Accidents happen so fast and unexpected. Visited my cousin on a Saturday afternoon and walked back home. I crossed the road and slipped on small stones. How it happened is still a mystery. Anyway, I watched my bones cracking and my whole ankle shifted out of shape. I ended up in hospital for seven days with a four hour operation and more than one year of full recovery and learning to walk normal again.
Technology Robots
In today’s fast paced world where everything seems to revolve around technology,
We are always rushing…
To add
A tweet on twitter or X as it is known for now
A videoclip on TikTok that leads to endless scrolling
To post a picture
On Facebook,
On Instagram,
On Snapchat,
A quick message on WhatsApp that ends in a long conversation.
And the list goes on and on…
We complain about not having enough time in a day to complete all our chores,
Yet the two or more hours spent on social networks feel like five minutes.
Something to think about. Right?
Them Mouthwatering Fruits!
Papaya
Guava
Mango
Tangerines
Strawberries
The joys of camping!
This question brought back so many childhood memories! During my early teenage years, we used to go camping at the seaside.
I enjoyed the sightseeing adventures, bathing in the caravan park, swimming, sleeping on a soft mattress and sometimes feeling the rocks digging into my bones in the middle of the night 😀
One year my mother was not in the mood to go camping and I actually forced her to go with the result that same night we arrived it started raining and I ended up getting a very good scolding ha-ha. Did that dampen my mood? Never! I was there and that was all that mattered!
Anyway, the highlight of my camping outing was always sitting in the early morning on a rock by the seaside, watching the sun coming up, the waves splashing, seagulls flying high and chirping of birds in the trees nearby. For me that was the best feeling ever!
Exploring Young Minds
It is late afternoon and I am enjoying of what is left of the autumn sunshine, accompanied by a very inquisitive and outspoken five year old, who always have lots of questions whilst scratching around and looking for objects that interest her.
Here it comes.
Why do you have a lighter in your room?
Do you smoke?
No, it is to light the candle.
My mommy has candles too.
Why are yours purple and hers white?
Mine is lavender and hers another fragrance. Jasmine I think.
Can I have those seashells?
No, you cannot have it.
Why not?
Because it is mine.
Where did you get it?
At a wedding.
Whose wedding?
People you don’t know.
But what are their names?
Gives her the names to satisfy her curiosity.
Do you want this bubble-gum?
No, thank you.
I have more at home.
Did you give your cats name yourself?
Yes, I have.
Did you know that my daddy gave my name before I was born?
Really? Did he tell you that?
Yes, he did. Smiling smugly.
I’m going to eat my ice-lolly now.
Do you want a piece?
No, thank you.
Then out of nowhere…
Look what snowy is doing! She is rude! She is showing me her teeth! So. Imitating the cat.
I turned around and the cat was making a hissing sound with mouth wide open as if to say ‘You are invading my space kid.’
Scold her.
Snowy don’t be rude! I say
She says you talk too much.
Aaah cats can’t talk! Giggling and continues to lick her ice-lolly.
Phew, that was a mouthful! I should thank the cat for coming to my rescue! Ha-ha
Nevertheless, in my opinion kids should have the freedom to express themselves, within limits too off course and not in a rude manner. It gives them the confidence to explore and learn.
Look at it this way, whether it is your own child or children, nieces or nephews, somehow, they will always remind you of how you were at that age.
Though sometimes there is a big difference in personalities, or you have to admit that you were exactly the same.
Silently Loyal
Sometimes we tend to take for granted…
Our blessings
Our family
Our faith
Our loyalty
We forget…
About everyone who makes our life worthwhile.
To show gratitude and appreciation to that one person/s who silently understand exactly what we are going through.
Why do we give so much to those who do not care or give one inch about us, but ignore the ones who unconditionally support and love us even if they do not say it?
Ramadan
Contrary to popular belief by most western cultures that the month of Ramadan mainly consists of cooking up a storm every day and serving a feast of food, cakes and delicacies every night and then eat until we cannot move.
This is not what this month is all about, although some of us do overindulge, it is much more than showing off culinary skills.
Let me give a very short insight into the life of a Muslim during this month.
It is a spiritual journey of abstinence, reflecting, patience and prayer.
We do not only abstain from food and drink, it includes refraining from bad behavior, gossiping, slander, intimacy between husband and wife during the day and unnecessary bickering that leads to arguments, to name but a few.
It teaches us to be grateful and thankful to the bounties bestowed upon us by our Creator and Sustainer Allah Almighty.
By fasting from just before sunrise to sunset and experiencing hunger pangs and dry mouth, we get to know what it feels like for people who goes without food for days on end.
Furthermore, with passing days, we get to reflect more on doing good deeds as it multiplies during this blessed month.
Some of us become more quieter, not because we are hungry or angry, but we realize that silence is better than useless chatter.
Even our patience is tested on a daily basis whether it is at home or in the working environment.
At work our non-Muslim colleagues may feel that we are not giving 100% but do not understand that our energy levels are very low due to fasting and need to be a little bit considerate.
Whilst at home mothers and wives may have to deal with young kids whom they need to groom to fast especially first timers who do not want to by throwing tantrums and sometimes have a grumpy husband to match (no this is not husband bashing just a mere example) 🙂
Most importantly during Ramadan is our prayers as the two goes hand in hand because, fasting without prayers is just emptying the stomach without feeding the Soul.
Rainy weather!
That cold rainy winter mornings where you can get out of bed, sip a cup of coffee and watch the rain falling against the windowpane and you do not need to be anywhere except home. 🙂
A Lesson to Remember
‘Whoever said that working in a male dominated world is easy, lied through their teeth!’
There I was, the newbie working at a construction company and on top of it, the only female.
I had a tough time settling in. It felt as if I were dumped into the deepest end of the ocean, and just left there to find the safest and quickest way back to shore, whilst evading blue bottles, bamboos, sharks and catfish.
Everyone wanted to be the boss.
What they didn’t know was that I silently scrutinized every one of them, their body language, character and most importantly, their productivity.
There were the ‘so-called seniors’.
‘We, we, we’.
We say, and everyone else does and listens, because ‘we’ are in charge.
Or so they thought.
I classified them as ‘wannabe boss’s’ who rode on the company’s gravy train.
Then came the boss’s ‘blue eyed boy’,
Who could not set a foot wrong in his eyes according to the seniors.
Followed by the manipulators,
Who caused havoc, then sat back and laughed at their own stupidity.
Last but not the least, the slow one who worked at a snail’s pace,
Typed two words every hour and spent the rest of the time talking on the phone.
And then there was yours truly. Me
The ‘nobody’ who escaped at 4:30pm every afternoon before the boss decided there was something he needed to discuss, and I end up missing my bus. (It became the office joke) 😀
Nevertheless, as time went by, I became ‘the listener’ and my actual boss, ‘the mentor.’
He taught me,
How to run a business
How to deal with difficult clients
How to remain levelheaded and calm when everything seems upside down, and many more.
Whether he did this knowingly or unknowingly, will always remain a mystery.
Notwithstanding, as I look back now many years later, I realize that the whole happy lot from ‘the seniors’ to the ‘two-word typist’ was and is none the wiser, and the dish ran away with the spoon.
Procrastination
Some people or many may disagree with me, but I still maintain even after few years of not being part of the rat race of going to work and tight schedules that everything needs to be done on time.
To name but a few examples,
Getting kids ready for school by waking them up early and instilling a morning routine will teach them to respect time.
Parents meeting. Be on time.
Invited to lunch. Be on time.
Business lunch. Be prepared and extra early.
Like the saying goes ‘the early bird catches the worm’
My motto is if you do not have respect for time, you will always run around like a headless chicken at the last minute.
So, learn the art of being early because ‘procrastination is the thief of time.’
Blossoms in the Sunshine 