Musings

Just last month I made it to the 20th year of teaching and I must say I have never regretted it one bit. Spending about 18 or so years teaching young adults has also probably made me able to maintain some sort of "young" outlook in life.. or so I thought. Now I love using songs in the classroom and after ages of not using it I recently did and just thinking about what song I was gonna use got me all excited. Naturally, I chose a song that I enjoyed (read: not that current) and ended up letting them listen to not one but three songs. Even if some songs were acceptable to a few, some others experienced excruciating moments of wanting the song to end fast. Moral of the story : 1) do your homework ahead of time 2) don't try to convert them into liking your music genre 3) BE UP TO DATE Anyway, it got me thinking of age that has crept up on me especially during times when I can feel the gap between me and my students. (The ones I teach now could practically be my own k...

A bar of chocolate and a mugful of coffee later Didie was still feeling anxious. She was now thinking of the worst and her thoughts were getting out of hand. What if she tripped on her robe, what if she had to go to the loo and missed her turn, what if he didn't show up. It was that last thought that gripped her heart and caused sweaty beads to form across her forehead. She pads slowly around the small confines of her room taking in the view of this space that had been a source of comfort throughout her final year. She still hadn't taken down the colourful posters she diligently collected after each show she attended at the arts centre. If somebody asked her which one was her favourite she could not recall one in particular. How could one choose when in all of the ones she attended he would always be there.  Then there were the random photos on her wall arranged carefully so she could see it from where she lay her head on the bed. They were mostly pictures of the skies she ...

Alhamdulillah. All praises to Allah. Thank you Allah. Thank you for letting me live all these years and for all that you've given. May I be a better person in every aspect: a better servant to Allah, a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, colleague, writer, cook and everything else in between. May I be saved from old age disease, terminal diseases, diseases of the heart, diseases of the body and soul. May I be strong and healthy to face all obstacles physically and mentally. May Allah grant me all the goodness in this life and in the hereafter. May I live to see more wonderful years ahead of me.. Aamiiin.

Ask any teacher and they'll tell you that one of the most rewarding things of being a teacher is when students come back and visit you. You can't help but be part of the journey of these students and not want to know how things turn out - either in or outside of school. So when some kids came to visit us recently you can imagine how I felt. :) Thank you for putting a smile on my face, for sparing some time, for remembering. Of course there are some who never make an appearance at all, never write and never text. It's easy to conclude how they have forgotten you but then you try and look at the bright side and consider that they're just busy leading their lives away from you. After all, life must always go on.  So I try to be positive and pray that they are all leading good lives filled with love, peace under God's guidance, always, and hope that I'm at least in their prayers too.  ps/ scrolling through Instagram photos and seeing you guys all...

It's the second day of Syawal and I must say, celebration on our part has been pretty low key this year. I'm not complaining but it does feel a little different. Makes you reflect on what is it that really makes for a meaningful raya.  Ramadan was a little tough this year too what with some testing times one of them hubby who kept falling ill and us moving out from the house we've been living with the boys and MIL. But it feels good to be back living on our own in the apartment. It may be a smaller space but for us three it's just perfect. Yet, the house is still a work in progress after 2 years of leaving it but ultimately it is our own mess and somehow it's ok to be in the middle of your own mess, right? I have no idea what that means actually..  Haha... Anyway a year ago in Ramadan I embarked on a long time dream of mine. I started writing a novel! After months of grueling hard work I finished it around January this year. It's a story of two people who mee...

I happen to be one of those people who listen to the radio almost everyday. Every morning to be exact and usually between 7-8 am to be precise. And I also listen to the same channel every time. (usually when I'm driving alone)  I don't know about you but I grew up with the radio on. I remember how me and my sisters loved to listen to the request segments at night and even though we never requested any song (because we were too young to know we could do it) I loved listening to people's choices and how my favourite song would sometimes be the chosen one. The messages were not bad too. Usually love messages and they were kinda sweet most of the time. I guess my parents must be the ones responsible to place  music in our lives. During those days- the 80s- we had a good solid record player and on lazy afternoons if not the radio, we enjoyed putting on LP's - you know those round records / vinyls and play whatever was there to choose from. Mostly songs of our parents ch...

I think it's nice to break away from the norm once in a while like rearranging your furniture or eating something different than what you normally would in the morning. My mum is one of them who loves to do the former and it's always refreshing when we come visiting to see something different about where the couch is sitting. Sometimes I do it in class too - when it's appropriate - and try putting a different take on how I teach something. The results are usually rewarding :)  But there are things I don't want to change. Like the shoes I'm wearing - I wear the same one for work and for days when I'm not working. The playlist I have in my phone - I can listen to literally the same songs over and over everyday. (But I do add on new songs I happen to like). I choose the same colours when I buy clothes and shawls and to choose something different would just be wrong. (drama much?) And when I order out I also usually order the same thing so my dishes are predictab...