Sending friends off to hajj

Two days ago my husband and I went to the King Khalid Grand Masjid at Umm Al Hamam to see the Malaysian pilgrims residing in Riyadh depart for Makkah to perform hajj. Whilst the atmosphere was filled with joy, love, excitement and eagerness, I can't deny that deep inside me my heart felt heavy and empty. I have longed to be at the Masjidil Haram once again to devote myself to my Creator. Unfortunately the opportunity is hard to grab, considering I have just arrived in this country for only a month. So close, yet too far away.... but I am grateful.

I have sinned, yet Allah loves me still.
I have forgotten, yet Allah constantly reminds me.
I have gone astray, yet Allah leads me to the right path again.
Too much love shower from Him, alhamdulillah. It was His love that brought me here in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.

May Allah make it easy for all the pilgrims who are now gathering in Arafah. May Allah grant them good health, strengths and determinations to continue their worships. And may Allah return them safely to their families after their long journeys. Ameen.

My turn will come, insyaAllah. Until then, I'll work extra hard to strengthen my imaan and keep making lots of duas to Allah the Almighty. May He grant my wishes. Ameen.

KSA's National Day celebration

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrates its National Day today.  This means a day off from the university. There were so many things to settle before I leave the office last night. Alhamdulillah, I have managed to finish almost 90% of the administrative works piled up on the desk before signing off for the day.

Earlier, we had a mini celebration situated at the lobby of the main building where students and staff joined together to organise various activities in conjunction with the National Day. There were booths providing varieties of fantastic local foods (which names I don't know and I am still learning to identify them), a booth offering a service to draw beautiful designs on the palm using henna (there must be a specific name for it but at the moment I can't find it), the university also provided drawing blocks, water colour paints, beads, glitter dusts, glue, scissors and other drawing accessories for anyone who wish to express their happiness and excitement through the work of art.

At the lobby entrance, two beautiful ladies served the Arabic coffee and dates to visitors. Tasbihs, national flags, cup cakes and 'pop cakes' (tiny cake covered in icing sugar attached to a stick that looks like a lollipop) were also distributed as souveniers. MasyaAllah, this was an interesting event that took me a step closer to learn the Arabic culture. I enjoyed my day.


And oh! By the way... for my dear friends and blog readers who had not known of the big news...my family and I have moved to Saudi Arabia and now we live in Riyadh. I took the offer to work at the Prince Sultan University, College for Women. I am now an assistant professor attached to the department of Accounting, College of Business and Administration. Alhamdulillah, we have been here since 28th August 2014 and we are happily adjusting our routines at the new place. The children are going to an international school just four blocks away from our apartment. At the moment my husband is converting himself to become a house-husband and he likes the idea of quickly settling all house chores including cooking meals in the morning so that he can have more time for his internet thingy and tv and friends in the second half of the day.

 Like I said earlier, all of us enjoy living in Riyadh. Alhamdulillah...

Prime Minister's press statement on MH370

24 March, 2014

This evening I was briefed by representatives from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). They informed me that Inmarsat, the UK company that provided the satellite data which indicated the northern and southern corridors, has been performing further calculations on the data. Using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort, they have been able to shed more light on MH370’s flight path.

Based on their new analysis, Inmarsat and the AAIB have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth.

This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

We will be holding a press conference tomorrow with further details. In the meantime, we wanted to inform you of this new development at the earliest opportunity. We share this information out of a commitment to openness and respect for the families, two principles which have guided this investigation.

Malaysia Airlines have already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of this development. For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking; I know this news must be harder still. I urge the media to respect their privacy, and to allow them the space they need at this difficult time.

ENDS

Oh MH370... what ever happened to you? 

How come such a big plane simply vanish just like that?
AllahuAkhbar

Only Allah the Almighty knows it

Oh Allah...

Please mend my broken heart

For it shattered into million pieces
Blown by wind to the ocean so deep
Where all hopes lie within

MH370, please come back...

I recite this ayah everyday when I leave home for work. And I have strong faith in Allah, for it is indeed undeniable that my life is in His hands. 

The mysterious disappearance of a Malaysian aircraft MH370 Kuala Lumpur - Beijing has entered the tenth day. Regardless of all the speculations made by many parties on the beings of the plane, I kept praying that it had not crashed anywhere, be it on land or in the sea. May it landed safely somewhere and that the passengers and the crew members are still alive.

Please come home, MH370. We eagerly, but patiently, wait for you.