IT'S A PANDAN LIFE ...!

Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There's no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.” ~ Gail Tsukiyama Last weekend my Mom had come over, having to attend an umrah course in KL. In a few weeks' time she will be going on another umrah trip, with her brother and his family. About the same time I'd be departing for my Portugal trip. Sigh. Since my Mom had gone on a Hajj and umrah trip before, I asked her why she needed to attend the course. "Oh, It's been years, I probably have forgotten some of the things", she retorted.  This is probably one of those rare trips where she came to KL alone, by bus. Usually she'd come with my sis and niece. I picked her up at Hentian Serdang and sent her off to my uncle's place in BB Bangi. But not before bringing her to her favourite restaurant, Ayam Penyet Wong Solo.  I normally don't eat rice for dinner but maybe I was too happy to see her, I o

You have no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You. Nothing seemed right. What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the ocean. Everything I came up with was like ... taking spices to the Orient. It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So I've brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me. This poem was written by Rumi (1207-1273), a remowned Persian poet. I have always loved his poems. I think I have about 3 or 4 books by Rumi. Some I've read and some I haven't. What I love about his poems is the ambiguity, or, the different layers of meaning. Sometimes however, it is not easy to decipher these meanings. Like onions, you have to peel these layers one by one. Known as a Sufi poet, his poems naturally revolve around God, but as can be seen from the poem above, his  poems can also be read as love poems. As in human love *chuckle*. I can relate to the idea of giv

We realize our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically a problem of priorities. We confess, we have left undone those things that ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.“ – Charles E. Hummel  Some time last year my BFF, Ann, shared with me some invaluable insights into leading a successful and   meaningful   life. A colleague of hers had done a mega-scale research on the secret of some really rich Muslims in Malaysia and beyond, and had learnt some really useful tips. She shared one of these tips with Ann, which was given by a very successful and rich female Muslim banker in Malaysia. Ann captured this tip in a pie chart, which can be seen below:       So basically, this pie chart describes the EIGHT things that one must allocate time to (sincerely and earnestly) in one's daily life: 1. God 2. Family 3. Work  4. Knowledge 5. Your interest 6. Charity 7. Recreation 8. You (as in hav

I must admit that I love shoes. Be it flats, wedges, peep-toes, pumps, sandals, I love them all. I've always looked at shoes as immensely beautiful things. As do other women. It's in our blood, I guess. Hehehe. It's a woman thing lah!  *wink wink* I am a shoeholic I guess, but on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say my shoeholicness is 5. This is because I don't splurge on shoes on a weekly basis, like some people. I don't buy shoes every month either. A lot of factors are at play when I buy shoes. Some shoes simply need to be bought for utility purposes -like Reebok/Nike shoes. Sometimes I go for quality and comfort - like Clarks/Naturalizer shoes - they're perfect for work.  Some shoes simply 'speak' to me for their aesthetic qualities - like Zang Toi/Aldo shoes.  Some 'speak' to me because of their incredibly inexpensive price tags. But what I love most are those branded shoes when they are on sale! I get style, quality and value for my money,