My Ramblings

 Everyday is a good day

Those Apple people have been diligently tracking my time spent online. A very detail breakdown indeed on the hours spent. I must confess I am putting in a lot of extra hours browsing the net. I suppose in these  troubled times, I am not alone. I am sure that many out there are on the same page as me!  

 

And actually if one is able to capture a particular website, there is so much information sharing! Amongst my favourites are those that dwell in religious affairs ( the translation and especially the tafseer  of the Holy Book), stories shared on the fb of people who would go the extra mile to take in stray animals to be fostered and cared for until these animals find their permanent homes. Another website that never fails to be a tear jerker to me is that one of the most compassionate judge who deals with traffic offences from people struggling to make ends meet . These are ordinary people who upon opening up to the judge will always have a story to share and  there are several episodes that I would repeatedly watch  and these never fails to  renew the same intensity of emotions. Of course with the exception of the few who came in with an attitude which the judge could smell a mile awhile! 

 

Yesterday, while browsing  I stumbled  upon a blog that shared tips on things to do to survive the pandemics. I thought it was most interesting indeed. So I have decided to go through her 40 things to do and  do a checklist on my current status of  the items listed. I must confess that  with the exception of a few I do have my fingers in almost all of the items

 

So here’s my current status : 

 

 

40 things to do while staying at home, social distancing and  staying positive during the pandemics . Credit to TheSoccermomBlog.com

 

1	Read a book	/	Mostly read virtual book, not the hardcopy type!
2	Call a friend	/	Called a few times but mostly text messaging.
3	Exercise more	/	Minimum of 3 times a week at the local park . 3.75 Km each time
4	Connect with spouse	/	Yeah! But sometimes need that my space time !
5	Virtual Girl’s night	x	I hit the sack very early in the night. So none at all !
6	Learn a language	x	Tried to, but short term memory faculty  is failing me.
7	Family dinner	/	More of  family breakfast and lunch. Dinner is very individual because we try to keep the stomach light before hitting the sack.
8	Journal	/	Oh yes. I found an excellent app that helps me to pen my daily thoughts, emotions, happenings etc. Wouldn’t trade it.
9	Spring clean	/	Very seasonal. Depends very much on my energy level of the day.
10	Declutter	/	I have thrown out a lot of stuffs, donated the ones that are still good to use and wear. Yours truly not very happy I have reorganise his tool box. All in one stop centre now! There is still a lot more. I am digitising my files and documents and throwing out the hardcopies.
11	Plant a garden	/	Got myself a herbs garden. Tried the hydroponics method  too but not all the seeds are germinating well.
12	Cook dinner	x/	There are  lazy days  when we order food online. Supporting the local sellers, I ‘d reckon.
13	Fix things	x	This domain best left to yours truly to do. He is the expert!
14	I on time with kids	/	Facetime with son no 2 in the UK almost on a daily basis! Daughter no2 shares her daily episode at work while mom gives her thoughts and advice on tricky situation.! Daughter no1 and son no1 video calls and drop in with the grandchildren whenever possible .Son No1 bought a mobile pool. The kids enjoyed the recent weekend.
15	Balance budget	/	Oh yes. I now record and update every expenditure in my notebook. The last time I ever did this was when I was a carefree stay at home mum in 1986-1991 ( in the UK , while husband pursued his PhD)
16	Start a side hustle	/	Activated my blog once again.
17	Movie night	x	My other half is a permanent hoarder of the idiot box almost every nights.
18	Family game night	x	-
19	Write a letter	/	Oh yes.  Personal ones to my children on their birthdays this year , from July onwards.
20	Read the holy book	/	Brushing up on my pronunciation. But most importantly understanding the tafseer!
21	Arts and craft	x	-
22	Mani/Pedi	/	DIY
23	Take a bath	/	Mandatory in the tropics! Averaging 3 times a day!
24	Skype with family	/	Video calls. But mostly text messaging on the family chat room.
25	Sing karaoke	/	Oh yes. Bought online a karaoke box quite recently. Most destressing indeed!
26	Do a puzzle	/	Love those word games apps.  Very addictive. At one time I was place the top scorer in the word crush! After a while the words used became quite predictable.
27	Family scrapbook	/	I have done the family roots . But I still have a few articles to share online.
28	Dress up	x	No where fancy to go. Very comfortable in my T shirt and the Uniqlo pinafore. Got myself a few pieces in a few colours.
29	Dance party	x	Big sis was here last weekend. We danced while karaokeing!
30	Learn new skill		Tried making my own bagels. But they turned out hard and tough. So baking shelved temporarily.
31	Finish laundry	/	Almost every other day.
32	Write a book	/	Blogging my memoirs. From children to career. While the long term memory faculty is still intact.
33	New TV series	/	Managed to watch a few. But not too keen on the too many episodes series. Don’t have the patience to sit it out.
34	Paint	/	Repainting the front gate. I am itching to start on the walls in the living room but cannot bear the idea of the preparatory work. The moving of furniture etc. So KIV
35	Rearrange furniture	/	Oh yes many times.
36	Build a fort	x	Too old for that activity. But converted the small room downstairs into my permanent den.
37	Go for a walk	/	On days we are unable to walk at the local park, we would walk around the field turned recreation park turned mini zoo in front of our house. About 180 m in circumference
38	Celebrate holidays	/	Every day is a holiday for me, the retired government servant.
39	Colouring	x	Tried one colouring apps but interest not sustained.
40	Baking	x	Need to find the mood for that. In the meanwhile I am happy with just ordering online. My sis bakes the best and most delicious pies.

 

So, that’s it  folks. The checklist is done. Not on the checklist is the hospital visits. Since the beginning of the pandemics, I have made about 10 trips , that is averaging 2 trips per month!

 

Lesson learned:

 

When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you are responding, to what’s happening. That’s where the power is !

Stay safe, stay positive, stay healthy!

Enjoy the little things as they come!

My Ramblings

 کُنْ فَیَکون

Another festival celebration and that will complete the cycle! The cycle of  the new norm introduced to all Malaysians that celebrate their religious festivals in 2020. It started with the Hari Raya Puasa or the Eid Ramadhan for Muslims, than the Hari Raya Qurban ( though this year no Malaysians went for their haj but we still made the obligatory sacrifices of animals on that day ) followed by the Deepavali celebrations for the Hindus in October and now Christmas too. Malaysians are asked to keep to the standard SOP of  social distancing, no  mass gathering , no house visiting , no open house for all . Yes for the first time celebrating Hari Raya Puasa was done online. The WA video calls, the telegram video calls, the zoom video calls.. Anything anyhow to keep the connection with relatives and loved ones. And we abided by the rules imposed. We are keeping our distance, we are implementing the SOP recommended and yet the number of cases are going up daily. 

 

A case of more tests done therefore more discoveries of new clusters? 

 

Some say this virus is here to stay. Viruses can mutate. When that happens, vaccines developed to combat their presence may be as effective as intended. Just like the flu. 

 

So on 12th February 2021 Malaysians will be ushering in the New Lunar Year of the Chinese Calendar, the year of the ox. And on that day we would have  completed one full circle of the new norm of celebrations. And perhaps a few more cycles before we are all back to normal ? Will there be back to normal ? Doing things as we used to ? Only time will tell.  So lets us try  all keep our mental and physical  health  intact. Let’s keep the anxiety level as low as we could possibly can. 

 

So, let’s us trust Allah. Be optimistic about the future. Trust in Allah’s plan.  He is the best of planners. Fear nothing and pray about everything. Be strong, trust Allah’s  words and trust the process. We don’t know why things happen to people or ourselves but we have to learn to trust Allah’s plan and understand He knows what we don’t.

Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear (Quran,2:286)

"Say: Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us...'  ( Quran 9:51)

 

Kun Faya Kun. کُنْ فَیَکون

 

My Ramblings

Everyone has a story to tell

I have never felt more impacted . And thank Allah, it was only an  8 episodes series! I am not too sure whether my emotional bucket can take more than that at this point in time. But it was a worthwhile show to watch. I am never a person for TV shows that comes packaged with seasons and episodes. I used to but now , not so any more. Don’t have the patience for lingering suspense and the twists and turns . 

 

But I sat through this one show about 2 days ago and am now stuck in their time zone. Never had I cried so much. Literally buckets (a bit of exaggeration!). A simple true story of real humans that went through life with hardships , of relationships , of their wishes and dreams . And the ultimate was to cement their relationship in the most beautiful way ever imagine in a surprise wedding designed by three experts in less than a week.

 

It was a indeed a journey of reflection on oneself :-  emotionally, intellectually, spiritually and physically too. Everyone has story to tell, a lesson to teach, and wisdom to share....Life is a beautiful masterpiece bound by your experiences. Open up and share your story; become an an inspiration to others..

 

The lesson learned:

 

Love isn’t perfect. It isn’t a fairy tale or a story book and it doesn’t always come easy. Love is overseeing obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, holding on and never letting go . it is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define, and impossible to live without . love is work, but most of all, love is realizing that every hour, every minute, and every second was worth it because you did it together! And you can never find a stronger team than your loved one.

 

It’s not about having the perfect relationship. Its about finding someone who matches you and will go through everything without giving up!

And even the three experts have their stories to tell...

My Ramblings

14.12.2020

I have been feeling very low and stressed out over this whole. Issue of purchases that I bought from an online shopping mall. All these while there were hiccups but not something that I could not handle. But for this  time around I had 2 main major issues. First is the amplier that I bought . The sound went buzzed everytime we inserted the wired microphone. Then husband decided to put in a convertor which he later bought just to prove that there was something not right with the motherboard and not the microphone.. The same effect  happened. Thus, the next best thing was to communicate to the seller. After a few messages, he asked to capture it on video and have it sent to him as evident. Once that was done, he asked for the amplier to be returrned which i promptly did. I messaged to inform him to tell him I have done so. And he acknowleged that message.  Then a few days later I messaged again  to ask him whether he has received  the machine. And that was the beginning of troubled times ahead. He wanted to know date of purchase.He claimed he had not recived the item. Now, that triggered my  anger towards him.  I just dont know how many people are manning that message box. He said he will go back to the shop to check. I gave him a printshot of evidence that it had been delivered. And I told him if he failed to locate the item, I was going to report to the post office and make  further enquiries. That was when he said he will check again on Monday. I hope he does, because I have no intention of keeping quiet . Its my money. 

The second incident is also on an electrical item.  A projector.  Actually right from the beginning I had an uneasy feeling about making the purchase but since it was my husband’s request to help him order it on his behaIf I proceeded to do so. The delivery took a long while. The seller failed to mention that it was out of stock and that he had to order from overseas. This contradicted his claims on his shop website that all items are ready stock and can be delivered within 3 days. When asked  ( after 7 days of waiting) he disclosed the problem. I was none too happy. I wrote back to tell him off.I told him that  the reason I chose his shop over others was because the address was in PJ and it is not too far from home. I expected quick service like I did get from other sellers who were within 20 km range radius from home.But no, he coolly replied to wait  for the following week. The following week came. Still no signs of the item until 2nd Disember. That was 13 days after initial request of purchase!  So as soon as the package arrived, my husband  set it up. Lol hold and behold, NO sound at all. The specs claimed that was sound! He plugged in his thumbdrive. There was a video  of songs . There were pictures of singers singing but no sound!! After several attempts with all other plug ins, I decided to make enquiry with the seller. I noticed he was offline. I messaged hoping that he will eventually read. But after 2 days, still no reply.  I had to act fast because soon the money will be released to him. So I decided to seek advise from the shop’s hotline. Eventually I was adviced to return and refund. Which I promptly did. And guess what. Soon he was messaging with all sorts of advice on how to settle the technical issues. I thought he was already working on the item that I returned . But suddenly out of the blue, he messaged to say he is disputing . Item not received!! When all the while I was keeping track of the package! I posted over the counter on the 8th and it was delivered on the 9th. It didn’t take long to travel from my PO to his place. Short distance. So now another email to the hotline to inform of the latest episode. Initially the  standard SOP was relayed to me. I replied once again listing the chronology of events. All the conversations and evidences were once again attached. I had done  that earlier but I suspect mine is not the only issue that they are dealing with.So I chose to understand if they have missed out on the earlier communications.  After that reply,  I got another reply from the hotline person to ask me to ignore the first reply and that to inform me I will be refunded once the investigation team cleared their quiries etc. I do hope this is to happen soon because I dont have any wish to even have it back after all these episodes. Bad vibes! At this age, any slight hitch is a major hitch to me. I get stressed out easily. I get easily irritated! And this is really not good on my current health! The confined staying in is also taking its toll! 

So lesson learned. If after this I still want to shop online , just be more alert and shop from reputable and established sellers.  I have purchsed electrical items from sellers before this and there were no issues. I guess this mode of shopping online does have its pros and cons. Its convenient, easy and a quick way to buy something without leaving one’s home . Even more so in this challenging times! The elements of trust  that the  buyers will getting  their goods as advertised by the sellers is always one of the main reasons we buy it from them.  

Yes,  ordering online  does come with  its risks, How to deal with it? Someone wrote one way is to lower one’s  expectations to spare one of some of the heartaches in case you don’t get the product you want. But I think those who managed these shopping malls also have a responsiblity to ensure what is advertised is what is delivered. To have an efficient monitoring system that the services rendered by those sellers on their account  are  fully held  accountable.  All those that have a certain amount of negative feedbacks from the buyers should be temporarily barred from their services until things are rectified. Selling is not just just about profit making but is is also building a community. A symbiotic community. A community that is not totally reliant on science and technology but instead that embraces a total transformation of ethical values.

 

My Journey . Tracing My Roots (Part 5)

 

The third generation of the Omarian family are my grandchildren and Tok Haji Wan Omar and Tok Hajjah Wan Zaharah’ s great grandchildren. If arwah pak and mak were still arrive they would now be addressed as tok nek. Tok haji Wan Omar died before anyone of his great grandchildren was born. 12 of the 20 great children were born before March 2017, the date that Tok hajjah passed away. The eldest of the 20 was born in 2010 and the youngest was born in 2019 ( as of December 2020)  Insha Allah the numbers will increase . 

 

I don't know what the  future holds. Only Allah swt knows.  My hope and prayers is that I  be given time by Allah swt to witness their nurturing years for many more years to come. Insha Allah.

 

My hope is that one day your parents/siblings will show you this blog in the hope that you will know  a little bit of your roots. Just a bit of history as a reminder of the journey of your ancestors. 

The third generation of the Omarian clan  are the 11^thgeneration of your ancestor Wan Long Bendahara. Bendahara is the title of the court official in the Kedah Sultanate who served as the Prime Minister. He was the key advisor to the Sultan. He served the sultan during the years 1706-1770.This post was passed down to his son Wan Johan and then to his grandson Wan Sidek bin Wan Johan. After the death of Wan Sidek, the post was left vacant. 100 years later it was reestablished by the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’azam Shah. But the title and functions of the posts were reviewed and bestowed to members of the royal family. And also, to note that besides the post of Bendahara, the posts of Laksamana (Admiral) and Temenggong (Minister of Home Affairs) were also held by the Wan family of Kedah.  So, if you have a chance to read a copy the book Mengenal Asal Usul dan Salasilah keluarga that was compiled by you late great grandfather, you will discover a very complex web of family trees that are interrelated. I have simplified them by focusing on the lineage of your parents right up to the Wan Long Bendahara. 

 

Your great grandfather wrote: 

 

Ada yang berpendapat apa yang hendak dibangga dengan asal keturunan dan apa yang hendak dibangga dengan nama Wan itu. Boleh jadi pendapat ini betul. Tetapi apa yang kita hendak cuba mencari ialah siapakah nenek moyang kita. 

                              Dato’ Wan Omar bin Wan Hamid, MAUKK 1990

 

It is not his intention nor mine to glorify the past but more of to understand the journey of the past. One day If you take some time to do a bit of reflection of yourself and your journey, perhaps you would like to ponder and maybe discover a bit of your ancestors in yourself. The DNAs that you carry in your blood may still bear some resemblance to that of your ancestors.  You may bear some resemblance in the physical aspects or perhaps you may bear some resemblance to that warrior side of your ancestors!!

 

To Aqil Sidqi bin Mohd Ali Mirza, you are the most senior amongst your cousins! And it is the family tradition that the eldest of the family clan (the third generation of the Omarian clan) has an unwritten duty to look out for the rest of your junior cousins. You may well be the cousin that they will seek for advice and opinions in matters relating to family matters. As you grow into your adulthood, you will notice your parents do have certain rituals/traditions that they do as part of the big family. And when your turn comes to take over, you may want to carry on with those traditions. 

And remember, to all the third generation and future generations, being genetically related doesn’t make you family. Love, support , trust, sacrifice, honesty, protection , acceptance, security , compromise, gratitude , respect and loyalty is what makes you family. 

Remember, to know is to love. 

 

 

Table 1: Third generation.  Great Grandchildren of Allahyarham Dato Wan Omar and  Allahyarhamah Datin Wan Zaharah

	Name of great grandson / Granddaughter	Name of Parents
1	Aqil Sidqi bin Mohd Ali Mirza 25.2.2010	Mohd Ali Mirza b Jazuli Siti Nur Aisyah bt Samsudin
2	Puteri Aaliyah Jasmin bt Khairulanwar 1.4.2011	Khairulanwar bin Adam Wan Zailin bt Wan Zakwan
3	Alya Zulaikha bt Mohd Ali Mirza 3.8.2012	Mohd Ali Mirza b Jazuli Siti Nur Aisyah bt Samsudin
4	Puteri Aamirah Dahlia bt Khairulanwar 3.2.2013	Khairulanwar bin Adam Wan Zailin bt Wan Zakwan
5	Arissa Soraya bt Amir Iswadi 30.4.2013	Amir Iswadi bin Samsudin Nadia Anwar Ali
6	Nazmi Raqib bin Muhammad Nasyriq 1.1.2014	Muhammad Nasriq  Syahirah Hidayah bt Khairuddin
7	Ahmad Zyad bin Umar 06.02.2014	Umar bin Salleh Wan Zalina bt Wan Zakwan
8	Wan Zarra Adriana bt Wan Muhammad Zahier 7.2.2014	Wan Muhammad Zahier bin Wan Zakwan Ferra Aroni bt Ramli
9	Abu Dzar bin Mohd Ali Mirza Ahmad Jazuli 15.4.2014	Mohd Ali Mirza b Jazuli Siti Nur Aisyah bt Samsudin
10	Megat Khairul Bahrain bin Khairulanwar 13.1.2015	Khairulanwar bin Adam Wan Zailin bt Wan Zakwan
11	Aidan Sirhan bin Amir Iswadi 21.7.2015	Amir Iswadi bin Samsudin Nadia Anwar Ali
12	Megat Khairul Afghan bin Khairulanwar 17.12.2016	Khairulanwar bin Adam Wan Zailin bt Wan Zakwan
13	Nazri Rizqi bin Muhammad Nasyriq 9.6.2017	Muhammad Nasriq  Syahirah Hidayah bt Khairuddin
14	Ahmad Sidqi bin Ahmad Syafiq 11.12.2017	Ahmad Syafiq Syafawati Hidayah bt Khairuddin
15	Muhammad Ali bin Umar 24.05.2018	Umar bin Salleh Wan Zalina bt Wan Zakwan
16	Nur Afisya Summayah bt Muhammad Firdaus Azmal. 19.9.2018	Muhammad Firdaus Azmal b Mohd Azmey Nor Masshahrinna bt Norasid
17	Aariq Hamzah bin Mohd Ali Mirza 10.10.2018	Mohd Ali Mirza b Jazuli Siti Nur Aisyah bt Samsudin
18	Megat Khairul Ghaza bin Khairulanwar 23.6.2019	Khairulanwar bin Adam Wan Zailin bt Wan Zakwan
19	Yusuf Zayyan bin Muhammad Luqman 2019	Wan Zahrah bt Wan Zakwan Muhammad Luqman
20	Arshad Salleh bin Amir Iswadi 10.10.2019	Amir Iswadi bin Samsudin Nadia Anwar Ali