tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61627194651059062472024-02-08T20:26:28.597+08:00Finding Happiness from WithinSpace for Self-EmpowermentUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162719465105906247.post-85542749267447763532022-07-05T11:21:00.002+08:002022-07-05T11:21:20.770+08:00The Day He became a Baba of Two<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-MY">Assalamualaikum
wbt,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-MY">Alhamdulillah,
syukur lillah. Allah has granted me another day and another year to live as His
servant, and I pray for more opportunity like this to grow, to learn and to be
better, for more time to repent and prepare myself for the real Test.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-MY">Today is my
first birthday without my first love – my dear father, Baba <3<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-MY">It has been
26 days without him and I felt so overwhelmed with grief. Everything I do
reminded me of him. But also because of that, I get to pick up a thing of two
of his traits in moving on despite the circumstances. Acknowledging the pain is
number one. The pain is immense, but the pain shouldn’t be paralyzing if I hold
on Allah’s promise strongly.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-MY">“And this world is
nothing but a fleeting enjoyment”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-MY">(Al-Quran 3:185)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-MY">On a day like this, Baba would send
me a briefly edited photo of random cake with my name on it. It was cute and I
looked forward to it every year. I know in his life, he always made du’a for
each and every one of his children including me. So on my birthday, I am going
to make lots of du’a for Baba (and Ummi, of course) because 32 years ago, he
became a father of two in a small town in Kuala Terengganu at the age of 25
years old. Imagine how big of a responsibility he then carried. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPeW84tmRKjkRrMw5SM_RumXn0R1OugMwCt2_JyW7yobXTJpTJ0wvrE24YGBCmCY-fTFPgMuzoVog-v2zg8jINazEyMKGmNGT2Hc_1bT56iNDPnN8iMnMVQZ7ygDU6mWJ4btYh3bxcer1gXl7c6L2XAEIV4uQ69NPs4TSeY3bziAthjh9cPDmY6iZ/s1280/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-07-05%20at%2011.06.04%20AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="668" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSPeW84tmRKjkRrMw5SM_RumXn0R1OugMwCt2_JyW7yobXTJpTJ0wvrE24YGBCmCY-fTFPgMuzoVog-v2zg8jINazEyMKGmNGT2Hc_1bT56iNDPnN8iMnMVQZ7ygDU6mWJ4btYh3bxcer1gXl7c6L2XAEIV4uQ69NPs4TSeY3bziAthjh9cPDmY6iZ/w268-h514/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-07-05%20at%2011.06.04%20AM.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Dear Allah, I witness that Baba
carried on his duty as a parent beautifully until the day he departed to meet You.
Please have mercy on him, please reunite us in Jannah…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-MY">I miss you, Baba. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-MY">I remember writing about you a lot
in my blog during my uni days. Although I have deleted every old posts from
this blog, but your love and yourself have influenced me to become who I am
today. </span>Since you passed, I always wonder if
you were proud of me. Ummi told me, “Of course, he was!”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-MY">Remembering him shouting “MALAYSIA
BOLEH!” on my graduation day was, memorable. A funny one, indeed. I wonder if I
have the video of that moment saved somewhere, if not I still remember that day
vividly. Thank you for paving a smooth path for me since I was a child and
until today, when I have become a mother of two. Now I'll do my best to return the deeds to you as much as possible ;)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-MY">Al-Fatihah.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-MY">See you soon, Baba. Can’t wait to
visit you in Ipoh.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-MY"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-MY">“Sometimes Allah takes
things away from us to remind us that this dunya is temporary and everything in
the heavens and the earth belongs to Him” – Bilal Philips</span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span lang="EN-MY"><br /></span></i></p></div><div><br /></div>Regards : Syaheeda Mohd Ghazali ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162719465105906247.post-51325078771646764732022-06-27T09:58:00.007+08:002022-06-27T10:00:06.379+08:00Energy and DriveIn the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.<br />
<br />
The <i>first</i> to everything is pretty much a big deal to me - like usually when I get a pay-check on 25th of the month and start to pay all the non-discretionary expenses and draft some for savings, I then create monthly goals and put limit to my expenses for 30 days, so I stay on track in spending. So the 1st of the coming month is when I actually start to make good use of the <i>monetary reward</i> on myself and my family, or actually started saving for something I wanted to buy that month, within the budget I have put aside. At the end of the month, if I am lucky enough I'll get some left-over that'll go straight to my slush fund, however I usually spent more than what I budgeted. This practice actually helps me in identifying my financial management weaknesses and helped me <i>improve</i> from month to month.<br />
<br />
What an example.... but to me, a journey must have a starting and ending point. Like how cliche it can be when new year is approaching and everyone started coming up with their new year resolutions, perhaps having different goals but ultimately everyone wishes to achieve everything on their wish list.<br />
<br />
So we recently welcomed 2019, Alhamdulillah, but I still felt like it was 2017. <i>What. A. Life. </i>Felt like I was trapped in a time-machine, but rather in a situation that have no ending. I <i>knew then</i> something is really not going right, this thing is mentally disturbing and I desperately need to put an end to it.<br />
<br />
There is an important verse in the Quran that says,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves" (Quran 13:11)</blockquote>
I started finding answers, tips and actually started reading again! Only then I realised that my long to-do-list is actually becoming actionable items. Only then I realised with real aims, one can really goooo big in life. So although it is mid-February already, I feel like my 2019 has just <i>truly</i> begun! By putting perfection behind and get on the chill-momma mode, I started to tick-off things from my to-do-list, so yayyy to productivity! Alhamdulillah.<br />
<br />
Alhamdulillah, I am happy and excited than ever to continue my journey in self-empowerment especially this year and years to come. My head is packed with ideas and end goals, and I am busy equipping myself with knowledge, tips and tricks, life hacks and most importantly, motivations. I want to keep this going and never stop because I have been searching for this <i>energy</i> and <i>drive</i> for quite a while (actually, almost half a decade?)<br />
<br />------<div>Above was written on some day in 2019. I thought hey, let's not keep it in draft :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking back, Allah has really put things in places for me. Alhamdullilah.</div><div>For days ahead, May Allah ease. InshaAllah :)</div><div>
<br />
<br />
Regards : Syaheeda Mohd Ghazali ;)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162719465105906247.post-4175177410192297362017-06-15T09:19:00.002+08:002017-06-15T10:15:28.927+08:00Reset<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
Assalamualaikum wbt,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
It feels good to be back to this space I have longed to revisit. Hope it is not too late to wish you all Ramadhan Kareem - the holiest month of all with abundance of blessing. It is the 20<sup>th</sup> Ramadhan 1438H today, and I just can’t believe how time flies so fast that we are already in the last 10 days of Ramadhan. Sad that it will soon leave us for another year, but I guess even with just 10 days left, there are plenty of things we can do to not leave Ramadhan with regret (again).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
And, that’s why I am here. It has actually been a while since I had the thought of coming back to this space, but I just couldn’t pour my thoughts like I used to. I was listening to a talk/sharing in the car on our way to office this morning, and it hit me right to the best-est spot, that “Syaheeda, do not wait any longer. Just write”. I pray that Allah will protect me from writing aimlessly, and continue to bless me with good thoughts which will not only heal me, but also to benefit others. Say Ameen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
Reset.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
“Ramadan is like a reset button. He knows we’re looking to get rid of bad habits & refresh. It’s the best time to start on a clean state” – Mufti Ismail Menk.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
MashaAllah! What a good way to start the day with such reminder. Truth is, I have been feeling so “occupied” for the past years that at times, I do feel like I needed a break and refresh. At times like this, we often resorted to something else to “distract” us. We went scrolling on Instagram, observed how people live their life and secretly wished our life is as great as theirs. In the end, it breaks us to a point we start questioning why Allah made us this way and start blaming every single thing that Allah has actually blessed us with; “Why can’t the kids behave well? Why can’t our spouse understand us better? Why is the office work so demanding? Why can’t money grow on tree?” and etc..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
It is a disease (at least to me) that leaves us in an ever depressing state as we can never rationalize everything as we wished. We will want to reason everything, and demand for something in return when we thought we have given all we had. It will eventually exhaust us, consume our time, and affect our health at a point (Nauzubillahi minzalik).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
No! Now tell yourself that you cannot be in such state anymore. We can do and feel much better if we put Allah first before others. Don’t make flawed human as reasons for us to be happy. Remind yourself that worldly matters will not last. At times when we feel hurt and sad, run to Allah, run calling His names. Take a short break of 5-10mins from our busy days and get Allah to comfort us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
And mashaAllah, Ramadhan is truly the best time for us to start doing this. Understand, we are all sinful human being and can barely remember when was the last time we cried talking to Allah, and suddenly want to ask for help? I did think like that at times, but no.. Allah is the greatest, that’s why He is the Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim. He loves us coming back to Him, He loves us to “date” Him, He loves us to rely on Him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
“When you become lost, find Allah and you will find yourself”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
Allah is the ultimate source of peace and tranquility, may we find strength to repent and be closer to the Almighty especially this Ramadhan. We never know when can we ever return to Him, but I am pretty sure we all want to be back “home” in the most honorable way, knowing we have done so much for ourselves, our loved ones, family and the ummah. May our deeds and prayers are accepted, and may we be placed the highest rank in Jannah.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
As I write the above, I realize it was all for me. I wanted to give my utmost best to perform my duty and responsibility towards others and hope they can have the best of me, but I find myself in despair as things are mostly tiring and disappointing. I didn’t do as much as I should for the past 20 days in Ramadhan and I kinda regret it. But all is well, I know this is Allah’s way of calling me back :’(<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
I pray that Allah will make ease in all matters and help us find our way towards Him. I do not want to live with regret, and I believe neither do you. Let’s make the best of the last 10 days, and may our worship be accepted and we will be blessed with His rahmah.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
Ameen ya Rabbal Alameen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Regards : Syaheeda Mohd Ghazali ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0