Ibunoor's Blog

Put IT on and wear your socks

ibunoor — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:37 +0000

Good information for all which I received through my e-mail… I’ve also tried it to my two children and then put the socks on, but only with a different product called ‘Minyak But-But’ (Coucal Oil), a 100% Muslim product from HPA. Everything will be fine insyaAllah…

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WOW! I was raised, and raised my kids with Vicks.. How come I never knew this? I can’t wait for my next cough. Amazing! READ IT ALL. It works 100 percent of the time, although the scientists at the Canada Research council (who discovered it) aren’t sure why.

Treatment :

To stop nighttime coughing in a child (or an adult, as we found out personally), put Vicks Vapor Rub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime and then cover with socks. Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about five minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief.

This works 100 percent of the time, and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly. I heard the head of
the Canada Research Council describe these findings on the part of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children, as compared to alternative therapies like acupressure.

I just happened to tune in to a.m. radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs, so I listened. It was a surprising finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, and in addition to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly.

My wife tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago, and it worked 100 percent! She said it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her. The coughing stopped in a few minutes, and believe me this was a deep (incredibly annoying!) every few seconds, uncontrollable cough and she slept cough-free for hours every night she used it. If you have children or grandchildren, pass it on. If you end up sick, try it yourself and you will be absolutely amazed by the effect.

Always a ‘slave’ – an unexpected entry

ibunoor — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:30 +0000

Yesterday…

Happy 53^rd Birthday Malaysia… from the bottom of my heart… a 53 years of ‘independence’… and again this 16^th of September will be another big day for the ‘anniversary’ of a complete Malaysia…

“Look ibu… ‘satu’ Maysia (the word Malaysia is too long for him?)”, said Wahbah Zuhayli (3 ½ years); my elders son, and ‘echoed’ by his younger brother at the same time trying very hard to get our attention over to the giant Malaysian flag by the roadside. (How a leader of a country has so much influence).

We were all in the car…just passing by.

On another occasion, a night before our ‘birthday’ this year…

“Merdeka… merdeka… merdeka…” he again, patriotically proclaimed the ‘independence’. (He must have gotten all these from the television.)

I am sure, we were all once like him… so pure… so naïve… and so happy to commemorate this moment. The culture back then, prevented us from questioning further… as long as we are happy, that’s all that matters! Later in the ‘seek’ of the moment of truth in life… we’ll see there’s so much lacking in those words. It never did take the true meaning in the end. How ironic…

I am not going to discuss the historic meaning of MERDEKA here, but what I am really going into is the inner essence of it, which is very much closer and easier to relate to ourselves. Again as a reminder, Merdeka means independent. But to what extent of independence… is still debatable.

Now to start with, we were never independent… we were always ‘slaves’ and always will be… yes… A ‘slave’ of Allah; a vicegerent we are. In this context, to get the ultimate freedom of doing everything we want is not definitely desirable. For once, independent here means misguided or misled. Without any proper guidelines and ‘barriers’ of iman a.k.a faith, we could easily be astrayed. Is it because we are ‘free’ that every negative thing keeps on spinning around us? Then why are we hearing all those news about people taking other’s life; babies being abandoned, some unfortunate ones were killed, which I regard the ‘illegal-parents’ to be the most unfortunate. I am more confused now than ever, that how could ‘some’ people be so confidence yet so wrong in giving out ‘statements’ of conferring one’s eligibility to even enter the house of Allah. We are so independent I guess, till we ignore about being the ‘slaves’ of Allah so to take the effort to learn more of our own religion. (Just to mention a few… there’s a lot more that even you can think of).

Oh my Malaysia… make us proud of you in a good way… take a look at our iman a.k.a faith as there is surely the undiscovered-yet wisdom and behind this year’s independence within the 10 final nights of Ramadhan. May we be protected from ignorance… and let us read the answer of a question below to ‘replenish’ ourselves…

Question: Dear scholars, As-Salamu `alaykum. What is the Islamic ruling if non-Muslims enter mosques to do restoration, to deliver speeches, or to learn more about Islam? Jazakum Allah Khayran.

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Answer: Wa`alykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Brother, may Allah reward you abundantly for your interest in knowing the teachings of your religion, Islam! Thanks for the question you posed, it’s very interesting and reflects your care about the Muslim community.

It is noteworthy that Islam encourages tolerance and peaceful co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims. If non-Muslims enter a mosque to deliver speeches that may lead to a better understanding, then it is welcomed and religiously recommended. Islam is the religion of constructive dialogue in the fullest sense. The history of Muslims is a very good example of this.

In this regard, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, points out the opinions of Muslim jurists on the issue as follows:

Allah Almighty says, (O ye who believe! The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah) after this their year. If ye fear poverty (from the loss of their merchandise) Allah shall preserve you of His bounty if He will. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise.) (At-Tawbah 9: 28)

And He says, (O ye who believe! Draw not near unto prayer when ye are drunken, till ye know that which ye utter, nor when ye are polluted, save when journeying upon the road, till ye have bathed.) (An-Nisaa’ 4: 43)

Relying on these verses, the majority of Muslim Jurists, including those from the Maliki, Shafi`i and other schools of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), maintain that the polytheists are not allowed to enter the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. However, they state that there is nothing wrong if Christians and Jews enter it. They state that this ruling applies to the Holy Mosque in Makkah as well as its precincts. Abu Hanifah, however, views that even a polytheist can enter the Holy Mosque in Makkah as long as he will not stay or reside there. He interpreted impurity to mean spiritual impurity (shirk).

As for other mosques than the Holy Mosque in Makkah, the Madinan jurists forbade non-Muslims from entering them because non-Muslims are regarded by the Qur’an as impure. Imam Ahmad is reported to have said that they can only enter these mosques with the permission of Muslims. This is supported by the report that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the people of At-Ta’if to stay in the mosque prior to their embracing Islam. He also received the Christians of Najran in his mosque in Madinah. When the time of their prayer was due, they prayed in the mosque towards the eastern direction. Thereupon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (to his Companions), “Leave them (to perform prayer).”

Under the title ‘A Polytheist Entering the Mosque’, Al-Bukhari, in his Sahih mentioned that Thamamah ibn Athal (despite that he was a polytheist) was tied up in the mosque.

In Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar mentioned that there are different opinions concerning this issue. The Hanafi jurists gave unconditional permission while the Maliki scholars and al-Mazni are reported to have forbidden it absolutely. The Shafi`i scholars differentiated between the Holy Mosque and other mosques. There is an opinion that the permission is restricted to the People of the Book but this is refuted by the case of Thamamah mentioned above.

Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Islamic lecturer and author, states:

It is forbidden for Muslims to allow any non-Muslim to enter Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah and its sacred precincts, because Allah says: (O ye who believe! The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah) after this their year. If ye fear poverty (from the loss of their merchandise) Allah shall preserve you of His bounty if He will. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise.) (At-Tawbah 9: 28)

Concerning other mosques, some Muslim jurists maintain that it is permissible for non-Muslims to enter them because there is nothing to indicate the unlawfulness of such act; others say that it is not permissible, by analogy to the case of Al-Masjid Al-Haram.

The correct view is that it is permissible if it serves the interests of Shari`ah or meets a valid need, such as if a non-Muslim needs to enter a mosque to hear something that may encourage him to embrace Islam, or because he needs to drink water, or the like. This is pursuant to the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on this issue; he tied up (his prisoner) Thamaamah ibn Athal Al-Hanafi in the mosque before he became a Muslim, and the delegations of Thaqif and the Christians of Najran stayed in the mosque before they embraced Islam. Actually, many benefits were accrued from this: they were able to hear the speeches and sermons of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to see people praying and reciting the Qur’an, etc. (Fatawa Al-Lajnah Al-Da’imah – The Standing Committee for Islamic Research and Ifta’)

Therefore, if non-Muslims seek permission to enter the mosque in order to see how Muslims perform prayer, there is nothing wrong in that, as long as they have nothing with them that could defile the mosque, and their women are not dressed in a provocative fashion, or any other reason that bars them from entering the mosque. So they can enter and sit behind the Muslims to see how they pray.

Based on the above Fatwas, we can say that non-Muslims, including Christians and Jews, are allowed to enter mosques, but they should abide by the following conditions:

1- Non-Muslims are allowed to enter mosques – other than the Sacred Mosque in Makkah – with a prior permission of Muslims.

2- They must have a sound reason for entering the mosque.

3- They should respect the decorum of the mosque and keep in mind that it is a sacred place of worship.

4- Both men and women are not allowed to uncover their `Awarah (parts of the body which should not be exposed in front of others) when entering the mosque.

With regard to the issue of restoration, we can say that Muslims should have the priority in carrying out such work, unless it is necessary to seek the help of non-Muslims. There must be a need to seek their help, especially in issues related to mosques.

(Source:http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503543870&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FFatwaE)

Only with Qur’an

ibunoor — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:00:31 +0000

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Qur’an like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around wherever we went?

What if we flipped through it several time a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we travelled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go….hmm…where is my Qur’an?

Oh, and one more thing.

Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Qur’an being disconnected because Allah SWT already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think where are my priorities? And no dropped calls!

Presentation jitters III – my turn

ibunoor — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:00:37 +0000

continued…

Almost immediately after the ‘iftar’ the Maghrib prayer and the Quran recital, I peeped through my piles of papers containing journals, articles and some handouts on the table; in our ‘office’. Still, my fingers were frozen… I wasn’t able to type just yet. I was so much worried. I wanted to perform my best… at least up to my expectation… but will that suffice to meet my lecturers’ demand? It was really hard for me to even lay down a finger on the key board. I was afraid to make the initial move…

“But why? Why Noor Yuslida?” I left the question unanswered… I really cannot answer that particular question… I shook my head helplessly.

I then continued with the Isya’ prayer and the Tarawikh at home on my own. As usual, my dear husband was off to the mosque and on that day he was not alone… my father went along him. Yes indeed, I was helped… HE helped me. Both my parents arrived just a few days before the ‘clock starts ticking’ and they took responsibilities of the ‘granny-cum-nanny’. My children were kept occupied with other engagements that my parents had planned prior coming here for them. I could tell that they really had fun together… colouring… blobbing… smearing… getting wet and all those messy but monitored activity which my children love so much. Alhamdulillah… yet still, I wanted so badly to spend time with both my parents and children.

My husband too gave his ’green-light’; signaling for me to get on with the preparation when after his Tarawikh prayer, he also joined the ‘gang’ in the living room. I could hear the giggles of excited children and then with a big laugh and chuckled of adults to break the silence after occasional, short intervals. Oh, how frustrated I was at that time… but Alhamdulillah I kept in focus.

My fingers were getting faster on the keyboard… click-clacking here and there… choosing templates… copying images… adjusting angles… viewing again and again… rearranging slides… changing colours… editing slides transition… changing fonts… spacing… ‘bulleting’… making sure every inch of it… which by now I could not here any ‘sounds’ from the living room anymore.

I lost the sense of time! It was already 3.30am in the presentation morning. I was still every inch awake!!!

I went to see that everyone was asleep… I tip-toed, went to kiss my loved ones to discover (as expected) they were all peacefully, soundly sleeping in the cold of the night. Ah…little bit more to finish my jihad (my slides)… as I was tip-toeing back, my youngest child was slightly awake and I knew that he must ‘suckle’. And so I lay down beside him to breastfeed till he was ushered back into his ‘dreams’.

I woke everyone up (except the children) for Sahoor and managed to prepare a simple dish which after that, my mother came to the rescue giving me some time to pack up all my things and get ready ‘rehearsing’ alone in the room after we had all filled our tummy. By this time it was already 5.50am. Following about 10 minutes rest, I took a shower to freshen up and after the Subh prayer, I was already geared up.

My presentation is scheduled to be at 11am-2.30pm (which I was not sure where was I in the ‘waiting list’), but before that, I needed to first attend a class which is scheduled at 8.30am-11am. I tried to ‘save’ my energy without compromising my ‘attentiveness’ for the class. I made it through and was relieved… to then rush to the presentation venue.

Slides were copied into the laptop and LCD was ready projecting our presentations. Alhamdulilah I had ample time to settle down as both lecturers were late for about 45 minutes due to unavoidable reasons!

There were altogether 5 presentations and mine was finally of the day. I nearly didn’t get to present (as a presenter jump into the line before me) but luckily the time permits. By now I was confidence, as I trust in Allah for HE will help me after my ‘anxious-thorough’ preparation.

I stood up in front… clicking calmly on my slides… took a deep breath… scanned through the audience and start my presentation with “Assalamu’alaikum wbt and bismillahirrahmanirrahim…”

All eyes were either glued to me or to my slides… as in the progression I brought the flow of the presentation… facilitating them step by step through the course… understanding the fundamentals… limiting presentation to a certain scope… and thus steering them to understand and to grasp the giest of it.

Thank you ya Allah… to me, the presentation of ‘Green Technology in Natural Products Processing; Supercritical Fluid Extraction using Carbon Dioxide’ went more than what I had expected… Hopefully I had impacted well…

I received many compliments and I credidted it all to Allah SWT, my family, my lecturers and my colleges. I went back with an approving smile on that day. Back to arms of my loved ones.

Parkia speciosa – the stink beans

ibunoor — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:00:05 +0000

You’ll either love it or hate it. It’s hard to ignore the petai beans. Known to the botanist as Parkia speciosa, and to the common man as stink beans, the petai bean is one that you can only acquire a taste for. Reason being it has a very strong all-pervasive smell that lingers in the mouth and in the excretory systems of the body.

The beans are popular in Asia, particularly Malaysia, Northern India, Indonesia and Thailand. They are sold in clusters, still in their pod, or the seeds are sold separately in bags. They are also pickled in brine and exported in jars.

I know many of us do not prefer taking these as the ‘smelly’ effect would be accompanying you for quite some time; especially those who are going to lead a prayer. But the truth is, this petai beans also have many benefits to our health. The common way to savour it is by cooking it in the ‘sambal’ a.k.a chilli paste. Try out this recipe instead to have a slightly different taste!

Ingredients:

Peeled petai beans from about 7 of it’s pods

A handful of cleaned, medium sized, ‘half-peeled’ shrimps

2 cloves of blended, garlic

4 bullbs of blended, shallots

½ bulb of blended, onions

1 tea spoon of turmeric powder

A turmeric leaf

½ can of evaporated milk / a cup of instant powdered milk (mix with water)

2 medium bowls of water

Some sliced, red peppers

Method:

1) Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the pot.

2) Saute’ the blended garlic, shallots and onions till fragrance.

3) Add the water and the petai beans in and cook them for about 5 to 7 minutes with a medium fire.

4) Add the shrimps, milk, turmeric powder and the turmeric leaf to simmer them slowly with a slow fire for about 5 more minutes.

5) Season to taste, garnish with some red peppers and sliced off the remaining turmeric leaf.

6) Taste the difference!

Besides its culinary uses, Parkia speciosa beans are said to be beneficial in treating a number of health conditions. Hence, its uses can have far-reaching benefits.

The beans are known to help in treating depression, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and constipation. It will be easier to see how these ailments are helped if we break down health-benefiting components of the bean.

Sugars: Comfort eating – that most obese people are prone to and are unable to resist – usually involves consuming large quantities of starchy foods like chocolates and crisps. It is the high carbohydrate content in these foods that tend to satisfy the comfort eater. The petai beans are rich in complex carbohydrates that can give you the same feeling of fullness, thus eliminating the chances of gorging on the wrong foods.

Fiber: for constipation and type II diabetes – High dietary fiber intake has been proven to benefit diabetics. Moreover, natural sugars have the ability to stabilize blood sugar levels. Since petai beans are rich in both, fiber and sugars, it is a perfect diet option for diabetics. The fiber also helps constipation.

Tryptophan: Also called the good-mood amino acid, tryptophan has the ability to increase the serotonin levels in the brain. This effect is further enhanced by the feel-good factor of the bean’s high carbohydrate content. Hence, it can be used for depression and mood disorders.

Vitamin B6: This vitamin is trusted by many to help alleviate premenstrual symptoms. However, instead of taking vitamin pills, women can now opt to go natural and still enjoy the vitamin’s benefits.

Iron: The iron content in petai beans can stimulate the production of hemoglobin thus helping people who are anemic.

Potassium: Potassium has two popular benefits. It helps reduce high blood pressure and it is also known to improve memory and aid concentration. Petai beans, rich in potassium, can be termed the perfect brain food.

Antacid property: The antacid properties of the petai beans can help ulcers and heartburns.

There are many other trusted, but unresearched, uses attributed to the Parkia speciosa beans. A study has shown that the bark of its tree is bursting with antioxidant and antifungal activities. That day does not seem far when the pods too are proven to have these additional health-aiding properties.

Despite the unpleasantness of its smell, the health benefits of the Parkia speciosa beans far outweigh the minor undesirable aspects of it.

Petai beans pickles

(Source: http://www.helium.com/items/1399455-parkia-speciosa—petai-beans-health-benefits-and-uses)

Presentation jitters II – I just got it

ibunoor — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:00:37 +0000

continued…

Promise is a promise…

The presentation has been scheduled to be in this month of Ramadhan, as in the list which had been distributed to us few weeks earlier. Meaning that, we’ll not have any lecture, and instead, we’ll have 4 to 5 presentations… each week.

Everyone or at the least almost everyone wrote their title in the list given… except me (that I know of). There will be twelve students presenting, each on a unique title… either be of their choices which had been approved by the lecturer or… just choose any of the suggested title given. Throughout the 14 weeks of lecture, the course will be divided into two sessions where the weeks are divided among two different lecturers. Dr. Parveen will be taking the first 7 weeks of lecture and mind you, we have 3-stretch-hours of lecture every alternate week including an hour and a half, but twice a week alternatively. After that, the lecture will be handled over to Dr. Yumi Zuhanis Has-Yun; a young mother of three but experienced lecturer who is masyaAllah equally knowledgeable, down to earth and a committed lady.

The first week was a success… with three brothers presenting, two of which had started their research and are already halfway through with it. They were VERY GOOD masyaAllah… their commitment with their research… just superb! I wish I could be like them and I really admire such confidence, passion and work! They were able to explain and answered all questions well. I was embarrassed of myself… They did not know that their presentation left me wide-mouthed and deliberately this adds on to my worries. I almost trembled when I redirect my thoughts back to my title… I still ain’t got one!!! Help…

With the two lecturers focusing on the presentation while at the same time, jotting down questions, comments including totaling up the marks… I caught a glimpse of satisfaction on their faces. Perhaps all the presenters ‘gave’ more that what they expected. Our lecturers decided to finish off the presentation the next week and so it was anticipated that the whole duration will be stretch on to three and a half hours. And so I did a final checked on the list of the title and I saw one without ‘owner’.

“I had my heart on the title before… but why didn’t I booked it earlier?” I whispered in silence.

I looked at the line… taking a bit of my time digesting it to properly have a vision of what to be in the presentation and I nodded my head in approval.

“Alright, I set my mind to it and I have exactly one week to master every fundamentals.”… I gave a silent prayer so that Allah will ease me in everything…

Since then, I had been reading all materials which I could get hold off… sorting out every important point for the presentation…. devising the flow of explanation… and on top of everything, gave my fullest commitment to my ibadah during Ramadhan and family; my dear husband and two little blessed children who are the backbone of this quest.

The actual clock starts ticking the night before the presentation…

to be continued…

Presentation jitters I – desperately in need of a title

ibunoor — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:00:53 +0000

“I would require you all to prepare a presentation for this subject later”… said my lecturer with a smile.

My heart was beating faster… I could as if feel each beating accompanying the panic! Half of me tried to remain composed but the other half trembled hopelessly.

“Could I device a good presentation?”…

“ I hadn’t been presenting for quite a while now”… my mind kept on questioning and reasoning uncontrollably.

Yes I was consciously present in the class… was listening to the rest of the lecture after the announcement made by my lecturer; Dr. Parveen, but still the word PRESENTATION haunt me!

“But why?”

“I used to love presenting and it used to be of my routine”…

My mind was suddenly blocked. I did not have the answer or rather I refused to think of one. I really love the subject… and the motherly nature of my lecturer too… really do! I guess the pressure is more on me as I was focusing on the hours so-taken to go through such preparation and to produce a good one, on top of all assignments and responsibilities ‘destined’ for me . I admit, I created such tense my own. My toughest competition has always been myself… to be at par to the expected standard outlined by my optimistic, a ‘dare-devil’ in this quest of knowledge and my fullest drive to excel nature. One thing for sure, I kept this side of me hiding… unintentionally, and of no reason. It just happens but I get used to it by now and am so much comfortable to be regarded as a ‘common-no-threat’ to anyone.

The ‘heat’ was actually increasing on every class of hers which I attended after that, she is a very good lecturer and I’m happy I got to meet such person in life. She is so particular and yet particularly inspiring! We’ve met in person outside class hours and I had the chance to experience a heart-to-heart talk with her. She is an amazing lady who is a winner in her own ways… made uncountable sacrifice to stay at home just to raise a good Muslim family even after her PhD. She made her come-back in the education field after she sorted out ‘evenly’ with her child (when her children were more independant; in primary school I supposed) whom in the later years brought her pride by conquering the entire major awards during the convocation. They are paving their way proudly by now. MasyaAllah madam… you are really blessed!

Wallahi I would really want to perform my best and to contribute to my fullest capacity even for a in-class seminar; presentation. I tried to search for a suitable topic from few books… none to my interest. I glanced through the titles given initially… none again that caught my attention. I was not hooked by any of it and tried endlessly to search in detail with reading through the journal. Time is running out… I really desperately need to at least have a focus; I need a title in precise…

to be continued…

Paving our way through

ibunoor — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:00:29 +0000

Half of the holy month is gone by now… are we satisfied of all our ‘ibadah’ and our deeds? Are we stepping on the ‘break’ already? Or are we putting in more gears to ready and accelerate to race this month off. As a reminder to all and especially to myself…it isn’t till the 10 last days of this holy month that we’ll make through to the ‘night of power’ (Lailatul Qadr)… and that is IF we make it through… for only the purest of hearts will ‘see’ it. May we all get the glimpse of this night which is far much better that all the other nights… amin.

I chuckled as I remembered the first day of fasting this year…

“Ibu… nah… eat”, said my elders son; Wahbah Zuhayli (age 3+), while at the same time feeding me with the date (kurma) from his hand.

… And so I had a bite of it… (Oh no! what was I thinking?). It was around 12 noon at that time; Wednesday (1^st of ramadhan).

…Then I spat it out into my palm as I quickly remembered, the day marked our first day of fasting. You know what happen after that? He said…

“Ibu… don’t throw… eat!”, as he thought that I did not appreciate or didn’t even like his offering.

Well you see, at home or almost everywhere… we used to feed each other before starting with our own meal and by doing so, we will be able to inculcate the sense of ‘sharing’ and feel the ‘closeness’ including appreciating the presence of one another… and yes also to get a tastes of different choice of food. I truly love the moment!

He was sulking…

I had to entice him… persuade him to talk to me so that I’ll know the reason of the silently sullen. My conscience told me so the reason and it’s true enough, I got the whole message… when I spat the date out, I was as if unappreciative towards him and I am sure all parents knew that our children want all the attention; they live for our compliments, praises and all our love!

I tried my best to give a simple explanation which is up to only his level of understanding and alhamdulillah he nodded his head upon listening to me… The most important thing is, he got to understand that it was not because I do not like it or anything like that… it was just that I was unable to eat during the day due to the month of Ramadhan.

He was satisfied and immediately said “Hmm… cannot eat, nanti Allah marah…”. I smiled as I know just exactly where he got that word from… his ibu…

Day after that no mis-take happened till today. Both my children were sent to the nursery during weekdays and weekends will be the most looked-forward day to be spent together. They will deliberately ‘fast’ from morning till noon on weekends (none given; either food or drinks after waking up), except for Yusuf Zufayri (age 1+) who is still dependant on breast milk (by demand and mothers have to obey!). I will see to it that my elders get his lunch which by that time he never fail to ask. Then continued with the ‘fasting’ again with only drinks to survive till the call for Maghrib. Excitedly announcing “We can eat now” as soon as he hears the call for breaking the fast… but sometimes he feasted himself without waiting for the proper time as I was laying out the dishes on the table!

Funny how once he came home to tell us that “Makcik eat… emm spoon…”. Gothcha! Does that means he caught the aunt eating during the women monthly ‘exempted-period’? Children can be very observant.

Stay one and complete

ibunoor — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:00:04 +0000

Flipping through the calendar and I suddenly pause…

Today…

It’s 15 of Ramadhan…

Tonight will be the sixteenth night… half way through the journey… of soul searching and cleansing… but are we purified yet?

Oh! How time flies… from the bottom of my heart, I really treasure all my routines in this month… the most awaited month of all. Everything changes drastically especially my day-off-class routine which I am now free to do whatever I want for myself… no more tuition classes till the end of this holy month… back to the ‘old’ routine of nearly 9 months ago with a whole stretch; reciting 1 juzk per day of the Quran after Maghrib prayer till Isya’ to then continue with the Tarawikh, Witr if not any other ‘sunat’ prayer.

My thoughts flew back to before…

I’ve lost some precious time during the night since the past 8 months or so… was always in a rush for Maghrib prayer at home before shooting off to the tuition centre to teach (part-time). By the time I reached home again, it was already crawling to 11pm! (sometimes it goes beyond that; which I tried so much to avoid). Before I started on my jihad; Masters, it was still okay as I would be having the whole day of activities with my children at home then definitely the comfort of being in one’s own house, made lots of things easier and manageable.

Despite all that, I am trying to make the best out of me by fitting myself to the changes, though sacrifices need to be made. Alhamdulillah, I have the support I needed from my better half; my dear husband who would always remind me of my priorities. Under these circumstances, his understanding gives me the much needed push to carry out this ‘amanah’ a.k.a trust (my studies).

On many occasions, he needed to rush home early from work just to ‘see me through’ the daily routine and for me to pass on the ‘torch’ to him (take charge of being with the children). He has been putting up strong with ‘the said’ from people around him… smirking and cynical smile just because he had to be home early… He still sticks to his vow; family comes first now no matter what and I appreciate all his effort as he sacrificed his time with us too much before… (many prior plans were cancled as his time get in the way, ‘burnt’ weekends and no return of dealing between primary work and the secondaries, was ’fixed’ to a position of no-point-return on many occasions) to the extent of robbing our quality time… made him lagged behind of the children’s needs and development and… not forgetting mine too.

It is impossible for ‘them’ to understand our love… our commitment… our direction as by this time I realize that they are the one who are missing a lot in their lifes, which ‘they’ do not know. No need to feel pity for us… instead pity yourselves… (especially dedicated to ‘them’). Always remember, you can never win affection overnight – a lesson I’ve learnt long ago!

While I teach at the tuition centre, I know that he is trying his best to fulfill all his dreams; to spend more time with the family… to be attached to the children… to love them more… to cherish every moment in life with them… and the most rewarding of all to share our ‘hardship’ together. I believe he is contributing more in this way… the well-upbringing of a family. To be able to stick together through thick and thin and that is what make us one and complete. He is in fact trying his best to help me by staying at home with the children for that few hours at night. Not that I bounce all responsibilities for him to shoulder, this is just the most practical solution at the moment.

I love you abang… and thank you so very much for this 180 degree changes. Look forward to more… a complete 360 changes and yes you know what I mean abang…:)

May Allah SWT have mercy and compassion on us… protect us with HIS ‘mawaddah’ and seal us with HIS ‘rahmah’ all the way through… amin.

Ouuuuuucchh standing! – ear episode

ibunoor — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:00:50 +0000

continued…

He started shrieking louder after 3 days and I wonder why…

By this time it got worst! His left ear was bright red as if in flame! I noticed it was a bit ‘projected’ out unlike the usual. The episode was repeated… we went to the same clinic again to tell the different doctor on duty that I’d swabbed off the access ear wax with a little like small blood clot clumping together on that day. When the doctor did ‘peeped’ through his ‘magic’ funnelled magnifying glass, he explained that the clogged ear wax has now exposed the infected area and so can become more painful to him. Leaving us with a set of new medicine altogether now with the antibiotic (which I do not like make it a practice),pain killer, fever relief syrup and another type of ear drop, he reminded us not to let him bathe for too long and we must now refrain exposing his middle ear from contact with water. Meaning… no more swimming even in his baby ‘pool’; in the bathroom at the moment!

What is Otitis Media?

Otitis media is inflammation of the middle ear. "Otitis" means inflammation of the ear, and "media" means middle. This inflammation often begins with infections that cause sore throats, colds or other respiratory problems, and spreads to the middle ear. These can be caused by viruses or bacteria, and can be acute or chronic.

That was the most difficult of all, on top of the shrieking. Trying to convince a smart child out of the bathroom and trying to persuade including ‘tempting’ him with other activities… without letting your anger coming through the way (loads of patience) well that’s definitely a challenge all parents need to face… and we did! Alhamdulillah…

The pain slowly subsided and fever also did ‘drop-by’ for a few days and he was back to his active self again (he was still active even with the pain, it’s just that he preferred to be alone to rest and lay down in the room at times).

No gloomy and cranky faces anymore and by then I realized that I missed his happy face for the past one week. The world is smiling with him now too I suppose… Thank you ya Allah… it is YOU who cured him.

Ouuuuuucchh my ear!!!

ibunoor — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:00:04 +0000

“Ibu no… no… ibu don’t!”…

“Ouuuuuucchh!!!”…

“Auuwww… auuwww”…

“La haw la wala…what’s wrong?” I asked my three and a half year old son; Wahbah Zuhayli. And I started to panic a little…

This was the case throughout the last week. As early as Sunday morning on the previous week (a week before last), he complained about his ears to us. Even on the previous night he was barely asleep. As if something was wrong with his ears… more of a ‘something’ was ‘inside’ it. He kept shrieking at the same time motioning to his left ear, yelling out the pain he experienced. We can never lay any finger or even an accidental touch would mean a whole world of pain to him.

I was left worried…

I tried to ‘peep’ through his little ear’s canal… It was not practical at all. At that time, I was using my husband’s handphone cum mini-torchlight and could only made out shadows and some dimmed ‘sight’.

Then we immediately drove to the nearest clinic and we managed to see the doctor slightly about 15 minutes after the registration. He ‘appeared’ to be alright walking and running about the waiting area. I saw familiar faces were smiling and talking to him… yup, the nurses. I actually pitied the nurses rather than my son at that time as they we struggling ‘hard’ to understand every word throughout their conversation… bit of Malay here and there and English almost the entire conversation. And mind you… a child’s English is a little difficult to understand than you thought! They tend to pause in the middle of it and could sometimes just want to ‘talk’ without having to address any issue. More of copying the fast pace of an adult’s conversation really. Apart from “Hi!” till he tried to explain about his ears was alright. But after that, I could see them frowning and was asking “What? What did you say again?”, I smiled and I appreciate their (the nurses) effort.

The doctor had those funnelled magnifying glass to his ears and was calmly telling us the situation. It wasn’t serious… it was just the ear wax… in access till it clogged part of the middle structure and a small area of infection; Otitis Media too. Some few medicine were prescribed and we went home relieved.

Within 3 days, the wax was out at the outer ear and so I easily swabbed it off with a cotton bud. Alhamdulillah… but to my surprise…

to be continued…

Sweet and sour sahoor meal

ibunoor — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:00:23 +0000

Ever felt groggy as you woke up to prepare your sahoor meal early in the morning? Maybe it’s due to the ‘late extension’ of whatever task and assignments despite also running a marathon-like ibadah in the middle of the night? By then, when you realized… it’s nearly time for your sahoor (if ever you are in a desperate situation), just look for the ‘leftover’ fried fishes from the dinner that night and do some quick improvisation. I would like to share my experience here. And oh yes, you can simply enjoy the sahoor meal with satiety!

Ingredients:

3 fried fishes

3 inches of sliced (longitudinally) ginger

2 cloves of crushed garlic

¼ bulb of sliced onions

1 tablespoon of chilli paste

1 tablespoon of tomato sauce

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

About 4-5 small green chillies

A quartered tomato

A teaspoon of sweet soy sauce

¾ cup of water

Method:

1) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan.

2) Saute’ the onion, garlic and ginger lightly.

3) Add the chilli paste and fried till fragrance.

4) Then add the tomato sauce, sweet soy sauce and the fresh tomato to further cook them a little.

5) Add water and lemon juice and stir them well.

6) Finally add the small green chillies and basically you do not need to season it anymore.

7) Pour the gravy on the fried fish in the plate and eat it with the plain rice. You’ll never miss the sahoor!

What would a kitchen be without the distinctively pungent smell and taste of onions filling out the flavors of almost every type of cuisine imaginable? Fortunately, yellow storage onions are available throughout the year but sweet varieties have a much more limited growing season and are available only a few months out of the year.

The word onion comes from the Latin word unio for "single," or "one," because the onion plant produces a single bulb, unlike its cousin, the garlic, that produces many small bulbs. The name also describes the union (also from unio) of the many separate, concentrically arranged layers of the onion.

Onions, like garlic, are members of the Allium family, and both are rich in powerful sulfur-containing compounds that are responsible for their pungent odors and for many of their health-promoting effects. Onions contain allyl propyl disulphide, while garlic is rich in allicin, diallyl disulphide, diallyl trisulfide and others. In addition, onions are very rich in chromium, a trace mineral that helps cells respond to insulin, plus vitamin C, and numerous flavonoids, most notably, quercitin.

Blood Sugar-Lowering Effects

The higher the intake of onion, the lower the level of glucose found during oral or intravenous glucose tolerance tests. Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that allyl propyl disulfide is responsible for this effect and lowers blood sugar levels by increasing the amount of free insulin available. Allyl propyl disulfide does this by competing with insulin, which is also a disulphide, to occupy the sites in the liver where insulin is inactivated. This results is an increase in the amount of insulin available to usher glucose into cells causing a lowering of blood sugar.

Cardiovascular Benefits

The regular consumption of onions has, like garlic, been shown to lower high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, both of which help prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. These beneficial effects are likely due to onions’ sulfur compounds, its chromium and its vitamin B6, which helps prevent heart disease by lowering high homocysteine levels, another significant risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

Onions have been singled out as one of the small number of vegetables and fruits that contributed to the significant reduction in heart disease risk seen in a meta-analysis of seven prospective studies. Of the more than 100,000 individuals who participated in these studies, those who diets most frequently included onions, tea, apples and broccoli-the richest sources of flavonoids-gained a 20% reduction in their risk of heart disease.

Support Gastrointestinal Health

The regular consumption of onions, as little as two or more times per week, is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing colon cancer. Onions contain a number of flavonoids, the most studied of which, quercitin, has been shown to halt the growth of tumors in animals and to protect colon cells from the damaging effects of certain cancer-causing substances. Cooking meats with onions may help reduce the amount of carcinogens produced when meat is cooked using high heat methods.

Onion and Garlic Protective against Many Cancers

Making onion and garlic a staple in your healthy way of eating may greatly lower your risk of several common cancers, suggests a large data set of case-control studies from Southern European populations (Galeone C, Pelucchi C et al, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).

Onions Protective against Ovarian Cancer

Research calculating flavonoid intake in 66,940 women enrolled in the Nurses Health Study between 1984 and 2002 revealed that women whose diets provided the most kaempferol had a 40% reduction in risk of ovarian cancer, compared to women eating the least kaempferol-rich foods. In addition to onions, foods richest in kaempferol include tea (nonherbal), broccoli, curly kale, leeks, spinach, and blueberries.

A significant 34% reduction in ovarian cancer risk was also seen in women with the highest intake of the flavone luteolin (found in citrus). Int J Cancer. 2007 Apr 30; Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 May;79(5):727-47.

Boost Bone Health

Milk isn’t the only food that boosts bone health. Onions also help maintain healthy bones, suggests a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

A compound newly identified in onions with the long complex name of gamma-L-glutamyl-trans-S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide, GPCS, for short, inhibits the activity of osteoclasts (the cells that break down bone). The more GPCS given in this animal study, the more the bone resorptive (breakdown) action of osteoclasts was inhibited.

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Bacterial Activity

Several anti-inflammatory agents in onions render them helpful in reducing the severity of symptoms associated with inflammatory conditions such as the pain and swelling of osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, the allergic inflammatory response of asthma, and the respiratory congestion associated with the common cold. Both onions and garlic contain compounds that inhibit lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase (the enzymes that generate inflammatory prostaglandins and thromboxanes), thus markedly reducing inflammation. Onions’ anti-inflammatory effects are due not only to their vitamin C and quercitin, but to other active components called isothiocyanates. These compounds work synergistically to spell relief from inflammation. In addition, quercitin and other flavonoids found in onions work with vitamin C to help kill harmful bacteria, making onions an especially good addition to soups and stews during cold and flu season.

(Source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=45)

Sleeping with lights on may cause Cancer

ibunoor — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:00:30 +0000

KIDS who sleep with the light on could risk leukemia, parents were warned yesterday.

Scientists have found the body needs darkness to produce a chemical that fights cancer. Even switching the light on for the toilet, staying up late, travelling across time zones, or the light from street lamps can stop enough melatonin being made, they say.

The body needs the chemical to prevent damage to DNA and its absence stops fatty acids reaching tumours and preventing them growing. Texas University Prof Russell Reiter, who led the research, said: “Once you go to bed you should not even switch the light on for a minute.”

“Your brain immediately recognises the light as day and melatonin levels drop.”

Rates of childhood leukaemia have doubled in the past 40 years.

In fact, about 500 youngsters under 15 are diagnosed with the disease each year and around 100 die. A conference on childhood leukemia in London yesterday heard that people were being subjected to more light at night than ever. This suppressed the production of melatonin which normally happens between 9pm and 8am.

Past research has shown those most affected, like shift workers, had higher levels of breast cancer.

Blind people, who are not vulnerable to fluctuations of melatonin, have lower rates of cancer, it was found. Parents are advised to use dim red or yellow bulbs if their youngsters are scared of the dark.

It happened…so be careful…

ibunoor — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:00:29 +0000

A message forwarded to me…for us all

Please be careful…

Yesterday, I was at the Carrefour carpark after shopping and about to start the car engine.
Suddenly, one man appeared holding a name card and asking me to wind down the window to give me the
name card. I refused using the sign language but he kept on pestering. I was terrified and
quickly started the engine and sped off. Fortunately, I locked the car doors immediately I got in.
Thank you for the warning email I received earlier.

Regards,
May
*****************************************************************************************Must Read and Please be careful out there !!

A man came over and offered his service as a painter to a female putting gas in her car and left his card. She said no, but accepted his card out of kindness and got in the car. The man then got into a car driven by another gentleman. As the lady left the service station, she saw the men following her out of the station at the same time. Almost immediately, she started to feel dizzy and could not catch her breath. She tried to open the window and realized that the odor was on her hand; the same hand which accepted the card from the gentleman at the gas station.

She then noticed the men were immediately behind her and she felt she needed to do something at that moment. She drove into the first driveway and began to honk her horn repeatedly to ask for help.The men drove away but the lady still felt pretty bad for several minutes after she could finally catch her breath. Apparently,there was a substance on the card that could have seriously injured her.

This drug is called ‘BURUNDANGA’ and it is used by people who wish to incapacitate a victim in order to steal from or take advantage of them.

This drug is four times more dangerous than the date rape drug and is transferable on simple cards.

So take heed and make sure you don’t accept cards at any given time alone or from someone on the streets. This applies to those making house calls and slipping you a card when they offer their services.

Will HE accept my fasting…?

ibunoor — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:00:22 +0000

And I was reading…

Allah SWT will never accept the fasting of those of…

1) Spouses who argued with each other and then do not forgive…

2) Children who had some ‘conflict’ with their parents and do not apologize…

3) Neighbours who squabbles and are not contented with each other…

“Number one, checked… none”…

“Number two, checked… none as well…”…

But… eerrmm…the number three… well we did not squabble… but I am still frustrated of what she had said and done to me… aunty N… and my house still leaks when it rains… “Ooh ya Allah…please forgive me”, I uttered clearly in my heart.

As soon as I finished reading that article, I felt a little chill… Will HE forgive me? Will HE accept my fasting? I really wanted to ‘demolish’ this little frustration which I had, but it is a bit difficult… I must admit.

And now with no more ‘disastrous concerto’, aunty N’s house stand up gracefully high, complete, spacious, comfortable and most of all ‘beautiful’… At last, after all those experience, the house had undergone a total robust renovation. With still a little of ‘patching’ up to do or ‘refining’ the final tune I guess (when I still hear the much softer drilling sounds at a certain place), aunty N and family has move back in even a month before Ramadhan .

Our poor house is now left low to ‘capture’ remaining drop downs of the ‘high rise’; our neighbour’s house. With endless calls, sms including face to face ‘reporting’ the contractors which she hired had failed to detect the root of the problem. Everything is fine according to them and that there is nothing they could do…

The issue of discussion here is now shifted to our old, poor house which according to her, is still causing some leakage which affect the new structure of hers. At a different place altogether now; the toilet and it seemed that the wall is all the time moist and wet but from the inside (which she is afraid would give rise to the growth of some green moulds and that would definitely be an ugly sight).

We lodged many smses to the agent (of the house) trying to settle this problem as we take responsibility as a tenant of the house. Contractors were then sent to our house and swarmed the roof and everywhere. They claimed to have the solution but only with the owner’s approval to bear all the expenses, could go on and improve on the situation. Also with agent who had promised many times to come by, never turned up.

But till now… it is to no avail… I assumed that the owner did not approve then…

We intend to give the phone number of the agent to aunty N so she could communicate straight with him.

Fortunately, my dear husband had done some innovation to kind of ‘direct’ the flow of water when it leaks… so the so call now ‘permanent’ basin will be there in the dining area to ‘collect’ the drop of the day. All we could do now is to be patient and throw off the yellowish rusty water collected, to the drain at the back.

Rain should be a blessing and may Allah ease us in everything… and so I should continue the effort of steering away my focus off the small problem. Alhamdulillah…praise be to Allah… we could still afford to pay the rent every month though in a very tight budget right now… compared to the unfortunate homeless or who had ‘un-grasp’ of their house under certain circumstances.