Names...

Luqman and NAMI (K.D'sdaughter)

My dear friend who endearingly calls me abang arief, tagged me to write about names of my children. Be warned, this can turn into a long entry - afterall, I have six beautiful and special children. *smiling*

I learnt from my late mom that I was named after the local 'Tok Ggawo' or simply translated as the district officer. I actually like my name, and it has a special meaning too - Arif means 'Wise'. And I grew up as an admirer of the Tok Ggawo and was determined to make my mom proud by being as clever and as successful as he was. Later in life, he was a well liked politician, elected as a state representative for many terms over. He died with many legacies related to his kindness and compassion for the poor. I count my blessings for when it was time for me to find a life partner - I could not have met a girl with a more beautiful name. For more than two decades, I have been married to a wife whose name took after the Prophet's (pbuh) wife.

I live to carry a name with a high hope from my dearest mom. In her life time she always reminded me to look after the good name of the family and more importantly my own. So when it was my turn to anticipate the birth of our first child - Along - both LiL and I thought long and hard and did a little research. Finally we settled for a name which carry the meaning of ' A fair and capable leader '. Being the first, and as if our paternal & maternal instinct were telling us there will be many to follow - we wanted our first child to be capable of setting good examples to his siblings, and later to his peers at school and at work.

When Zeti followed, we endearingly called her Angah. But her full name means 'One who possess grace and beauty'. We didn't know then that she were to be our only daughter. And the name has an even more significant meaning now, twenty years later - for she has definitely grown to be full of grace, and her beauty is from the deepest corner of her heart.

Our third is named to be a winner in life for his name means a 'warrior', prefixed with an Ahmad which really means "Yang terpuji". He has proven to be everything his name suggests. Indeed a very polite and cheerful person, at the same time has been very independent and successful in his studies. A very balanced individual who is able to look at glass as half full!

To follow was Amirul Fikri - 'The thingking Prince'. Amirul, an Aquarius is very 'left brained' and a genius in Mathematics and numbers. He has consistently done very well in school and has always been in top three. He is an ardent reader - has read all of Harry Potter series and all of Dan Brown's. Not a day spent when he does not exercise his mind with either Mathematics questions, riddles, puzzles or simply reading.

Then came number five - a boy born at noon and announced his arrival with a vocal of an opera singer. He is a Leo, born to be a leader. His name Mohammed Haziq means 'Yang Bijak' and with the Prophet's name to remind him of Taqwa and Iman.Haziq is energy and vitality! He is very sociable and well liked by his friends of diversed nationality here in Jeddah. If we do move - his farewell will be the saddest.

Luqman Hakim - the jewel in the crown. The last child. The anak bongsu. LiL was pregnant with Luqman when we moved from KL to JB to enable me to work in Singapore and for her to continue working for her employer. We listed many names....including a few girl names. We did not want to know the gender of the baby in LiL's tummy until the day of birth, and Angah has been praying for a litle baby sister. Sofia Afiqah was the favourite name if she was a girl and we settled for Luqman Hakim if he was a boy. No real or special meaning, but the name sounded right.
'Luqman Hakim' of course appeared in Islam history as a wise man. We have little doubt that Luqman will one day lead his life as responsibly and wisely as well.

Six children - each one so special in their own way. A joy is to have them in line behind me in prayer, and to have them saying 'ameeeen' in unison to my doa. In this life, they are my reasons for joy. When one day I am gone.....their visit to my grave and their doa - will keep me smiling in Heaven. LiL and I could not have been luckier to have them all

dialogue # 1.

Me calling from a hotel room in London : "Luqman nak apa-apa ka ayah boleh belikan"

Luqman - from his bed before sleep time : "Luqman nak ayah to kiss me goodnite".

dialogue #2

Luqman whispered to LiL who was having an afternoon nap next to me, today:

"Suddenly I'm hungry...I dont want to disturb ur sleep with ayah...but i am hungry and i know u dont want me to be hungry kan mak..."

I was so tickled, smiled and reached for him. Needless to say, LiL got up to make himsome sandwich.

The above two dialogues reassured me that we have chosen his name very well indeed!

ps: I am not tagging anyone in particular. However invitations are extended to the many wonderful moms who read my blog to write about their children's names.....

Haziq - a writer!

Haziq is twelve, and my child number five. Haziq was born in Tawakal Hospital Kuala Lumpur on 23rd August - another Virgo to the family.

He is an extrovert - prefering outdoor sports, adept at socialising and has many friends both in school and in our residential compound. In the evening, Haziq comes home when Maghrib Azan is heard - infact it is a joke amongst us in the family that when Haziq comes home, then it must be Maghrib. He plays football, tennis, table tennis.

Those were what I knew of Haziq and has taken him to be as such. I was only half right!

There is another side to Haziq which I did not know until last weekend, and that too by accident. We were in this hotel room recently during a weekend outing - and after Isya one night as he was doing his homework I asked to look at his exercise book. What I saw surprised and impressed me. I felt a tinge of regret that I have not known this side of him earlier, and as such has not been encouraging or coach him. Not that he needs either encouragement or coaching - he is a self starter and very resourceful. But he could do with some sincere appreciation for his talent, I am sure.

Haziq, a writer! I read and re-read his essays, and I was filled with pride and admiration. He is very talented. His repertoire of vocabulary is impressive and his imagination and flair so original. A reminder for me to be more interested in my children's school work.

Now I understood why his English teacher was telling me at one recent parents-teachers meeting, "Ah Haziq is my favourite student, and i enjoy reading his essays".

I wish now that I did not only hear what the teacher said but also have listened!

Here are pictures of one of Haziq's essays, titled "56 Cromley Street".

Family means...

A family picture taken after Christmas day Dec 2006. *sehat2 anak ayah!, Alhamdullillah.....*

Family means having a heart full of memories, gathering
together for summertime picnics and holiday traditions.

Family means recalling magic moments, hugging and kissing, laughing and teasing. They share cares, concerns, joys and triumphs,
long distance calls and heart-to-heart whispers.

They give you hope and comfort
and they are always there with open arms. Family means having a lifetime of
history together. It is a journey of togetherness and love. Family bonds last
forever and the rich soil from which we grow and to which we return for
nourishment of our roots. Family is where it all begins, and it never
ends.

A few magic moments for me and my family were captured in pictures below, which have been scanned and uploaded to be shared. *Hint : They were taken before digital age*

Which picture is matched with which magic moment? That is for you to guess.....

1. Holiday in Langkawi

2. At the waterworld.

3. At Ikan bakar restaurent in Melaka. We were there early for dinner.

4. Fariz doing his famous pose. That smile stays until today!

5. Posed in one of the bedroom at the Carcosa Sri Negara.

6. Arms wrestling for the ( then ) Honourable Minister and the MD, watched by artist M Nasir and urs truly.

7. Amirul did his tepuk amai-amai, watched by Fariz in front of our house in KL. The house is still there! The car has long been gone....

8. LiL with one of the boys during a holiday at one of the islands.

9. Two passport size pictures.

10. A picture of me during a business visit to Dallas Texas.

Pic A

Pic B

Pic C

Pic D

Pic of Along, Zeti and Fariz.

Pic F

Pic G

Pic H

Pic I

Pic J

Used to have lot more curls than today!

A do nothing Thursday morning ...

Idols and a book.
American Idol was on TV - and we gathered in the living room waiting for the result to be announced. Not really a surprise since the internet already mentioned that Sanjaya the wonderboy was voted out.
Both LiL and I were still in our gym attire, having just came back from the gym for a work-out. I clocked 5km on the threadmill - walking at an average of 5.6km/hour, and reading John Grisham's "The BROKER" at the same time.
So to chill in front of the TV with the boys, watching Ryan Seacrest trying hard to take some mickey our of Simon Cowell was a joy. And, ah...tears from Sanjaya was heartfelt, but that guy Simon was grinning devilishly from ear to ear.

When love is about some Grey Hairs.....
I was reading the novel on the sofa when I felt LiL lifted my head and rested it on her lap. She kissed my forehead then started pulling my grey hairs. One by one, patiently and lovingly. I like having my grey hairs pulled - they also happened to be my 'gatal' hair.

I moved to chapter 9, and she was still at it. Then I saw flash from a camera - Luqman thought it was cute to capture the moments on record.
On a do nothing Thursday morning, pulling grey hairs is an event. And I like and love it !

Lunch followed. It was a simple lunch of white rice, lots of ulam and salad, fried ikan masin and steam pomfret - very nice indeed when had with your love ones.
This is a page from a simple life of an expat in Jeddah. This afternoon, after Asar prayer we plan to go to the supermarket for our weekly grocery shopping. Tonight we have a dinner invitation from a family friend. After dinner, we may just drive over to the sea front to have hot tea by the sea, listening to the waves and enjoying fresh Red Sea breeze.

Kittens without their mother
As I am typing this entry, LiL is busy mending to the kittens. Their mom, "Danya" went missing a few days ago after she sneaked out of the back door during one of the nights. She has not come back since - the kittens although old enough to feed on their own, are missing the mother's affection. Last night, when I curled up on the sofa reading the novel - three of them came over to share my body heat. There were sadness in their eyes. All I could do was stroke their furs.

This kitten has one blue and one green eyes. Hidung dia comot sebab he dived into a bowl of chocolate milk.