Swinging Eid | 200+ gems | GST

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum,
Hi folks,

Excuse me please, I just have to release a bit of pre-Eid stress here. LOL.

Yes, two days before Eid, one might have time to chill on a hammock on the beach, like I did. Errr...what actually happened was: I stole some time to rest while my mom was busy buying fresh seafood at a nearby beach stall. LOL.

It was fun chatting away with my 'hammock mate'
a fisherman who reminded me of my grandfather Tahir who was a fisherman cum carpenter cum chiropractitioner.
This is so us - living carefree kampung (village) life in Penang, Malaysia

But....one day before Eid [today] is when we all get in a frenzy of Eid preps, don't we? I'm just taking a breather before the sun comes out and the shops open. What's hovering my mind? Plenty!

My part of the job: buy 15 chickens and cook them for 200+ people; buy 200+ ice cream popsicles; turn 3kg of beef into dendeng [Malaysian style beef jerky] and cook Mandi rice for 200+ guests. My elder sisters have got their own cooking tasks too, so we will be competing for space to work in the kitchen.

We are being ambitious this year just because we intend to make it a little more special for some 200+ kampung children who would roam about our neighborhood on the 1st day of Syawal, in sha Allah. This is an attempt to get them to eat more and mingle instead of just knocking on the door collecting Eid cash.

Actually, I am secretly being selfish LOL cos I want to win the children's hearts cos their prayers are precious. So, it's all for you my 200+ village gems. It's for us, we gonna have a Great Syawal Time (GST) bi iznillah.

See ya soon : D

I trust children are polite, they will behave well.
They won't gatecrash or attempt to open people's gate on their own.
 LOL

p/s

Speaking of GST, just like you, the only time I love GST is when I get a refund! Should spend more at the GSS (Great Singapore Sale) to get more GST refunds, don't you wish?

From Zing-apore to Penang

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah to have arrived safely in Penang for the Eid festivities.

To be frank, I am feeling a bit disoriented right this moment. I was in Singapore for six days, came back to KL last night and now I am in my fabulous hometown Penang. Praise be to Allah who carries us safely from one place to another so we could see and appreciate His wonderful manifestations and be thankful for it.

Here are some photos taken in Singapore. I had thought very carefully when choosing my hotel in Singapore (SG) this time as I wanted it to be a walking distance to a mosque and preferably in the Orchard Road area. Bingo! Yes there is a mosque near Orchard Road. The good news is that it has been recently refurbished, it's so beautiful inside. There's nothing much to see on the outside as it is not a typical stand alone mosque. What's most important is that you could tell how well managed it is. The lady volunteers for Ramadan even have a custom-made top! The Al-Falah Mosque in Singapore is very impressive indeed. They even published on their FB who the terawih imam would be for the entire Ramadan. The last time I had the same good feeling was when I was in Madinah/Mekah where one could and would walk to the masjid from one's hotel. I am now missing my 6-days routine in Singapore, waking up at 4 a.m to have sahur meal provided by the hotel and then walk to Al-Falah mosque for Subuh prayer. I noticed during Subuh usually as there were not so many people, there were several young men who looked like Caucasian reverts and the Imam even let one of the reverts to recite the iqama (call to prayer). The mosque organizes Qiyamulail during the last ten days of Ramadan starting at around 3.45 a.m. Sahur meals are provided too. Al-Falah Mosque serves as an oasis for travelling Muslims especially in Ramadan.  

Masjid Al-Falah is on Bideford Road, off Orchard Road.
When strolling along Orchard Road, look out for Takashimaya.
Paragon is opposite of Takashimaya, and right next to Paragon is Bideford Road. Al-Falah Mosque is a mere 3 minutes walk from the Takashimaya/Paragon Orchard/Bideford intersection.

Took this pic upon arriving at my hotel (Grand Park Orchard) as I was humbled and grateful thinking how generous the Lord is. I learned from the internet that the mosque was quite near to my hotel but did not realize it's that close. There's another hotel (Holiday Inn Express) which is even closer to Al-Falah mosque but I did not choose that hotel somehow. Thus I was delighted to discover that Grand Park Orchard is just about 20 steps away from the mosque! And the fact that Al-Falah Mosque has just been re-opened last April. MashaAllah. Allah Kareem

Ramadan With Al-Falah
How neat is that? I found the lady volunteers warm and friendly yet they were firm and strict at controlling the crowd if the ladies spent too much time eating or if they talked too loudly. They are a bunch of pleasant professional volunteers.  

My first Iftar experience at Al-Falah Mosque
and it was marvelous delicious! The best mutton ''gearbox" soup I have ever eaten in Singapore.

Here are more photos from my trip. This was my second experience spending Ramadan in Singapore.

Feeling blessed and grateful to be at Maqam Habib Nuh again.
The maqam's caretaker made me feel special. He said he'd just got back from Hadramaut and shared with me a special lesson he learned there on how to recite Yaasin if one has a special hajat.

Arab Street & Masjid Sultan - a must visit place especially in Ramadan.
The Ramadan Bazaar in front of the Sultan Mosque sells yummy food for Iftar. The bazaar may be small in size but you would love the food they sell and would want to come back to SG next Ramadan : D  

Al fresco Iftar at Lau Pa Sat/Boon Tat Street. If you decide to have your iftar here, you could pray Maghrib/Isha/Terawih at a nearby mosque -  Masjid Moulana Ali located at the basement of UOB building.

Could not resist taking a photo with the cutest guy on Orchard Road : D

Heart shaped building with grass on the rooftop
of the School of Art, Design, Media at Nanyang Technological Uni, Singapore. I was here attending a conference. Truly inspiring place and event.

Thank God for my mother.
Thank God for yet another fun and fruitful travel.
Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah

p/s

Please don't mind the fonts which came out in varying sizes even though I'd set it all the same. Mr. Font must have missed his sahur. [Me too!] Anyhow it was wonderful to have prayed Terawih at Penang State Mosque last night. I was two saf behind Penang Governor's wife : )

p/s
I dare dream of owning a condo within 100-meter radius of Masjid Al-Falah :D
That would be super awesome. Ameen!

Going Places | Paint the town Ramadan

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah....I have had a wonderful day
: D

Nope not going back to my hometown Penang yet. Penang is on the cover of the Going Places in flight magazine for Malaysia Airlines. Seeing Penang on the cover made me smile from ear to ear.

Penang map there on the cover : D

But....I almost jumped from my seat when the gentlemen next to me introduced himself as the lyricist for the uber-popular evergreen Raya (Eid) songs! OMG, I have been listening to his Raya songs since I was a kid and I got to meet the lyricist! MashaAllah.

Mr Yusnor Ef wrote many hit Raya songs
sang by Sanisah Huri among others - like the one below.
Imagine Mr Yusnor singing for me several of the hit songs he wrote
and I sang along with him! Oh what joy this season : )
He is also an expert in documentary production, mind you.

Praise be to Allah that I get to once again travel during Ramadan. Two previous unforgettable Ramadan trips were to Rome and Seoul. No matter which city or town you travel to this season, you'll get to see Muslims painting the town Ramadan! 

Post-terawih I decided to "paint the town red" as a 'revenge' cos my iman was challenged at seeing these snacks upon check-in at noon as it was hot and I was hungry. LOL.

Post-terawih: paint the town red with red burger and red chips! LOL

OK folks, more about my trip next time In sha Allah.

Best Regards,
E

Ramadan Kareem | Trust Allah

Bismillah.

How could we ignore the fact that we are approaching the night of the 19th of Ramadan 1437H; that we are approaching the last phase of Ramadan. And the fact that today is the second last Friday of Ramadan.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah that we have made it this far. May Allah grant us a long life so we could live through the entire Ramadan and enliven it in the best manner.

Habib Ali Zainal Abidin Al-Hamid said in a special Ramadan message concerning duá: "One of the adab for making duá is yaqin".

Let's mind our adab and have yaqin that He will grant our pleas.

Let's keep our trust in Allah that all will be well and that He will destine that which is only the best for each of His servant. Let's strive to wear the traits that would destine us to success, especially in the last ten days of Ramadan.

Jumaah Mubarak!

Thirty Ramadan Bites of Wisdom
by Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani
on Al Falah TV YouTube channel

Ramadan Trivia:

In between the saf of ladies praying, there are rows of handbags and water bottles. I remind myself and others to avoid bringing large handbags during Isha & Terawih unless you pray in the first saf or near a pillar where there is usually a large space to place your belongings. And of course we are to put our phones on silent. Please don't even put it on vibrate mode cos I had one phone vibrating at my feet the other day! The lady behind me had her handbag near my feet and her phone was vibrating! Yes it would be nice to get my calf massaged post-terawih but not during. Thank God it wasn't too ticklish. LOL.

The rest of Ramadan | Allahu Akram

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum folks.

Just a short posting to wish you all the best for the rest of Ramadan. I will be pretty occupied in the coming days/weeks thus I may not be so regular here. On top of the Ramadan routine, I will be extra busy working and travelling bi-iznillah. Still I hope to share anything interesting that's presented in the present, whenever possible.

Sometimes we wait impatiently and nervously for the best moments to happen in the future, forgetting the gift of the present. We need not be too anxious about what will or will not happen. The future need not be so blurry, for it is comprised of only one day - tomorrow. In sha Allah.

Don't forget to make niyyat to fast tomorrow : D

Nawaitu sau maqadin an ada-i fardhi syahri Ramadana ha zihis sanati lillahi taala.

Allahu Akram

***
Ramadan Trivia
I couldn't resist taking a photo with Makcik Aishah on our second meeting today. She looks a bit like me, no wonder we clicked right from the start : D

Makcik Aishah @ Bazaar Ramadan Kampung Bharu.
She smiles to everyone who offers her a small token
but if you care to spare some time to chat with her,
you'll see tears of joy on her beautiful face.
May Allah grant her sihal wal afiah. Ameen.

Makcik Aishah got excited seeing herself on the phone camera.
She asked: "Apa ni?" [What is this?]
: )

She is from Kedah (a state in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia). She lives with her husband in a rented room near Chow Kit, neighboring Kampung Bharu.

This is her story during our first meeting last weekend:

"My husband is not well, he has high blood pressure and is resting at home. I too have high blood pressure. Do you know a place with kitchen facilities where I could rent? I can't cook at the room where I am renting. I receive zakat from the authority. We will balik kampung (go back to our hometown) after Raya (Eid) after getting the zakat money."

Her story today - our second meeting:

"Ahhh...where is your mother. [I told her before I wanted to bring my mom to see her]. Where do you live? I have not missed fasting yet [grin]. Unfortunately, my husband, Rahim is not using a mobile phone anymore. [During the first meeting I asked how we could be in touch]."

When I tried to persuade Makcik Aishah to move to a Pondok (Islamic old folks home) in Penang, where she can cook and spend more time attending religious classes, this is her response:

"Oh Penang is not far from my kampung. We decided to move to KL hoping for a better life. My husband used to sell belacan (shrimp paste) but now we don't have a car so he can't do it anymore. Let me ask my husband about living in Pondok."  

If you happen to go to the Bazaar Ramadan at Jalan Raja Alang in Kampung Bharu, do look out for Makcik Aishah. She usually sits somewhere near a Thai Iced Tea stall, about 200 meters from the Bazaar entrance, look to your right.

Pray, we could arrange a better home for Makcik Aishah and her husband, In sha Allah. 

Ramadan Kareem!

Grey KL | Pray

Bismillah.

Subhanallah I have never seen KL this grey!

This was captured just before Iftar, yesterday (Friday).

May Allah guide us out of zulmah (darkness).

May Allah shower our hearts and minds with golden lights, 

with nur of the Noble Quran.

O Allah, Al Hadi, Al Nur. 

Rabbana atmim lana nuurana

waq firlana

innaka ala kulli syai in qadir

Our Lord,

Perfect our light for us

and grant us forgiveness

for You have power over all things.

Ameen.

Either you read or you plead

Bismillah.

Jummah Mubarrak!

I crafted the above poster based on the lesson posted yesterday - lesson by Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin Al-Hamid on why we should make as much duá as possible. This is my takeaway from the lesson: for anyone who wishes to be "online" with Allah, he/she should either read the Quran or plead to Him through duá. Either you read or you plead. That's the way to go as far as communicating with Allah is concerned. 

***

O Allah, O Ya Latif, Ya Wahab the Bestower of Bounties, please make this second phase of Ramadan even better than the first. Give us good health and good strength, physically and mentally, so that we could perform our ibadah in the best manner. That you accept it from us and forgive us for we are not capable of worshiping you as you ought to be worshiped.

Ameen.

***

Ramadan Trivia
A Muslim man came up to me when I was doing grocery with my mother today. He politely asked: 'May I ask for your help?' Then he struggled with a piece of paper of "Things to Buy". He paused, unsure what the question was. So I asked: "You need me to figure out those handwriting?"

"No. I just need to know what 'bunga lawang' is [finger pointing at one of the items on the long list]. What is it in English?"

I confidently [wrongly] replied and my mother was quick to correct me afterwards:
"Oh...cardamon, the white thingy. Oh no...sorry that's buah pelaga. Bunga lawang is aniseed."

The guy looked even more confused now.

So I explained: "It looks like a star, a brown star."

"Ah...that one, yes I know brown star! But where in the store can I find it?"

"At the spice section." [of course, as it is not a bunga (flower)]

"I will come and ask you again if I couldn't find it, ok?"

"OK"
 [Now I know why one of my schoolmates described me as "sweet & spicy". I know a bit about spice. LOL]

When he walked away, I quickly googled to double check if I was right. LOL.

Then I saw him struggle looking for cinnamon sticks. And I came to the rescue : D

Moral of the story:
Go do grocery without phone [or carry phone without data LOL] so you don't have to depend on Mr. Google, so you could give people [like me] the opportunity to help and hopefully gain extra 10 points this Ramadan. LOL.

On this blessed Friday, if you think you are cute or "sweet & spicy", think again. Just look at this hairy, super-cute guy : )