The makings of a great person...

Thursday nite before her bed-time, Raihanah was busy finishing a poster she wanted her class-mates to read about the next day. I took a peek at what she was so bent on finishing way past her bedtime, and my heart stopped a beat for a splint second. I felt so touched and proud of my little miss muppet's mission!

She had read of the sufferings of the people of Palestine and especially of the violence taking place in Gaza. She saw pictures of young children with blood streaming down their faces, agonising over the pain inflicted on them and their people. Senseless, terribly unjust...and she read of what the international communities are doing to try and stop this carnage from continuing. She also read of the drives to collect as much as possible so the people of Palestine can be aided.

And she decided that she must do something, anything that she, at this tender age of 10 years going on 11 in a few weeks, can possibly do. So she intended to rally her friends on a fund raising drive for the chiildren of Palestine. And that was what her poster was about. Urging her friends to donate. Campaigning for her friends to put aside some money for these children who have nothing compared to her and her friends.

So how did it go? Her bff and family had planned to contribute over the weekend. Other friends claimed they don't have any money to do so (uhuh...and they can afford to buy expensive gadgets, observed Raihanah). Yet there are a few who claimed no knowledge of whats happening in Gaza...pretty sad, isn't it?

Yesterday, we went to the bank and she proudly took out her RM50; one hand holding her poster, she punched in the account numbers of the Gaza Fund as advertised in a major newspaper. When the machine printed the receipt, I couldn't help feeling proud of my little angel again, for that is what she is to me and hopefully to those suffering children in Gaza, an angel.

And I am proud for I see in her the makings of a great and wonderful and sensitive person. Beautiful. Thank you God for this precious gift.

Oh, as we were about to walk away from the ATM, her brother decided that he too, wanted to contribute. And he did, with RM10 he borrowed from Raihanah...

Endurance test for real

Today starts the real test of endurance for our family. Today, this morning to be precise, we sent our maid off to Kangar, Perlis on the 9:15am Transnasional bus with my dad. There after, our family is again without a maid for another three weeks, give or take a few days.

Unlike in December of last year (yup, that was last month...) when she went back to JaTim (Jawa Timur) for a months' holiday, this time round, school is on, my husband and I have some training programmes on, I am into my 2nd month as a full-time freelance translator with tight deadlines and both Raihanah & Raziq are in the morning session.

This time, it will be a real test for all of us as I attempt at being a wife + mum + home-maker + entrepreneur, at the same time, full-time. Today is not a good measure, though; it is after all a Sunday and a day where we can take our time in all that we do.

Now, tomorrow, Monday, first day of the week...well, that is a different ball game altogether.

This school year, both Raihanah and Raziq are in the morning session. For Raihanah, the more experienced one, the year is no different from last year except that she is now in a higher grade.

But for her brother Raziq, well its something else altogether. He's not just moving up to any higher grade but a higher grade in Level 2 (Tahap 2). Translation - tougher subjects, UPSR oriented exams questions, tougher and more serious (and stern) teachers, more writing subjects...yup, writing essays, writing narratives, writing...long sentences, punctuation marks...

Already subjects like Bahasa Malaysia (Penulisan) is a challenge for him since he was in Primary 1. Now, to have to write essays and karangan, and maintain a journal. Phew! Enough to freak him out, and freak him out they did.

He had an anxiety attack...that triggered an asthma attack. He started coughing, caught a flu and was feverish when we dropped them off on their first day in school. By the time he came back, he had thrown up and was wheezing so bad we took him to the doctor's where he was given his dose of vantolin gas (nebuliser)...

That night, he slept early due to exhaustion and from the effects of his medication. But at 2:45am next day, he woke me up for a glass of water and just couldn't go back to sleep, thinking of his new teachers (cekgu BM garang, class teacher garang, science teacher garang...) and friends who now are no longer in the same class...

We know but...

10 days into her new, healthier diet of white meat (fish mostly and skinless chicken, steamed, souped or poached, low salt and low sugar), vegetables cooked in the same manner and one scoop of rice per day, my mum lost 4 kg.

And judging from the way things are going, we are pretty sure she'll discipline herself to eat healthily for the sake of her hypertension, cholesterol and aching-joints conditions. The trigger? That hospital stay which saw her diagnosed with a heart condition.

I don't know about the rest of the family, but for me this was also the motivation for me to start and stay on a healthier life-style, especially in regards to my eating habits and perspective on life.

Human nature, I guess. This trait of knowing how not good things are but not doing anything about them until something happens...well, I plan to stay on this path if not for my own sake, then to cheer mum on.

A window opens

The window into 2009 opened 3 days ago and will remain so for another 361 days or so.

Here's hoping and praying for a breeze that brings all things good for all of us in every aspect of our lives, to blow in through the windows.

I stopped listing down resolutions for the "new" year a long time ago; not that I stopped having resolutions. Only nowadays I don't wait for a new year to begin, to start having one.

And if I ever need a time frame to measure the "start" of any of my resolutions, well, I now would rather use the Hijrah year if not my turning of age which falls in January, anyway.