umrah ramadhan 2013

salaam. it has been a year since i last updating my blog. from ramadhan to the next ramadhan. haha!

this year ramadhan will always be the most memorable and best ramadhan ever! alhamdulillah, i spent the first two weeks of fasting in mecca and medina. umrah was great, mashaAllah! though the hot blazing sun really hurt my skin, but after a few days i got used to it and managed to find solution to the problem, alhamdulillah!

it was my first umrah in my whole life. i felt a bit scared not knowing what to do, what to expect due to lack of preparation. i escaped in the middle of a pack schedule. i determined to go because i really need this break, away from hustles and bustles of life, too much sins i saw and committed. this shall be my 'uzlah' just between me and The Almighty.

the process of getting the umrah visa was such a test! we were supposed leave the country on 28th June in 2 groups. but most of the first group members had their visas approved however, none from the second group was. we heard that Saudi has imposed a new regulation; they are cutting down the number of people going for hajj and umrah by half this year! And they were actually hold the application worldwide!!!  Nonetheless, we were still positive that the Saudi will change their stance and re-open for umrah application. So we waited and had made 3 changes to our flight and hotel bookings! Bear in mind, that the price for both is highest during fasting month!

When we were almost given up, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. the travel agent finally got in touch with Saudi embassy on 5th July and they informed us that the online application system will be re-open for the last time on Monday! Alhamdulillah!!! So, we applied for it and got it approved EXCEPT for our mahram!!! Ya Allah :( it surely test our patience. How we see it was Allah really screen who He choose to be in Tanah Haram. Our mahram decided to appeal to Saudi embassy directly through the help of travel agent. Thank God that he can speak Arabic fluently. Alhamdulillah, after listening to his explanation and how it will affect others hope, the Saudi finally approved his application! Sujud syukur kami after hearing the wonderful news!!!

We left for Jeddah the next day and arrived in Jeddah at 6am on 11th July, 2 Ramadhan. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah!!! We performed our first umrah, tawaf in the morning after check in to the hotel and continued with saei after zuhur and completed it just before asar. 

I couldn't hold my tears when I first saw Baitullah. My heart pounding, feeling so nervous. what if I did something wrong, what if I forgot to say my prayer what if this and that??? But once I started to do tawaf, I forgot about my fears, I couldn't take my eyes off Kaabah all the time. That very moment, I know I was very special. Allah has invited me, yes He has invited me in this Holy month, penghulu segala bulan. Syukur, I completed 3 umrahs during my stay in Mecca and prayed for myself, family, my teachers and all my friends who has helped, advised and prayed for me a lot. While in Mecca, we visited several places and we even climbed Mount Nour!!! 

We left for medina on 17th July morning and arrived just before asar. the journey was fine, we got to witness some ribut pasir yg agak tinggi but it was quite far from the road we took. At some areas, we saw dates trees and thin camels and the rest were arid land (desert). Medina is totally different from Mecca in terms of its architecture which is more modern, lots of 4 stars hotel, the people are more relax and not as busy as in Mecca. In Medina, it is a must to visit Masjid Quba as it was narrated that Rasulullah SAW says: Sesiapa yang bersuci (mengambil wuduk) di rumahnya kemudian pergi ke masjid Quba' lalu mendirikan sembahyang di dalamnya, ganjarannya samalah dengan pahala ibadat Umrah. (Tirmizi: Sembahyang: 298. Ibnu Majah: Iqamat dan Sunatnya: 1401. Ahmad: Musnad Makkiyyin: 15414.). 

So, what is the pahala umrah? According to our mutawif, he said pahala umrah is dosa2 seseorang itu diampunkan di antara dua umrah yg dikerjakannya. Kena chack semula perkara ni sebab I tak berapa fokus sgt masa dia explain :D Too impress with the place :) 

We too went to Ladang kurma, Masjid Qiblatain, Jabal Uhud, singgah di tempat percetakan quran (women are not allowed to go in). 

We stayed in Medina till maghrib 22nd July. It was so emotional for me. I saw Masjid Nabawi from afar, how magnificent it looks at night, subhanAllah. It used to be very small and simple during Rasulullah time and now it is so glorious to accommodate muslims around the world who come to visit each year. Jakun sekejap tgk kubah bergerak slps maghrib dan payung yg kuncup sblm maghrib. Rawdah is exceptionally wangi! you know when you are in rawdah when you see the green carpet next to Rasulullah shrine, Abu Bakr as-siddiq and Umar al-khattab's shrines. It's hard to see the mimbar anymore because they have put a barrier. Org pendek susah mahu nampak. huuu..

Till we meet again Mecca and Medina and I hope the next time I go there it will be for hajj inshaAllah :')

ramadhan kareem from UK

salaam alaik

This ramadhan, i shall be all alone; sahur dan berbuka sendirian. well, that was what i thought in the first place. but later i have this idea! why dont i post a notice at the prayer room in the uni asking people's opinion on having an iftar and congregation prayer? if we cant do it daily, maybe one or twice a week would be nice :) And yes, i put up a notice on the white board (and got some responses!) and emails were sent to the sisters whom showed interest in joining this small gathering. May Allah bless this small effort and to all the single ladies ;)

What upset me the most is the responds from the sisters post e-mailing them with tonnes of emails (okay, maybe 4-5 emails',that ain't many right?). I'm just asking for a simple answer Yes or No so that I can plan how much food should be ordered and arrange other stuff as well. kalau tak mampu nk kuar kan duit utk mkn pun ckp je lah yg brp diorang mampu byr and i can pay the rest for them, inshaAllah. sedekah di bulan ramadhan kan bnyk pahala :D Can't they just type it and send it straight away. It's impossible for them not to read the emails as they were sent to the Uni email (all of them PGrad). I feel so disappointed in them!! Kita nk buat semua org ada semangat berbuka ramai2, bina ukhwah tp nk balas email pun payah. nasib baik tak kenal diorang tu sapa. cuma kwn atas kwn. sbb mmg dah hilang respect pd org macam ni.

Tak tau nk cerita pd sapa, so ni lah tmpt meluahkan perasaan :( O Allah, forgive all my sins.

*saya masih bersedih*

my version of the never ending story-: re-search

Recently, I had a discussion with my supervisor- apart from other important things we discussed, this was the interesting part of the conversation I want to share:

SV: You need to get ready with all the proteins. Purify and freeze dry them before Christmas.
Me: OK. *jot down the instruction; I must work hard to get those protein ready*
SV: Then, I shall talk to one of our project collaborators in Southampton for a training course on cell infection for you to attend.
Me: OK. Thank you, I really need that! *Yippie*
SV: Maybe after new year too, I will need to send you to Dublin for another training; playing with the lung cells. N yes, you have to bring along The Proteins.
Me: OK. I really hope we get some interesting results from the experiments. Most probably there'll be, right? since the proteins are antigenic to the host *Again, travelling! Yahoo!!!*
SV: It will be exciting journey. And yes, most probably we can get something from the project. And we need to see whether we can visualize the changes or not. Erm, I'm thinking, perhaps, in January too, you can present a seminar on our research bacground and updating the progress of the project at department level.
Me: smile and keep silent. *WHAT? SO SOON?! NOT OK!!*

OMG, there goes all the fun... welcome CHALLENGES! yeah, right..hahaa
I do hope it goes just as we have planned, though. Smooth sailing please :D

.....

Have a pleasant weekend everyone! May Allah shower His blessing to you and me :) May He guide our soul to find the truth, teach us to be patient, to love and give more and to have mercy on others who are less fortunate than us.
Ameen :)

nothing to regret. grateful. alhamdulillah.

8 months stayed in Malaysia was wonderful! though at times stressed did knock on my door, but with friends around, it did help. maybe not helping with the work, but just being there and willing to lend their ears, it was such a relief! Ramadhan was another new experience i never had before. this Ramadhan, we went to mosques for break-fast. when i say we, it refers to my housemate and I and sometimes our 1 or 2 other friends would joined us. subhanAllah, i couldn't describe the feeling, it was like? i don't knw...like ur heart feel so peaceful, happy (i knw it was more than tht) & u don't want to leave the place. u just want to be there all the time. i really miss those beautiful moment. i surely will cherish it till the end of my life. eid was fun too! met most of my relatives. been ages since we were last met! semua dah besar panjang, cantik2 and handsome2 belaka..hahaa.. those short time spent wisely and meaningfully, alhamdulillah. fulfilled my mom's dream too..inshaAllah will do it again mom! hehe..ronda2, singgah solat from masjid to masjid in every stop, inshaAllah.hopefully i'll be more brave in driving in future (competent) and go a bit farther than Ipoh and KL. hahaa!

rindu rumah sebenarnye. :D

it's not a song i wanted to sing

things aren't always turn out just how we want them to be. surely, there'll be missing pieces here and there, making turns before we reach our objective (duh, so boring). but, yeah, that's the reality we have to live in! at times, well, if you are lucky enough, you'll find it as a mysterious yet interesting adventure you have ever had in life! however, when it is the other way around, you'll definitely feel miserable :( everything seems so wrong, your nose bleeding, your head is going to blow out, you feel you going to vomit bla bla bla.. what would you do? cover yourself with duvet and snooze?...yeah, that's what most people would do. better than throw your rage to others i supposed.
should it happen to me at any time or situation (well, it happened to me yesterday), i do feel horrible :( especially when I am at the top of my spirit to do work when suddenly something just isn't right come in my way. i feel like screaming!!!!! i need to do my job, now! but I can't focus! :( so, i run back home after clearing up my lab bench. yes, I do make my place clean first before I leave. I hate messy table! Despite what happened, God actually is trying to send me a message. I believe so.
On my way back (my flat is quite a distance from Uni), I saw many unfortunate people-an elderly woman carrying her oxygen tank alone, a man on wheelchair crossing the road, a young girl with neuro signs..Oh, what I suffered is just...nothing! Maybe I am so obsess on being a focus and hardworking student I forget that some difficulties in life is just to test whether you are thankful for the bright days, your health and your easy paths..
Take it as a bonus from God, to have a day or 2 off; hoping you'll replenish your energy the following week, inshaAllah.
Have a wonderful Friday and weekend everyone :)
*I need to get myself iron tablets and multivitamins for this winter.I 'love' pills!

Alhamdulillah ala kulli hal..

Bila penat bertandang..

Bagi mengatasi kepenatan melaksanakan tugas-tugas seharian sama ada di rumah mahupun di tempat kerja, bolehlah jadikan petua yang diajar oleh Rasulullah SAW kepada puteri kesayangannya Saidatina Fatimah sebagai penawarnya. Suatu hari Saidatina Fatimah mengadu kepada suaminya Saidina Ali bin Abu Talib tentang kesakitan pada tangannya kerana keletihan menggiling gandum untuk membuat roti. Saidina Ali berkata

"Bapa kamu telah datang membawa balik tawanan perang. Berjumpalah dia dan mintalah seorang khadam untuk membantu mu." Saidatina Fatimah pergi bertemu bapanya dan menyatakan hasrat untuk mendapatkan seorang khadam bagi membantu tugas hariannya di rumah. Bagaimanapun Rasulullah SAW tidak mampu memenuhi permintaan anak kesayangannya itu. Lalu Baginda SAW pergi menemui puterinya serta menantu itu. Baginda SAW berkata: "Apa kamu berdua mahu aku ajarkan perkara yang lebih baik daripada apa yang kamu minta daripadaku? Apabila kamu berdua berbaring untuk tidur, bertasbihlah (Subhanallah) 33 kali, bertahmid (Alhamdulillah) 33 kali dan bertakbir (Allahuakbar) 33 kali. Ia adalah lebih baik untuk kamu berdua daripada seorang khadam."

Inilah penawar ringkas yang Nabi SAW ajarkan kepada anak dan menantunya bagi meringankan keletihan dan kesusahan hidup mereka berdua. Saidina Ali terus mengulang-ulang kalimah-kalimah Rasulullah.SAW ini. Katanya "Demi Allah aku tidak pernah meninggalkannya semenjak ia diajarkan kepadaku." 
 Masjid Al-I'tisam TTDI, Shah Alam website.

UK and government scholarships (KPT)

I think this is the best medium to share my experience handling this matter. For tutors out there who wish to study abroad doing master or phd to UK, I hope this will help you in a way to ease your process. I learn a lot from the process which brought me here and there, asking for these and those etc. So, here it goes ;)
1. Get yourself a place- after you have secured a supervisor in any university in the UK, get yourself an offer letter (conditional or unconditional).
2. Scholarship/ study leave application (SLAB/ SLAI)- wait no more and don't listen to others! This is very IMPORTANT!! Ppl might say the chance is very slim but who knows? You might be the lucky person! Just go ahead with the application and prepare yourself a supporting letter reasoning why u wish to study there. Your letter should be endorsed by HoD and the Dean of your faculty. Send your study leave/ scholarship application ASAP. If required, go and introduce yourself to TNCA since he/she will contribute in decision making for your study leave application at university stage before the forms being forwarded to MoHE for scholarship part. InshaAllah, once your study leave has been approved, your scholarship will follow :)
3. Visa- Once you have received CAS statement from Graduate school and ATAS letter which u apply via this website http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/atas/ (if required), you may proceed with online Visa application at this website: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/
We are categorize underTier4 (general) students if we are sponsored by MoHE (KPT).MoHE nowadays only provides you with electronic version of letters and agreement. So make sure you colour print the financial affidavit etc to submit to visa application centre which is situated at Wisma MCA, Jln. Ampang. Mine was rejected at first because there's no signature?! Although there was an obvious statement there: this is computer generated, no signature is required. So, I went to MoHE just to seek for the documents to be certified as true copy. Ask Pn. Juita's help, she's a very nice and helpful lady :) Provide all the important documents such as the documents from MoHE ( everything regarding sponsorship), passport, english cert, CAS statement, ATAS cert, bank draft, your transcripts (degree/ master). Don't forget to bring along a copy of each originals document you gave them, if not they will keep all your original copies and won't be returned to you. ANOTHER IMPORTANT PART: MAKE AN APPOINTMENT BEFORE YOU GO TO THE CENTRE especially during peak months like August and September. Book your date here: http://www.vfs-uk-my.com/
Mine was settled in 2 hours time. Alhamdulillah.
4. Book your seat- this part, I am sure everyone knows how to do it ;) Do it after you granted a visa.
I think that's all about it. Patience pays off, inshaAllah :D Good luck to all!

p/s: please pray for my success in your du'a, thank you :)