ramadhan 1432

ok so this is seems to be a delayed post, because today is technically the 22nd day of fasting in the holy month of Ramadhan. i've been having one helluva roller coaster month, no kidding.

Significant Other is currently going through mid-life crisis - just joking! =P he decided to embark on a different career path which require alot of sacrifices and effort on both ends.
- i had to let got of my 5-year old car which had served me well. if she were 4-door, she'd be perfect!
- cutbacks on major spenditure, meaning my dream to live in our own home will need to be temporarily pushed back further into the future. sigh.
- Significant Other's preparation and registration, yada yada... hi- taste suami aku nih, once tasted the finest, there's no turning back!)
- selling isn't what it's used to be, what with the US currency dropping... (tp syiok lah beli, haiya~).

and all those small-small things that needed to be looked into. haih. first week of Ramadhan and already i remember losing my temper on the petty things (poor Dayana, asyik jadi mangsa). money kept flowing out like water. the kids' birthdays are coming up, which we decided to celebrate on a small scale this year.

recently certain circumstances have changed, so we have alot of decisions to make, especially after this morning's phone call. when to proceed? would it be a good idea? how to go about it? aih, kepala pusing betul (tambah2 lagi, Significant Other's Vaio brokedown and he's dreaming of iMac. chis. i pun baru berangan nak iMac jugak for my birthday! lulz).

the various mode of transportation. submarine je takde nih

all things set aside, i got to spend a week at my parents, Ashu came back for the holidays, so the kids had great time bullying their aunties. we opened the bakery shop for three nights that i was there: tiramisu, red-bottom cuppies and oaty chocolate cookies (ahhhh now i really feel like getting my own mixer now). managed to empty out a box of old clothings (1 down, berlambak2 lagi kotak to go T_T). threw out a couple of rotted shoes in my closet (eeeee sayang lah. ok i changed my mind. Aya, jgn kasi mommy buang kotak2 tu kayh!).

actually, the above ramblings were not intended to be in this post, haha. i actually wanted to share this website called Islamic Thinking which i chanced upon in twitter (you can't imagine what people tweet about this days!). i'll copy paste the contents here for easier reading.

A Checklist for Ramadhan

1. Ask Allah to enable you to reach Ramadan and to get the most out of it as the Salaf (early generation of pious people) used to do.

2. Intend to fast every day with Iman and pure intention seeking the reward from Allah alone. The Prophet peace be upon him said, “Whoever fasts in Ramadan with Iman and seeking reward (from Allah) his past sins will be forgiven”. (Bukhari)

3. Read the whole Qur’an at least once as the Prophet peace be upon him did.

4. Have Suhoor as the Prophet peace be upon him said, “Have Suhoor because it is blessed”.

5. Make Du’a during the fast because the Prophet peace be upon him said that three people’s supplication is not rejected one of them is the fasting person. Ask for the good of this life and the next for yourself, your family and Muslims in general.

6. Make Dua before opening the fast. The Prophet peace be upon him said, “The fasting person has a supplication that is answered when he opens his fast”.

7. Give Sadaqah and be good to people. The Prophet peace be upon him was the most generous of people and he was most generous in Ramadan.

8. Avoid anything that diminishes the fast such as, lying, backbiting, cheating, getting angry. The Prophet peace be upon him said “Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink.” [Bukhari]

9. Do not eat too much after Iftar.

10. Ask for forgiveness since this is the month Allah frees people from the fire.

11. Pray At-Tarawih with Khushoo. If you pray in the Masjid complete the Salah with the Imam. If you pray at home prolong the Salah as long as you can. The Prophet peace be upon him said, “Whoever prays during Ramadan with Iman and seeking reward (from Allah) his past sins will be forgiven”.

12. Feed the poor and invite others for Iftar. The Prophet peace be upon him said, “Whoever gives Iftar to someone fasting he will have the same reward without decreasing the reward of the person fasting”.

13. Try harder the last ten nights especially the odd nights. The prophet would strive in Ramadan more than he would in any other month and more so in the last ten days.

14. Say this Dua in the nights that Laitul-Qadr is likely to fall on: Allhumma innaka afuwun tuhibbul-afwa fa’fu anni (O Allah you are Forgiving and love forgiveness so forgive me).

15. Ask Allah to accept all your good actions during this month.

O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation. (Quran, 2:183)

i have one more day of work before i'm off for the raya hols. will be bringing the kids back up North to visit their great grandparents (and also to pick up their Daddy), something i'm looking forward to (i love road trips! =D). so i think i'll save my raya wishes for later =)

i ordered some cuppies from NinazCakes, have you tried them before? i swear she does the most yummiest moist choc cuppies ever. i'm hoping to have a small mini birthday celebration for Dinara's birthday up North, no presents yet but cuppies would at least cheer up the day right? =) and she practically eats anything you offer her bwahahahhaha... Dayana's birthday falls on the second day of Raya. i doubt anyone would be around, semua orang sibuk balik kampung (makan nasi dagang, nasi minyak.... Su... courier some to KL boleh? aiiii nakkkkkk!!!).

i am sooo missing Riverland and Kuey Teow Iman. agaknye bulan puasa bukak tak? (okay this is the hungry ME talking. if i'm rambling nonstop about food, it means i'm hungry =P). oh, i also miss my grandma's bubur lambuk =(

in the meantime, i hope your remaining days of Ramadhan are blessed with all the good things imagined!