From Young Thinkers to where?...

My 2 years 8 months daughter has been attending play school at Young Thinkers in Mutiara Damansara for a few months now. We have decided to send her to a playschool as her "bibik" has gone back to Indonesia for good since the last Hari Raya Aidilfitri and that this school is located nearby my in-laws place, which makes it convenient for them to help fetch Ayleia from school daily and stay with them until both of us come back from work. Ayleia seems to enjoy her time there and looks eager to go to school daily. Despite having problem to take a bath very early in the morning, she seems to be more up beat if I mention to her that I'm sending her to school so she needs to get ready.

She has been adjusting well at the school and we were quite impressed with her vocabulary now as compared to before enrolling her into the school. I'm quite glad with her development and that she is able to socialise a bit more than before (eventhough more improvement needed in this area hehe).

Nonetheless, most good things doesn't last and now my in-laws are moving to somewhere nearby Ara Damansara which conveniently coincide with my office relocating to Oasis, Ara Damansara, I know this sentence may seem to be a bit oxymoron as "good things doesn't last" and "convenient" is written together (will explain further in the following sentences). In terms of logistic planning, it is superb as now it is more convenient for us to fetch her as compared to travel all over the Klang Valley daily. To clarify further on my statement above, "good things that didn't last" mentioned above is the school, as now we need to scout for another school that can meet our expectation and a place that Ayleia would enjoy her time while her parents are away at work and not forgetting the convenient that we will be enjoying in terms of logistics.

I have scouted a few schools and have narrowed it down to the options as follow:

1) IOP Canopy Preschool, Ara Damansara (nearby office);
2) Real Kids, Bukit Jelutong (nearby house);
3) Brainy Bunch, TTDI Jaya (nearby house).

However, I have yet to decide on any as we are still open for better options (in terms of the quality of the syllabus and logistics from our house/work place and also I would try to avoid any school that has any bad comments (yup, I googled vigorously whenever I have the time, and also asked around... better be safe than sorry).

At the moment, I am inclined towards IOP and have called to set an assessment session (3 days session). Will update more should I have made a decision.

xoxo

Hello Kitty Town JB

Being a girly girl and having a little girl of my own, we truly enjoy this place!!

However "the daddy" finds this place a bit too girlish, pinkish, sweet and he needs a dose of action packed movie to bring back the manliness in him after our visit! Lol...

Being Malaysian we were given some privileges by having a lower rate charged as the entrance fee of RM55 per adult. This charge is applicable for entry to the Hello Kitty Town only, if you would like to have access to the Little Big Club (Barney, Thomas the train & Angelina Ballerina), Malaysian rate is RM85 for each adult. We decided only to go to the Hello Kitty Town as our little girl doesn't seem to have any affiliation to any of the characters figure there. It turns out quite well as our time there is quite limited because of some family matters that we need to attend to right after.

Also, I recommend for visitors to do their lunch at Lat's Place which is a few shops a way from the attraction, not only because they offered free drinks per entrance ticket but also because we enjoyed the ambience there. The set up is truly like you have jumped into one of the pages of Lat's cartoon magazine! And oh, there were some interaction between the cartoon character and the patrons. You have to experience it to believe it.

All in all, I find that this is a place where little girls and the little girl at heart to fulfil their Hello Kitty cutesy pie fantasies but may not be very entertaining of fulfilling in any way for boys, unless they are an avid Hello Kitty fans.

These are some of the photos taken at the place and during the performance. The show is performed on timely basis, therefore make sure that you don't missed it!

Xoxo

Why do I take MBA

Coming from a legal background, people keep asking me why do I take MBA?

My answer to the question differs everytime not because that I am clueless in living my life or that I have so much time that I just needed something to do to fill the glaring lacuna; but mainly because it depends on my mood at the time when the question was asked.

The main objective or main goal or main reason or you can say the crux of my intention in taking this course is simple; I want to gain more knowledge and enhance myself.

Once the main objective has been established, people rarely stop there, they will normally proceed to ask these questions below (or sometimes even more questions):

1) Why MBA and not LLM as it is quite a normal progression from LLB?
2) Will the MBA guarantees me a hefty pay raise and a promotion?
3) Why do I sacrifice my time, family in pursuing this course?

Again my answer will depend on my mood when the questions were asked.

But generally for question number one, I just feel that at this point in time in my life, I want to have an MBA and NO, I don't have any other brilliant reply apart from I just feel that way. Or when I really am not in the mood I will just answer, "I don't know"... hehehe

For question number 2, my answer will always be NO. Not wanting to sound geek-ish or nerd-ish but I really like studying new things for self development, always wanting to learn new language(s), new set of skills etc etc. After researching for courses from the internet, MBA seems to fit the bill to quench my thirst for general knowledge as the syllabus covers almost every aspect of running a corporation. I am quite certain that MBA will be able to fill what I needed to know, for now. After completing one semester of it, I have no doubt that this is what I need, now. Who knows, I may also consider to pursue LLM or even PhD after completing this course. Que sera, sera.

For question number 3, whether you agree or disagree or agree to disagree, most things in life doesn't come to you easily without some sort of challenges and sacrifices that need to be made along the way. This goes to taking MBA and my guess is, as well as other courses or any other challenges in life. I know that I need to make a lot of sacrifices and I do feel blessed that my husband is supportive of my dreams and because of that I know that this is something that I must do passionately and not take things for granted. In other words, I better work my butt's off for the exam!

Nonetheless, despite the solid support system that I have been receiving (ie. hubby), there are still one or two people out there who still think that if it doesn't have a guaranteed return of investment (ROI) then why do I even bother. Not to mention having a two-year old who needs attention plus a husband, a full time job, house chores, family commitments etc etc etc. For some, to my disappointment, I was deemed a selfish person. Yes, this sometimes make me feel down and alone when my initial bona fide intentions were misconstrued. However, as mentioned by some supportive friends out there; this is all a mind game. Challenges come in many forms. Therefore, whenever I am in doubt, I will always do a simple self psychoanalysis to convince myself that furthering studies not only in doing MBA, but in almost all disciplines will always have its advantages if your intention is pure. The more challenges you face, the sweeter the success will be.

I am not sure whether my boss will ever give me any increment or promotion that seem to be the measurement of a good ROI upon getting the MBA, but I do believe that at the very least I will be more knowledgeable today than I did before. Hey, I can even use ROI in my normal conversation now, see, I do know slightly more today. And for me, that is good enough, anything more than that is deemed as a bonus.

xoxo

About FB and IG postings...

Seriously sometimes I feel as though am I the only one who are having financial constraints ie have to calculate for each and every purchase and all luxury items need to come from months of savings or even years... etc etc etc...

But after thinking about it for a while, my perception on this issue may be derived from all the FB or IG postings of friends, families and acquaintances of all their European trips, or luxury island get aways, designer handbags purchases, luxury cars, designer luxury homes etc etc and the list goes on and on.

It leads to some questions, such as, do people really spend according to their means or do some of them overspend their money, do most people in my FB and IG are rich or do these people actually spend money that they don't have to buy things that they think they need and at the end of the day suffering in silence with debt but yet posting all these material happiness to entice others to do the same or even to have some kind of adrenaline rush knowing that people in their FB or IG are actually green in envy seeing all these?

The above questions and arguments are mostly the frustrated me kind of talk as here I am trying very hard to meet the monthly house mortgage, and car instalment, and utilities bills, and child care monthly expenses, and formula milk, and disposable diapers, and grocery shopping, and taxes and etc etc etc and the list again goes on and on and on. Nonetheless, on better days and a more positive side of me thinking, maybe people ARE really good in their financial and they are posting all these just to share their happiness with all of their friends, families, acquaintances and even stalkers???...

But then again, these are my friends, families, acquaintances, stalkers (Mental Note: damn I need to revisit the kind of people that have access to my private life again) so who am I to judge them as most of them are just sharing a piece of their happiness with me. I am also human, I have shared thousands pictures of my daughter from the first day that she was born and all the other pictures or news or ideas or ramblings that I personally think is interesting. I am sure there are a lot of people in my list of friends find it not as exciting as I do. To that, I am sincerely sorry for cluttering your newsfeed.

Trying to spread some positivity here, to all (especially to my self), try not to post too many stuffs on social network, or set a limit like once or twice a day for the hardcore or once a week for those who have stronger will power and try not to judge or take everything at face value. Maybe some of them have other problems that they don't have the courage to share and the only way for them to be happy is by sharing whatever that makes them happy and to make other people happy too. If that is your reason, I sincerely thank you.

Positive vibes all around!

xoxo

Life Choices

Have you personally feel that the "angel" and the "devil" inside of you are having a deadlock argument on what action should you take ie the "bad" or the "good"? I'm sure most of us will encounter this kind of situation if not always, at least one time or another.

When we are having this internal dilemma, it is always good to have a voice of reason giving us a third opinion; the good, the bad and the in between. It is not easy to make everyone happy, infact this is one of the most daunting task when you are at a cross road or having split thoughts on what is the best action to take to make this world or more specifically your life a happier place to be in. This is where the "voice of reason" plays a very vital role. Therefore, your "the voice of reason" should be someone who has an objective, positive and unbias opinions on things in general. Finding the best "voice of reason" is not an easy task, but I believe that we should trust our gut feeling as over the years we have or "should" have mastered the art of seeing a person beyond skin deep or evaluate a person. If you just do not have a gut feeling or any basic sense of evaluating a person, then I suggest the "voice of reason" should be a person that you have known your whole life, like your guardians, parents, grandparents, close and trusted family members or friends.

At the end of the day, as a normal human being we will be facing every types of challenges every day of our life. For someone who thinks that they have never had to evaluate anything or never had to face any difficulties in life, I shall say that good for you... but just be prepared as you may not be well equipped to handle the complexity of the world of the common people.

Nonetheless, whether you are well equipped or not, I believe that one has to choose wisely as you are what you choose to be.

Happy Friday!

xoxo :)

Reluctantly Skinny

Most people adhere to the code that it is very impolite for one to comment on a person's weight. But this would normally be referred to comments being made to people who are overweight. It would be deemed very cruel, discriminatory and inhumane to make a person feel that their excess weight is not an acceptable standard of aesthetic appearance a person who is deemed normal be perceived.

However, this is not an article of that sort. On the flip side, this is an article about common people who generally thinks that it is OK, acceptable, funny or some may think that their being nice and kind by commenting or trying to be blunt to an underweight person about their ermmm... lack of weight. The common people that I am referring to here is normally random person, person that you have never met before, person that you hardly know, person that don't know you, that don't care about you, people who is deemed a STRANGER. Yes, this type of person.

No, I am not trying to whine and complain about my weight here as I have learn to accept the fact that I have always been underweight since I can remember. It has never been a problem to me and I am quite happy and feel blessed as I know some people who are struggling with weight is having a really hard time trying to keep fit and keep their weight in control to avoid any diseases or health issues which is related to overweight.

Having said that, my main point in writing this article is that I an frowning upon people who freely give their unwarranted comments on one's lack of weight by saying such as "you will look prettier if you put on a few kilos" or "you must eat more, as you don't look good being skinny"etc. Commenting or I even dare call it criticising a person underweight-ness is as cruel as discriminatory and as unacceptable as doing the same to an overweight person. It is bad enough that being underweight has always been associated with overzealous dieting and exercising, self destructing, refusing good food, vain, selfish and all the other negative connotations that come along with it, people assume that all skinny people do this willingly. The fact is that, some people are just born skinny and have high metabolism which make their body process all the fat intake quickly than some other people.

This is just the reality of life that some people are skinny and some are overweight. I advocate that each one of us appreciate our own body shapes, sizes and weights and just concentrate on maintaining a healthy lifestyle instead of trying to be some one that we are not meant to be.

Yes, everyone has their own vision of a perfect body and the media is not helping by parading the blessed supermodels with the perfect face, body and skin as the ultimate beauty hence the ultimate goal that everyone must wish to replicate and dream for. I wish that all of us can digress from all that superficial portrayal of beauty. As I believe that everyone is beautiful in their own way no matter how much one weighs.

And I also advocate that if you have nothing good to say, you better say nothing at all.

Happy Friday everyone. When you feel content on the inside, your beauty will transcend in the outside. And yes, I will eat a bar of chocolate after this. :)

xoxo

Disclaimer

I've written some articles for the purpose of completing my assignments as part of the requirement for a subject in my MBA course. I am publishing it in my blog to share my views with people who came across my blog.

Nonetheless, please note that the contents of my articles are basically based from my research and my personal opinion. It may not be 100% accurate and further research and reading should be done to verify the contents. It may also be modified, rectified, amended, revised from time to time should I encounter further knowledge from more research and studies.

Hope people who are doing research on the same topic find my articles useful and/or may assist them to probe further on the issue or to encourage them to conduct more research on the same subject matter.

xoxo

“SHARIAH” PERCEIVED NEGATIVELY BY MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING MUSLIMS. WHY IS THIS SO? HOW CAN THIS PERCEPTION BE RECTIFIED?

Shariah is strictly defined as the straight path (Surah An-Nur 24:46) of the divine law. The sources of Shariah comes from the Quran and Hadiths (Prophet Muhammad’s explanations and examples). Surah An-Nur 21:46 states that “We have certainly sent down distinct verses. And Allah guides whom He wills to a straight path”.

There are tremendous amount of discussions and debates on Shariah as it covers the whole spectrum of the Islamic believes, practises and way of life. Shariah deals with subject matters such as crime (Jenayat), politics, economics (Muamalah) as well as the interaction of one human to another (Fiqh). Islam in itself is the definition of “the way of life”. Islam is a preactical religion and as agreed by most scholars Shariah is the formal code of conduct or a set of defined rule of law for all Muslims.

Eventhough Shariah has always been a debatable issue, the implementation of Shariah is a long term goal for some sections of people from Muslim countries, including Malaysia. However, attempts to impose Shariah laws have been accompanied by high degree of controversies, violence and in some countries such as Sudan, war has been waged because of this issue. These oppositions on the implementation of Shariah Laws do not only come from the Western countries but by the Muslims as well.

Studies have been conducted to evaluate this issue and the general consensus or misconception derived from all of these studies is that Shariah Laws is perceived to be oppressive, draconian, rigid and do not perform well in a modern society.

 PERCEPTION TOWARDS SHARIAH

Shariah has been receiving negative lights not only by non Muslims but also by Muslims. This perception has been widely discuss not only by scholars but by the Muslim and non Muslim societies alike. One of the reasons that may be wrongly highlighted in all of these discussions are the heavy penalty of the Hudud Law.

Hudud literally means “limit” or “restriction”and the word is often used in Islamic literature for the bounds of acceptable behaviour and punishments for serious crimes. In Shariah law, hudud normally refers to the class of punishment that are fixed for certain crimes which include theft, fornication and aultery (zina), consumption of alcohol or other intoxicants, murder and apostasy. As with any legal system, it is very common to have a set of punishments for certain crimes committed, and even in our currrent legal system, there is a codified act of Parliament which is known as the Penal Code. The problem arise is when Hudud Law is potrayed as an archaic and draconian form of law which puts its emphasize on the heavy and “inhumane” penalty as expressed by some. The penalty of cutting of hand for thieves, stoning of adulterous and other form of punitive capital punishments was put in the crux of the discussion and was always made as an example ever so often.

Not many discussion would emphasize on what is the underlying objectives of these punishments and higlight on how hard it is for a judge (Qadhi) to pass a judgment due to the high degree of certainty and accuracy sought by the Hudud Law before a prima-facie case is proclaimed and thus a judgment can be passed. Requirement such as confessions from four eye-witnesses of well respected men, free (not a slave), adult Muslim, in a healthy state of mind must be presented in court as the basis in forming a judgment by the Qadhi. The four men must make an oath under the Quran that all of them saw with their own eyes that such crime had happened. If there is even a a small discrepancy or slight differences in their testimonies, the Qadhi should do nothing else but acquit the accused. With this high degree of liability and accuracy required by the prosecutor in order to pass a judgment, a crime under the Hudud Law is not an easy case to proof let alone to execute the accused.

Another misconception towards Islam which was highlighted in great length is on the rights or to be more precise the lack of rights of women and children in the society. Shariah law was presented in such a way that it is oppressing, backwards and do not have any protection to women and children. This matter is somehow accorded when laws such as; it is acceptable to beat wives, child marriage, perceived unfair distribution of inheritance to women, to name a few was always highlighted in discussion against Islam worldwide. The discussion on these issues would normally end in a bad note for Shariah law implementation as concentration was always focussed that men have the right to exercise these laws as it is already stated in verses of Quran or quoted from Hadith. These samples of Shariah laws have imprinted a negative impression towards not only to the non Muslim but to the Muslim as well especially to those who do not have enough knowledge in this area or those who are ignorant of the Shariah law.

The underlying reasoning for the introduction of these laws was rarely discussed objectively. All parties should discuss this issues by presenting arguments and evidences that can support both arguments. For instance, in relation to issue regarding that a husband is permissible to beat his wife, there are some rules before this right can be exercised. However, most of these rules are from the interpretation of Scholars based on their research from Quranic verses and Hadith. In reliance to these Scholars interpretation, some men have abused this right to the extent of beating their wife at their whimp and fancies in the name of exercising their rights.

To illustrate further on the issues that was highlighted above, it is fact that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has never beat any of his wives. Nonetheless, there are contradicting views on a hadith quoted from Sahih Muslim, Book 004, number 2127, which is quoted as follow:

Muhammad b. Qais said (to the people): Should I not narrate to you (a hadith of the Holy Prophet) on my authority and on the authority of my mother? We thought that he meant the mother who had given him birth. He (Muhammad b. Qais) then reported that it was ''A''isha who had narrated this: Should I not narrate to you about myself and about the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)? We said: Yes. She said: When it was my turn for Allah''s Messenger (may peace be upon him) to spend the night with me, he turned his side, put on his mantle and took off his shoes and placed them near his feet, and spread the corner of his shawl on his bed and then lay down till he thought that I had gone to sleep. He took hold of his mantle slowly and put on the shoes slowly, and opened the door and went out and then closed it lightly. I covered my head, put on my veil and tightened my waist wrapper, and then went out following his steps till he reached Baqi''. He stood there and he stood for a long time. He then lifted his hands three times, and then returned and I also returned. He hastened his steps and I also hastened my steps. He ran and I too ran. He came (to the house) and I also came (to the house). I, however, preceded him and I entered (the house), and as I lay down in the bed, he (the Holy Prophet) entered the (house), and said: Why is it, O ''A''isha, that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said: Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware would inform me. I said: Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be ransom for you, and then I told him (the whole story). He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you? She said: Whatsoever the people conceal, Allah will know it. He said: Gabriel came to me when you saw me. He called me and he concealed it from you. I responded to his call, but I too concealed it from you (for he did not come to you), as you were not fully dressed. I thought that you had gone to sleep, and I did not like to awaken you, fearing that you may be frightened. He (Gabriel) said: Your Lord has commanded you to go to the inhabitants of Baqi'' (to those lying in the graves) and beg pardon for them. I said: Messenger of Allah, how should I pray for them (How should I beg forgiveness for them)? He said: Say, Peace be upon the inhabitants of this city (graveyard) from among the Believers and the Muslims, and may Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us, and those who come later on, and we shall, God willing, join you.

From the hadith above, a few interpretations have been formed. Some of the Scholars believed that this is the Hadith to show that it is permissible for a man to beat his wife as it is practised by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself. However, this is not an absolute truth as there are differed explanations that can be derived from this Hadith.  It was explained that the word "struck" as used in the translation of the Hadith is a bad translation in this context. The Arabic word used in the actual Hadith is 'lahaza' , which could also be translated as "push" and at most "slap with an open palm" but not a hard, violent slap (and note translating it as "slap" is weaker and less probable). It was agreed by some Scholars that the correct translation would be: “He pushed me (lahadani) in the chest (fi sadri) with a push (lahdatan) which made me sore (awja'atni)”. It is also very interesting to note that "pushing" of the Prophet does indeed convey the meaning that it is usually mean to drive away evil influence and thought.  Therefore, from the explanation of this Hadith, it is quite clear that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself has never beat his wife and therefore for a man to proclaim himself as a devout and pious Muslim, he should not beat his wife.

The misconception or rather misinterpretation that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) advocates child marriages should also be cleared. This is because there are a few conflicting interpretations of Hadiths in regards of Aisya (Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) purported child wife) age when she was married to the Prophet (pbuh). Some interpreted that she was a child of the age of 6 or 9 when she was married to the Prophet (pbuh). However, the general consensus is that it is agreed that Aisya may have been young when she was married off but she was not younger than what was the norm of a marriageable age at that point of time. The accuracy of Aisya’s age is questionable by a lot of scholars and historians as the reliability of the source is also in doubt. We are talking about a scoiety which have yet to have a proper record of registry of birth and where people do not celebrate birthdays and age of a person has always been only an estimation, and to this, Aisya would have been no different. Also, we should also point up the fact that Aisya had already engaged to be married to another person before she was married to the Prophet (pbuh), suggesting that she had already been mature enough to consider marriage for a while, therefore it is difficult to reconcile the fact that has been circulated around that she was 6 or 9 when she was married to the Prophet (pbuh) and thus negates the believe that Islam advocates child marriages.

HOW CAN THIS PERCEPTION BE RECTIFIED? 

Based on the arguments above, perception towards Shariah law should be rectified in order for Islam to be potrayed in a more accurate light which is a religion of peace, harmony and love. In order for this to be achieved, there is a lot to be done by not only the Scholars and Jurists but by all Muslim as a whole.

Focussed should be made on the right area which is for a Muslim to act in a more Islamic way so as to be a role model to the non believers. Encourage more studies and researches to be conducted on Shariah matters for the public to have better understanding of the religion and what is the accurate Islamic ways.

Muslim Scholars should have more open minded discussion regarding to controversial issues as discussed above and should not take the easy way out in dismissing the issues on reliance that it is a divine law and therefore should not be questioned at all. Sincerity in tackling these issues should be shown as eventhough there are Quranic verses and/or Hadiths stated in relation to some controversial issues, interpretation of Scholars play a very vital role. Arabic language is very extensive and immense, it can easily be wrongly interpreted and understood.

The fact that Shariah law is not static and its interpretations and application have changed and continue to evolve over time need to be highlighted and communicated to change the negative perceptions. Everyone must be made to understand that there is no one thing that defined Shariah; as variety of Muslim communities exist and thus each understands Shariah in a different way. There is no one official document that encapsulates the whole of Shariah laws, it is however a divine law from Allah and interpreted by Muslim Scholars over centuries aiming towards justice, fairness, equality and mercy.

CONCLUSION

Islam is a beautiful religion should people take time to learn more about it. The more time spent learning Islamic teachings and Shariah law, one will appreciate more of its beauty and feel the miracle of the Quran. Shariah law is not meant to oppress or undermine people but more of a prevention. Even people from the Western world believes that “prevention is always better than the cure” and it is the time to put this into action.

 

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN ISLAMIC BANKING AS CURRENTLY PRACTISED IN MALAYSIA IS NOT NECESSARILY BENEFICIAL TO THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY

Islamic banking in essence for Muslims is “the way to the source of life” which is to live in a way that is in conformity with the Shariah law which is the divine law. Today, Islamic banking has grown by leaps and bounds in Malaysia and its rules and principles have been codified to the  current legal system.

The underlying intentions or objectives of Islamic finance can be stated as follow:

·         for the elimination of riba’ (literally means increase of addition) i.e. usury or rent on money in all forms  and intents which is the very opposite of conventional banking;

·         prohibition of involvement in haram or non-permissible transactions or economic activities such as alcohol, non-halal food, pork production, gaming/ number forecasting, prostitution;

·         prevention of excessive leveraging;

·         strong, direct linkages to productive economic activities;

·         avoidance of maisir (speculation or gambling) and gharar (preventable uncertainty or ambiguity in transactions);

·         deterrence of zulm (oppression and exploitation);

·         introduction of safety net mechanisms for the benefit of the poor and the less-have through zakat (tithe) or Islamic tax, sadaqah (alms), waqaf (trust) and qard hasan (benevolent loan);

·         upholding universal social, moral and ethical values with emphasis on maslahah (public interest);

·         achieving ‘adalah (justice) and musawah (fairness) in the distribution of resources.

As stated above, the intentions and objectives of Islamic banking is therefore can be summarised as being in total contrast with conventional banking methods which is centered on credit worthiness and the ability of a proposed client to repay loans and most importantly; interest-based transactions. In Islamic finance the ethical and moral consideration of Islamic banks cannot be detached and their behaviour should be consistent with the moral and ethical standards laid down by the Islamic Shariáh. The Islamic judicial system is committed to fairness and equity as the fundamental belief that riba’ or interest-based transactions are inherently unfair, giving guaranteed return to the lender without any guarantees for the borrower. On the other hand, the basic principle of Islamic banking is the sharing of risk, with shared responsibility for profit and loss.

In this regard, the Quran is very clear about the prohibition against riba’ or usury based transactions with the revelation of the verses below:

“Those who devour usury cannot stand... That is because they say, trade is only like usury; yet Allah has allowed trade and forbidden usury... Allah does not bless usury, and He causes charitable deeds to prosper, and Allah does not love any ungrateful sinner. Oh you who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah and relinquish what remains due from usury, if you are believers. If the debtor is in difficulty, grant him time until it is easy for him to repay. But if you remit it by way of charity, that is best for you if you only knew”. Quran 2:275-280.

“O you who believe! Do not devour usury, making it double and redouble, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful”. Quran 3:130.

In addition to the Quranic verses, the Prophet (pbuh) has also cursed the consumer of interest, the one who pays it to the others, the witnesses to such a contract, and the one who records it in writing. From this, it is apparent that to be a devout Muslim, one should avoid any part of the conventional banking as it clearly operates and prospers on interest which bear similarities with usury and riba’.

The  development of Islamic banking in Malaysia started by the establishment of an Islamic bank in 1983, known as Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad. Together with the establishment, the Central Bank of Malaysia had also introduced an Act of Parliament which is the Islamic Banking Act 1983 (IBA). The IBA regularises the Islamic banking activities in Malaysia and had specifically stated in the Act that Islamic banking business in Malaysia can only be transacted by a licensed Islamic bank. Since the introduction of Islamic banking in Malaysia, it has grown tremendously with the establishment of other local Islamic banks and also Islamic arm or window for other global banks.

The quantitative value of the development of Islamic banking in Malaysia can easily be tracked with the mushrooming of Islamic banks or Islamic branch of almost all local banks and quite a huge number of international banks. However, the same could not be said on the qualitative values of all of these mushrooming Islamic banks from the Shariah point of view. The reason behind this is derived from the notion that: Is Islamic banking really is Islamic and whether it has served its purpose to provide Halal banking and safety from riba’ to all Muslim? This is a question which had been debated by many Muslim scholars from different countries all over the world. However, as other issues or controversies surrounding Shariah laws, this matter eventhough has been agreed by some Muslim Scholars to be Islamic but it is still to date, did not form a unanimous decision.

Some may argue the matter by highlighting certain aspects of the current Islamic banking which is what is the difference in the methodology between the two systems, can a common man differentiate when he deals with an Islamic bank in comparison with a conventional bank and whether interest is completely weeded out, even at the benchmarking level, from the Islamic banking system.

Much understanding of not only of both banking systems are required to enable one to derive to an answer of this issue but also an understanding of the Islamic religion as a whole is pertinent in order to shed some light on this issue. The idea behind this is that Islam and Islamic banking are one. Islamic banking system is based on the believe that as a Muslim, one should strive to map his life in line with the Shariah laws. This in  mind, witnessing how the other global banks such as Deutsche Bank, HSBC, JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Bank, to name a few, which have established their Islamic banking arm or window in order to offer Islamic banking products and to be competitive in Muslim majority countries seems a bit off from the tangent of the Islamic goals. This may seem like an assumption but the fact of the matter here, their goal is again ultimately just to maximise profit and has nothing to do with the ethical and philantrophic elements of an Islamic finance and the people behind the veil of the banks are highly unlikely are not Muslim and do not believe in Shariah law.

The difference in intentions can pose as a hindrance. The banks have the ultimate intention to maximise profit by expanding its products base to attract more Muslim clientele and the intention of Muslim which is to streamline his life in accordance with Shariah law may be of an issue in the discussion of how Islamic is an Islamic banking. This issue should be discussed simultaneously as one may effect the other. Nonetheless, how vital this issue is, may depend on how Islamic a Muslim aims to be in his life. Faith amongst Muslims is an utmost priority and thus, should the objective of the banks and Muslims are not in sync, this may not be beneficial to the Muslim but instead only profiting the related banks.

This controversy may also be highlighted on the fact that some may argue that there is no such thing as Islamic banking as the Quran has clearly state Allah wrath against anyone who practised riba’ or usury or interest, which in this case is the main source of income of conventional banking system. This matter is further aggravated by the fact that the Base Financing Rate (BFR) is benchmarked by the performance of the Base Lending Rate (BLR) of conventional banks most of the time, which may be perceived to be similar in nature and only a word play game. This matter has been discussed at length by Muslim scholars. Some are in support but somehow are not so keen because of its similarities with conventional banking. The supportive argument on BFR have pointed out that the benchmarking is merely to gauge and monitor the performance between conventional and Islamic banking system but the concept is not same which makes it Shariah compliant and is not an apple to apple comparison to BLR. There is no limit in BLR rate however in BFR, the rate will be pre-agreed in the contract. If BFR rate exceeds the pre-agreed rate, the pre-agreed rate will prevail, however if it is lower than the pre-agreed rate, the client will be given rebate to match the BFR rate. As this eliminates the element of gharar in the contract, most Muslim scholars are agreeable that BFR is Shariah compliant and on top of that it is also can be seen to be an added value to Islamic banking instruments as it is seen to be more transparent and competitive.

Muslim scholars have been debating on this issue. Majority of Muslim Scholars agreed that Islamic banking is not acceptable should the main focus is interest-based transactions such as loan and dealing with intangible assets however Islamic finance is acceptable as it is deemed to be Shariah compliant as it involved in financing of tangible assets which is in accordance with Shariah laws.

Nonetheless, based on the argumentative nature of the the system, the people behind the veil and the nature of the products, this issue will still have an adherent effect on the Muslim significantly. This matter is  considered to be significant is because in Islam, the most important goal for a Muslim is to gain Allah’s pleasure and how to achieve this is first in its “niyat” or intention. The more we emphasise on the Islamisation of Islamic banking, the more we will need to have an Islamic economy and the more we would want an Islamic economy, the more we will have to be good Muslim in all aspect of our society and our way of life.

Whether Islamic banking practised in Malaysia necessarily give benefit to the Muslim or not is still arguable as it is believed that emphasise should be given to enhance the system so that it will be a truly Shariah compliant system by all intents and purposes. Muslim needs to enhance their knowledge and at the same time their faith to follow the true Islamic teaching as revealed by the Quran. This is truly the best way and may save Muslims both from the punishment in the after life and also from the wrath of conventional banking system which has time and time again shown its weaknesses. By exercising Islamic banking as it is meant to be, god willing, it will show Muslims to the right path and achieve Allah pleasure here and the hereafter.

 

 

One at a time

Sometimes my days just didn't go as planned and normally I would ponder about it and wondering what is wrong... what have I done wrong, how can I avoid these things from happening etc etc etc...

I would then try to reflect on life as a whole, which I like to call it as a moment of reflection. I like to make an analysis out of it and try to make a connection with all of the events that have happened in my life. My husband would always tell me not to jumble up all of my problems into one, if I do that, even the smallest of matter will turn out to be huge since it has been connected with other bigger issues which sometimes may not be resolved or may take some time before it can resolve itself or come to a resolution.

My husband is right. I may not agree with him to his face and would find some other dramatic scene just to divert from the fact that he is right, but that is just me being me. But here I am admitting this, as I believe that he is not reading my blog, which may not be true but at least I am very certain that it will be quite some time before he finally reads this and by that time, this may not be an issue to me already. hehehe..

Ok, back to jumble up all of my problems into one huge lump of problem which may make everything seems bigger, I believe that this is my biggest kryptonite. I mean, if I am a Superman or Superwoman (to be gender specific) or something like that, which I am not. But nonetheless, I believe that this could be one of the main source of my stress as I have a very high tendency to jumble up all of my problems.

This is where the piece of advice from my husband comes in handy. This month of Ramadhan, I am in my personal soul searching journey. It may not be on a big scale, but for me I came to terms about life is "now". Living the life that I want. Problems and challenges are what make life interesting. It gives people hope. It gives people the drive to try harder, to try to achieve something bigger, something greater or just plain something.

By trying to live my life as it is and accepting my life on an "as-is" basis, I attempt to resolve one problem at a time. I know that I can't resolve it all at once but I am doing something about it, one at a time. It may take some time and some of it may not be resolved at all, but this is my life and I am embracing it.

This is not a piece of writing on how to resolve all of one's problems but instead a piece to advocate everyone to tackle each problem at a time. I am now spending my time to reflect and live my life. Try to enjoy and make use every minute and every breath that I may have as at the end of the day this world is only a transition place. I believe that there will be a life after this which will be the permanent destination for all.

Ramadhan kareem to all.

xoxo

Part 3: The Juggler (After my first semester)

Ok. MBA is not an easy degree.

It may not be rocket science kind of extreme but it takes a lot of diligence, stamina and concentration.

I hardly have enough time to blog nowadays.

I feel as though that I am in a triathlon and also a juggler at the same time, juggling between work, studies and being a mummy. Three night classes in a week plus a full time job and a full time mummy chores is not for the weak of heart. When I first sign up for the course, work was manageable and not super hectic at that time. And of course, what is life without its challenges, right? So... work turns out to be super hectic as well when it is approaching my final exam. I was required to travel to Bangkok, twice in the month during my final exam for the semester! Yikes!

Nonetheless, I feel lucky and grateful that I manage to get through these challenges with the support of my one and only groupie aka my husband. Alhamdulillah. Received my result for 2 out of the 3 subjects that I am taking and I manage to get A- for both subjects, only one more pending result *sweats...*. But not too bad I figure, eventhough it is not an A flat but what do you expect from a mum with a hectic schedule... trying not to be too hard on myself, I've tried my best despite all of the challenges... :)...

Hopefully I can do better next semester...

xoxo

Letter to Princessa 15.3.2013...

My dearest Ayleia Zara,

You are 2 years old today.

Mummy wants you to know that I love you so much and would like to share my joy of having you so that when you are all grown up you will know that these memories mean so much to me. It means much more than all the money in the world, sayang.

I have always wanted to be a mommy since I was a little girl and you Ayleia is the perfect little girl that I always imagine of having and could ever wish for. I pray that you will be a solehah and respected lady and a successful person here and also the hereafter. Amin.

When I got married to your daddy, we wanted to have you immediately, but life is not always as we expected it to be, we had to try for a few years and later sought assistance from the expert to fulfill our wish to become parents. Alhamdulillah when we met the 6th gynaecologist, he gave us some encouraging words (and some medications and treatments too... hehe) and I eventually got pregnant with you...

Being pregnant is a very magical experience. The experience of making a baby inside of you is an indescribable experience, in fact it is the best experience in my whole existence. Nonetheless, eventhough I enjoyed most part of it, it is not always a bed of roses... The first 3 months of my pregnancy, I got hit with pregnancy allergies, morning (all day, actually) sickness and everything that comes with it. I was hospitalised for a week during the 9-10th weeks of my pregnancy with you. All I can think and wish for is you growing healthily inside my womb and was eventually relieved to hear that all of these allergies are signs of you developing well. Amin. One day, I pray that you will find that special someone whom you would want to spend the rest of your life with, get married, have a baby/babies and live happily ever after. I also pray that I am still around to enjoy being with you and my grandchildren when that time comes. Insya allah.

One day before you were born, I was still working despite feeling uncomfortable. I thought that this is normal as from my reading, it is very common for a 3rd trimester pregnant mother to experience the feeling of general uncomfortableness as you have grown full term and there is not much space for you to move around. And yes, you were such a little acrobatic performer inside of me! As usual, after work, your daddy and I will stop over for dinner and walk around in the shopping mall (my kind of exercise hehe) before we went home. We reached home quite late and just when I have made myself comfortable on our bed (yes, the one that you are sharing with us now), your daddy insisted that we sleep over at your grandparents house in Damansara Utama so that we can go to the hospital easily. I was a bit reluctant at first because I was so tired but luckily followed your daddy's instinct (phew!).

The next morning around 7ish, when I was about to get up to get ready to go to work, I felt that my water broke. Eventhough that was my first experience, I know that this is it, as the discharge was clear as described in all of the pregnancy books and websites that I have read.

Despite my water has broken, I didn't feel any contraction yet which make me take my own sweet time to get ready, blow my hair, stop by for a nasi lemak with your daddy before we finally go to the maternity ward to have you. We reached the hospital around 8 ish close to 9 am. At that time the nurse said that it is still a long way to go as the opening is only 1 cm and she targeted your arrival should be in the evening or night that day. Since I was not having contraction and did not feel any pain, I was asked to walk to the delivery room myself. I need to be in the delivery room just because they need to monitor my development.

Around 10 ish, they were asking me whether I wanted the epidural or not and needed a decision immediately before it is too late. I have decided to take it then because my gynaecologist said that I was tensed and had highly advised for me to take it. At that point of time, I still do not feel all the dramatic contractions/pain that was shown on TV. A few  minutes later the anaesthetist came and administer the epidural on me. That is when the contraction pain decided to kick in, full force! By the time the anesthetist is done with his work, the opening is already 10cm and you are ready for your grand entrance! You were born on 15.3.2011 at 11:45 am and made your entrance with your dramatic cries, I remembered how much you weigh but we girls do not talk about our weight ya. Those were the best cries I've ever heard! You had started your loud cry even before you were fully out! (well, you are a bit of a drama queen, haha... but we ladies have to have the right attitude and must always maintain our composure and to have class! Always remember that!).

Happy Birthday baby girl... The story do not ends here but know that Mummy will write more letters for you in the future when time permits...

I love you so much.

xoxo

This is the tricycle that daddy bought you for your 2nd birthday! You cycle from the Toys' R us shop all the way to the carpark! You had so much fun and even dream of it while you sleep! The next day, we brought you to the playground and you brought your favourite ah-mouse for a ride too!

Sabah oh Sabah

It hits me that my beloved country Malaysia is at war today!

All prayers to our patriots in Lahad Datu, Sabah. May all of you be safe from harm and able to protect our country from the intruders. We can not thank you enough for your bravery and for being in the forefront guarding our rights to peace and harmony today and the days after. May all of you be granted with the utmost appreciation and gratification here and the hereafter. To the patriots who have lost their lives in the name of protecting our country, my deepest condolences to the families. These are the true heroes, salute!

In relation to this, the kepochi lawyer in me starts to want to know more. Who are these people who claim themselves as the Sultan of Sulu? Why are there so many people claiming that they are the legitimate heir to the throne? Why do they decide to intrude our sovereign country now?

In order to digest all these, I try to probe further in thinking why didn't they seek recourse through legal means by bringing this matter to the International Court of Justice? From my research I note that the Philippines Government had tried to bring the matter of Sabah to the International Court of Justice but the Malaysian Government had regarded it as a non-issue and thus dismissed the claim.

I am definitely not and expert in this issue, just a commoner who wants to know more of what ticks this particular so called Sultan to take this course of action. He is not only intruding our country and disturbing our peace and harmony but also exposing his followers to harm and criminal punishment in order to follow his not well thought of plan. Waging war against the ruler of a sovereign country is a criminal act and an offence which is punishable by death penalty. I am sure these intruders know of the consequences of their action but this may lead to another discussion to understand a criminal mind, which I rather not touch here.

Nonetheless, the origin of the matter here is, hypothetically, should you come from such a wealthy family dated back sometime in the 16th century, however because of some turn of an event, your family lost your rights to those accumulated wealth by relinquishing it either by way of lease or maybe also deem as ceding it in perpetuity (this happens most probably because of lack of understanding on the terminology used in the treaty/arrangement signed), a few hundred years later (and a few times removed here and there in your family tree), you decided that you want it back! Yes, you want it ALL back! Yup, in Malay language it can be deemed as "buruk siku" which might be funny if it is a kid's toy but not in term of a state whom its citizens have chosen to be part of a sovereign nation which is unfortunately, not yours.

To add salt to the wound, a few hundred years later now, there are a number of people claimed that they are the legitimate Sultan of Sulu. Therefore there is no certainty in your claim, let alone exclusivity. Anyone who is even remotely related to the royal family now claims that they have the right to the throne which is quite interesting as this throne and title do not come with any state or soil to rule. The plot thickens in this Lahad Datu stand off as this particular delusional claimant is not even recognised as the current Sultan of Sulu. The current recognised heir of the Sulu Sultanate is Ismael Kiram II who is a different person from Jamalul Kiram II who is now under the limelight for negligently put himself and his followers on danger by intruding our sovereignty and deemed as terrorist as he and his followers have killed 8 of our VAT69 commandos.

Photo of the old Sultan of Sulu (who was actually recognised back then) and entourage (Reminded much of the old P. Ramlee movie, Raja Pasola or something? But I guess when you look at old photos, you would always think of P. Ramlee's movies...)

A summarised snapshot of events:

1878: A treaty signed between the Sultan of Sulu and British commercial syndicate (Alfred Dent and Baron von Overback) - stipulated that North Borneo either ceded or leased (depending on translation used) in return of 5000 Malayan Dollar payment per year.

1885: Madrid Protocol - Spain amongst others relinquished all claim to North Borneo which had belong to the Sulu Sultanate in the past to the British North Borneo Company.

1903: Sultan of Sulu signed a document known as "Confirmation of cession of certain islands" (either granted or ceded or leased - again loss in translation, sapelah lawyer zaman ni) with British North Borneo Company, the sum 5000 increased to 5300.

1963: Via an election, the majority of the people in the North Borneo territory has voted to be part of Malaysia. This is further reinforced by the International Court of Justice view that,

"...historic title, no matter how persuasively claimed on the basis of old legal instruments and exercises of authority, cannot - except in the most extraordinary circumstances - prevail in law over the rights of non-self-governing people to claim independence and establish their sovereignty through the exercise of bona fide self-determination."

The British and Malayan Governments at that point of time had set a commission named Cobbold Commission to address and determine the people of the North Borneo's inclination which was lead by Lord Cobbold. The Cobbold Commission's findings reported that almost 2/3 of the people are receptive to be included in the new established sovereign, Malaysia. Nonetheless the findings of the commission was rejected by both Indonesia and Philippines. Pursuant to the rejection, Indonesia launched the policy of "konfrontasi" towards Malaysia which hampered relation between these two sovereigns and only managed to be normalised some time in the 1980s. While Philippines do not launch any direct rejections like Indonesia, is still pursuing their claim in Sabah.

Knowing all these facts, I now have a little bit of understanding on why did our Government took some time before pursuing the intruders with the full on offensive military attack as there are too many sensitive issues that need to be threaded carefully. The ultimate goal is to try to avoid bloodshed at all cost. Nonetheless, bloodshed still occurred and today Malaysia is fighting for its sovereignty and honour.

Some things in the past should be left in the past and this should be taken as a lesson for all. As someone from the legal fraternity, I believe that this whole commotion can be avoided should the treaty and agreements were drafted and communicated clearly between the parties involved.

As a general rule of thumb, one need to always take cognizance that before signing on the dotted line, one should ensure that one fully understands its intention and effect and that to seek legal advise should there are any areas of ambiguity.

For further reading and interesting facts to feed our curiosity and also for self enlightenment, I recommend the following links:

http://www.bt.com.bn/life/2008/09/21/how_brunei_lost_its_northern_province
http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/Lawnet/SabahLaws/Treaties/CommissionFromSultanOfSuluAppointingBaronDeOverbeckDatuBandaharAndRajahOfSandakan.pdf
http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/ayil1968&div=11&id=&page=
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Borneo_dispute
http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/ayil1967&div=7&id=&page=

xoxo

(Part2) The Juggler: Motherhood, Career, Studies

An interesting and hectic week has finally come to and end. Yeay!

As usual, being me, the week could not have passed unnoticed or undramatised (is there such a word? lol) since I have anticipated it being the first week of going back to school and at the same time things at work decided to pick up a notch as well.

First day of school: Despite lining up all my stuffs, taking photos of it out of excitement (you can see from the previous post.. haha) and making sure that I have all that I could possibly need on a first day, I manage to forget some of the crucial items. It started by me being late because I got lost (typical of me... forget where did I put the blasted GPS and not able to read the signboards (forget to wear my contact lens) is a real bummer... :p). Upon arriving at my destination, class has started and so it was so quiet and to add to the dramatic effect, the corridor was quite dark! I thought that I was in some twilight zone-ish place (blame the lighting... lol) or in one of the scene in a horror film! Honestly, I would not be surprised if I bump into a "hantu" there... hahaha... eventhough I hope not as I'm sure that I will pengsan because of the shock... :p

And then I finally found the class for my subject. As I was really late, the only available seat was at the back and to top it, the lecturer has a mild to medium volume voice, therefore I could not hear her properly nor can I see anything on the white board or the projector. (Note to self: Next time do not forget to wear contacts or get a freaking glasses a.s.a.p). On the plus point, this pushes me to get to know other people, eventhough it was rather embarrassing as I sound like a 90 years old grandma for keep on repeating "what did the lecturer said just now? what is that on the board?"... hahaha... I must have sound like the annoying girl/makcik in a chick flick... Sorry classmates :)... and oh! I forgot to bring water and get so thirsty half way through class... not wanting to annoy any other people in that class, I just keep quite and only focuses on cordial conversation rather than bombarding them with information counter kind of questions... hehe

Second day of school: Both babies at home (ie. hubby and the little princessa) missed me!! Awwww... My husband came to fetch me for lunch as he said that he kind of missed not having enough time to talk to me at home the night before and the little princessa also made her grandma call me on my handphone during the day so that she can hear my voice (sob sob sob...) (another note to self, can not take this for granted, must finish the course as soon as I possibly can!). Thankfully things went ok during the second class as I came on time and brought all of the things needed and I seat in front of the lecturer's face! Also met a few girls who seem nice and hopefully we can be friends! Yeay! Hoping that this drama free days at school at least, will continue.

Day three was "the hectic" day as I had to attend a meeting in Johor Bahru (yup approximately 760km to and fro KL) at 2:00pm and was still hopeful to make it to my 6:30pm class in my campus some where near by Bank Negara. Did went to class but when I arrived, the class has ended as the lecturer only did a short briefing and had dismissed the class by the time I reach there. Luckily a guy from the class that I attended on the first day remembered me and was nice enough to summarise to me what the lecturer had said in the class that I have missed.

And that is the summary of my one interesting week. TGIF!! :)

xoxo

Demam Rindu

Instinctively, I had nightmares and anxiety attacks prior to leaving baby girl for the 2 days and one night team building programme in Port Dickson, Seremban. To my horror, the nightmares and anxieties were actually substantiated when baby girl was having a fever when I came back . From my personal observation, she may be missing me (or at least missing THE "nenen" ie. breastmilk) too much.

This leads me to think, can someone really falls sick because of missing someone so badly? I am sure there are a lot of proper scientific or medical researches done to show the relation between one's emotional and physical being. Nonetheless, if I were to make my own deduction and from my observation on my personal physical well being, I notice that if I am feeling down or stressed with something, my body will also react by being unwell by having headache or migraine or general unwell feeling, depending on the degree of my unhappiness or stress.

My baby's condition deeply saddens me. What if I have to work outstation for days? What will happen to her. I'm sure there are a lot working mummies out there who have found a solution for this dilemma of mine but at the moment I'm still stuck in the beginners level.

Therefore, I believe that the only reason for my baaby having a fever is because she misses me badly (nonetheless, will get her diagnosed by her paediatrician for confirmation).

Mummy loves you so so so much too princessa!

xoxo

(Part 1) The Juggler: Motherhood, Career, Studies

Yes, I finally did it!

I enroll myself in a postgraduate course. To be exact, Masters in Business Administration (MBA) course conducted in one of the local university.

Upon registering for the course, I received tonnes of questions from friends, families, colleagues etc. Why now? Why not before I got married and start a family? Why that university? Why that course? Don't you feel tired? Can you cope? Yes. Tonnes of questions.

The answer is... Ahhh, forget it! :p

I do not have a definite or well thought or well prepared answer, I just feel that this is the right time, the right course, the right university and that I am currently at the right state of mind. Happy? :)

On a lighter note, little things that keep me motivated. Bag sekolah baru (thanks to a dear friend's trip to Paris).... yup... it doesn't matter whether it is Standard 1, Form 1 or whatever... It is always exciting to start your new chapter in life with a new bag!!!! ;)

And not forgetting a new pencil case (cool right with the silver zebra print?? Hubby said he won't be caught dead using that though... lol) and a new planner! :)

Will keep on updating on how the course moving along....
And with that, the real me surfaces up... OMG! OMG! OMG! What was I thinking?? What was I thinking?? MBA??? Really???

Taking a deep breath now... :)

But I really need all the luck in the world!! Wish me luck.... please???....

xoxo

loves and heart breaks

Nak cerita pasal love ni and nak kena ada feel... and so in this post I will use bahasa rojak...

There are many types of love, the ultimate love of all is Allah, and then there is kasih ibu yang tiada tolok bandingannya, kasih sayang with family members, friends, pets etc etc but what I want to talk about here is kasih sayang between lovers.. I mean the corny, cliche I love you, you love me between two undeniably stupid people who fall in love for no apparent reason... The type of love that people write stories about like Romeo and Juliet, Adam and Eve, Bella and Eward... etc etc etc... you get what I mean... :p

This kinda stupid, crazy love will make you get that tingly feeling inside your stomach... you feel as if there are a  few butterfly farms combined inside your stomach and it is about to explode anytime soon with all the fluttering here and there, you feel the mandi tak basah, makan tak kenyang, sikat tak licin feelings and sometimes macam nak muntah pun ada.... Generally you feel like shit! haha... but this is the kind of LOVE that is worth to talk about... If you do not feel any of the descriptions above, to me, then it is not love, it is infatuation or to quote from facebook's language it is only "Like"... You "like" it but you don't feel like commenting... hehe

The story starts when you are about 15-17 (this is a very basic estimation as sometimes it happens earlier or sometimes it happens later... depends on one's "kegatalan"... haha).

When you were a teenager, you fell in love for the first time and for most of us, that love doesn't last long, let alone a lifetime and now when you are older you will deem that as puppy love... woof woof... :)....

Following that, for most of us, we will get our hearts broken for the first time.

The first time you get your heart broken, you feel as if it is the end of the world! You cried buckets! For some, you did not want to leave your room and when you are actually able to leave your room, you decided that you need to do a paradigm shift on your life like totally... and to do it there and then. At that age, unable to do as you pleased but deep inside you still want to express your anger and frustration (ala-ala frust menonggeng.. haha) you could opt do one of the following (trial and tested methods):

1) cut your hair (cut it really short that everyone will notice that you did stuffs to your hair, not the now and then trimming to get rid of split ends kinda cut or the I want to get rid of the super straight rebonded hair kinda cut);
2) Color your hair (haha.. ok ok I am a little bit obsessed with my hair), but make sure you do it really well and it flatters your total appearance as you want to make yourself happy again... not dye it dark blue and change you from the cheerful happy outgoing girl to a dark lipped goth look girl (tried it... it WILL make you look like a witch and does NOT make you feel any better);
3) or you could get your belly (or any other body parts) pierced, not every time but yup, did that once, happy for a few weeks but not very happy with the outcome now....lol), also please note that the ultimate quest here is to make you feel better.. so kalau pierce kat hidung, eyebrow, lips etc and end up scaring people away, the chance is you won't feel better and that the girl or guy who left you or left by you will have a kenduri doa selamat as you are no longer in their life).... haha;
4) confide in your best friend(s) (this method is highly recommended and it has been tested so many times and subject that your best friend(s) are really good people, you will get the kick-on-the-butt that sometimes you really need at that time... )...

These are some suggestions for teenagers as they are still on the rebellious stage but don't tell your parents that you get this from my blog... sendiri buat sendiri tanggung (oh gosh.. I hope my baby girl never read this) :p

And then time flies and without you realising it you are much better now and you have reached your 20s or 30s or 40s or 50s or 60s or 70s etc etc and deemed an adult (Not! sama je...).... :p

When you reached your 20s or 30s (lebih kurang je... you still fee the same), you thought that the volatile teenager's hormones that have been possessing your body and make you think and feel weird, have subsided or even have exited your body totally and that you are able to meet someone on a more mature level and start a REAL love life. NOT!! Falling in love, makes all that volatile teenager's hormones come back and it came back stronger than ever as if with a vengeance! You fall in love again and again and again and again... Each time when you first falls in love, you feel as if you walk on air... working late sampai pagi in the office was not so bad as there is that one special person who keeps on calling, texting you and making you smile and wait to have dinner (make that supper... dinner always turn to supper - common for career driven person... if you are not this type of person... then stick to dinner :p) with you.

Nonetheless, you get fed up as you still haven't mastered this stupid relationship thingy!

And then you break up for the not sure how many times with the same person (sometimes) and also with different person (most of the time)... and you feel as if your life has ended and that you will die alone, as a spinster and maybe if you are lucky enough you will have a cat who will accompany you... and you think, damn you volatile teenager's hormones! How come you are still here? How come I feel as bad as I felt when I was 16 or 17?

But then when you have reached your 20s or 30s (trust me, you still feel the same), you have a little bit more money than when you were a teenager, so you could do the following to make this heart break session more bearable:

1) spend more time with your girlfriends or guy friends or gay friends (for girls they are the best to bitch about your good for nothing ex) chillaxing at premium coffee shops or posh restaurants (this depends on your preference really, if you like to lepak at mamak also can... as long as you are happy);
2) you recognise the full potential of the treatment called retail therapy and mark my word, will be using that treatment until you die (this is only a presumption nonetheless a very valid one as I remembered how I use to shop online while lying on a hospital bed feeling blue and depressed and need a little pick-me-up);
3) go on girly road trips with your girl friends (or if you are a boy, boy's trip la kan).... all in the name of "i frust babe, please help me to feel better".... :p;
4) do a total body make over (again I stress, the one that can actually make you feel and look good, not the self destructive kinda thing);
5) confide in your best friends (who ever that may be, by this age you may have already found a person that really understand you inside and out. See I told you before that confiding in your best friends works at any age)...

Nonetheless, this is definitely not an extensive method to sure cure your broken heart but you may try one of these methods and I am also sure that for every religious beliefs you have your own way to overcome sadness... Above is only some of the fun things that I have done in the past to overcome my own heart breaks... And I still believe that these methods will still work no matter what age you are now...

Not trying to be yoda-ish but hearts broken everyday, it is how you handle it makes a different... you may choose to learn and accept it or keep on being sad... the choice is yours...

For me, learn to redha with everything that comes your way and learn to be content with your life because life is too short indeed.

xoxo