Rejuvenated:)

I've done a lot of thinking, resting, contemplating and now I am rejuvenated:) Sometimes, it really does take a failure to get you standing and bouncing even higher:)

Updates from the past week:

27th April: Palestine Awareness Campaign Opening Ceremony

Alhamdulillah, we managed to get the information board up in time. It's not actually on a board but really on the wall. This is only a quarter of the whole thing because we go according to weeks. One theme per week. Our first theme is about The Conflict. (2nd week The Israeli, 3rd Week The Palestinians, 4th Week The Solution).

The Opening Ceremony went well too:) There were a lot of adrenaline-pumping moments and heart-jolting seconds. But really, Alhamdulillah and thanks to the team for making it run smoothly. Thank you to my batch for being so cooperative and making the opening ceremony a success- we honestly couldn't have done it without all of you. When I requested that everyone attend, I was so happy and touched to see everyone there and waiting patiently.

2 more weeks insyaAllah.

Our Opening Ceremony Banner- hand painted by the team:)

Artwork inspired by Muhammad Ali www.aerosolarabic.com

1st-2nd May: Mercy to the Worlds Seminar by Sheikh Tariq Appleby organized by Al-Kauthar institute

This has got to be the most interesting and engaging seminar I've ever attended- since Teacher Rasyidah's Islamic Studies classes. Mercy to the Worlds is about Rasulullah's life through the Makkan Period. What I love most about it is that (firstly, it is in English!) Sheikh Tariq is very interactive in his class. The seminar not only reminded us about the seerah but really, how it can be applied to our life now- which greatly makes it relevant for us to learn. Sheikh answers all the "why why why" questions - which he sometimes makes US answer them- but when those "why" questions are answered, everything makes it all the more clearer and I love it when I ponder and go, "Ah... that makes sense now."

I especially loved it when I found out that Kausar was there:) Really felt like old times- in Teacher Rasyidah's class:P I've missed that a lot. Upcoming Seminar by Al-Kauthar insitute will be Coolness of the Eyes by Sheikh Tawfique Chowdury. I would greatly recommend these seminars because indeed, I guarantee they are very structured and of unquestionably high quality. www.alkauthar.org

8th May: Iman's:) I had Mandarin Oral exam that morning and Alhamdulillah, our lao shi is extremely understanding:D After that, my parents picked me up and we headed over to Iman's. Due to her extremely tight schedule of meeting everyone else and also heading back to Canada in just a couple of week (and as she proclaimed, "Als' busy schedule"), this was the only date we could meet up- plus she booked me a month earlier so Iman, just so you know I said no to everything just for you. Another 3 more years til we meet again:(

9th May: The Chicken-Saving Episode

Ahmad found one of the chicks half-drowning in this bucket of water in their pen at Janda Baik. It must have fallen off the ledge and into the water. He only noticed it when he decided to play with the lil chickens and then he saw this chick half drowned and all wet:( We think it had been there for an hour because it was hardly breathing and looked lifeless. He quickly wrapped it in towel while it shivered to its bones. It was extremely weak and only managed to open its eyelids a few times. I thought, "Please don't die lil one:("

It was still shaking really badly and so Ahmad decided to speed up the drying up process- by heating it in the frying pan. It got really nice and toasty:)

A funny image. We placed the towel- but forgot to turn it around occasionally so it turned... brown. But the chick's fur dried up much faster and from its closed eyes, it was able to flap its wings and walk around again in its pen:)

Next week we'll be starting Cardiovascular system- just one more block til the end of my 1st year. It's been really so fast!

Homerun:)