)

Taqwa & Hal

[Source courtesy of I Luv Islam]

Nur Rania Adriana

[Photo courtesy of Norhisham Isnin]

On 2 Nov 2010, this sweet and adorable baby girl was born into this world. May she grow up to be the light (Nur) of Purity, Contentment (Rania) and Integrity (Adriana; Nisbah Afaf) that her name suggests, submitting fully to the will of Allah SWT. Can't wait to hold her in my arms :)

Brother

Today will be a short post. I'm proud of my younger brother for saying his piece via the Newpaper about the recent case that happened at Singapore's sports school. Its great to have such Physical Education teacher taking a firm stand on such things. Yes, it is a privilege (not a right) and parents of such errant kids should be educated or reminded if they do not realise it yet. Enough said!

Muhd Hanis Irfan

This free greeting created with Smilebox

 

May Allah SWT bestow you with a meaningful life full of patience, wisdom and the tireless dedication to seeking knowledge towards becoming a useful citizen of this world and the Hereafter, ameen ya Rabbal 'Alameen *hugs*

Family

It was great catching up with a good 'ole friend' after so long. AlhamdulilLah, he gives good, logical advice...Yes, I admit sometimes women tend to be irrational although the degree of rationality is subjective, ha! Subhan Allah, that is the fitrah of women, different from men :)

Anyway, have a safe flight, take care and see you real soon. Hugs and kisses to mama Zehra and papa Hasan. TaqabbalLahu minna wa minkum, taqabalLahu ya Karim, minal aidin wal faizin :)

Impending Arrival

Masya Allah, alhamdulilLah ala kulli haal... just spoke to my sister-in-law and she shared the good news that her third child would probably be a baby girl :)

For us in Singapore, we will pray that the delivery in November will be smooth sailing and that mother and child be safe and baby be healthy, Ameen ya Rabbal 'Alameen.

Afternote: Mum's prayers came true, subhan Allah... La hawla wala kuwata ilLah bilLahil 'Azeem :)

The Chant of the Victorious

As I reflect on the meaning of the 'Eid Takbir... sad nostalgia rests on my heavy heart. Truly Ramadhan is about spiritual cleansing; not about being busy with shopping for cookies, new clothes, new coat of paint and fresh set of curtains, cushion covers, etc to prepare for Syawal. May Allah SWT protects us from emulating the millah of the jahiliah (culture/way of life of the ignorant), ameen ya Rabb.

Mama

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss, at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. For a mother is the only person on earth who can divide her love among her children and each child still have all her love. For a mother's love grows by giving."

A tribute to my light, my strength... no words of gratitude could do justice for all that you've done.

Be There

Short post today. Here's to a friendship so true. Thank you for accepting me, faults and flaws included.

Appreciation

Masya Allah, thanks for this dedication and the early birthday greetings. Indeed a nice song from a talent who can strum the guitar, play the piano and pen beautiful lyrics. All I can say is that it is not the wait that matters, if its meant to be, it will happen. Truly, we plan with the best of intentions but the fact of the matter is Allah knows what is best for His servants.

Afternote: Richard Marx, Bryan Adams are just among those evergreen musicians that I used to admire during my youth... he has a collection of beautiful songs with meaningful lyrics, some of which I can truly relate to :)

Exams

La Hawla Wa La Qu'waata Illa Billahil Azim (There is no power and strength except with Allah, The Grand, The Great)... AlhamdulilLahx3, I've managed to attain Statement of Achievement (SOA) for ACTA CU5 this week... I could have not done it without the magnificent grace of the Almighty SWT.

In retrospect, being an instructional designer is not enough... there is a need to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the WSQ that we are submitting for approval. But I am not one who likes to specialise... I'd rather appreciate all genre (if I can call it that) of knowledge as it gives me a deeper appreciation of Allah's Wisdom, subhan Allah.... it does make one realise how insignificant  he/she is and keep the humility in check :)

Anyway, learnt alot especially in consultation with the assessor... she's got loads of experience. Next, time to celebrate before I hit the books again for another round of exam in early Sep. Wish me luck!

Redha

Bagaimanakan ku mula
Dan apakah kata-kata
Yang indah untuk diabadikan...
Tapi ku percaya
Semua telah tertulis
Dan niat suciku takkan disiakan...

Afternote: When I heard this melody, I paused to ponder the lyrics and realised that this talented artist has the gift of crafting poetic lyrics that could lead to different interpretations or meaning. Timeless.

Istiqomah

Have Faith. Keep the Hope. Continue to Strive. Maintain Patient Perseverance. 

Power of True Intent

Tears kept trickling down my cheeks as I watched this heart-rending movie, subhan Allah! Instinctively I'm reminded of mum, her unconditional love and relentless sacrifices. More importantly, her yearning to be a guest of Allah's most sacred house... It has been my greatest wish to bring her there and may Allah pave the way for us in the near future, insya Allah!

This movie also reminds us among other things, the power of a true intent, compassion, humanity, and that Allah's help can come from places we never thought of. So strive in the way of Allah and don't despair, as rightly pointed out in the testimony of those who watched the movie here.

Audacity of Hope

 

 Laskar Pelangi, a novel by Andrea Hirata, was based on the writer's own experiences. It is about an inspiring teacher and her 10 students in the poverty-stricken Kampung Gantong in Belitong. The poor condition of their school building does not dampen their high spirits and hopes for a better future. Brilliantly inspiring!