"you know you've made it big when people you don't know hate you."

"inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake."
- Anonymous

"Weight management has to be an uncompromising, non-negotiable, everyday thing, like brushing your teeth"
Linda Spangle, 100 Days of Weight Loss

Monday, December 31, 2007

cells tagged me

Here are the Tagging rules:

1. Each blogger must post these rules.
2. Each Blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and read your blog.

8 random facts.. hmm.. gotta be stuff that doesnt involve my weight, boyfren and shopping bcoz i talk abt that like, all the time. lets see..

1.i love kids, especially little girls. not to be biased or anything, but i grew up with 6 brothers, so little girls fill up that missing little-sister-void for me. plus, im a girly girl, playing princesses and dressing up are so much more fun than playing robots and video games.

2.i love putting the effort into gifts/presents. i want the best for my loved ones =)

3.i have a guilty conscience. so i justify the mean things i do by thinking 'what would (insert person's name who i was mean to) do if the situation were reversed?' over and over again to make myself feel not guilty.

4.i believe that what comes around goes around. so i really do try not to be mean. i live my life by 'do to others what u want others to do to u'

5.i hate waiting, so i always try be ready early when i go out (refer to no. 4)

6.i love going to the dentist =D

7.hate travelling long distance bcoz my body aches all over easily.

8. i love mornings. coz u get more things done. and the cartoons on tv arent bad either ;)


now that ive done all that, i tink i've done this b4. but what the heck. and i'm gonna break the last rule by not tagging. shapa yg interested can join in.

happy new year everybody!

much love,
be'ah xxx

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Q: How can Islam be called the religion of peace when it was spread by the sword?

continuing from Jirin's line of thought, yes facebook is useful for stalking. but its also useful for learning new things. look wat i found today =)

its by Dr.Zakir Naik and its quite an interesting read. thought i might share it here.

"It is a common complaint among some non-Muslims that Islam would not have millions of adherents all over the world, if it had not been spread by the use of force. The following points will make it clear, that far from being spread by the sword, it was the inherent force of truth, reason and logic that was responsible for the rapid spread of Islam.

1. Islam means peace.

Islam comes from the root word ‘salaam’, which means peace. It also means submitting one’s will to Allah (swt). Thus Islam is a religion of peace, which is acquired by submitting one’s will to the will of the Supreme Creator, Allah (swt).

2. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace.

Each and every human being in this world is not in favour of maintaining peace and harmony. There are many, who would disrupt it for their own vested interests. Sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. It is precisely for this reason that we have the police who use force against criminals and anti-social elements to maintain peace in the country. Islam promotes peace. At the same time, Islam exhorts it followers to fight where there is oppression. The fight against oppression may, at times, require the use of force. In Islam force can only be used to promote peace and justice.

3. Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.

The best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book "Islam at the cross road" (Page 8):

"History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated."

4. Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years.

Muslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the adhan, that is the call for prayers.

5. 14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians.

Muslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.

6. More than 80% non-Muslims in India.

The Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians are bearing witness today that Islam was not spread by the sword.

7. Indonesia and Malaysia.

Indonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, "Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?"

8. East Coast of Africa.

Similarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, "Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?"

9. Thomas Carlyle.

The famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book "Heroes and Hero worship", refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: "The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can."

10. No compulsion in religion.

With which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse:

"Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error" [Al-Qur’an 2:256]

11. Sword of the Intellect.

It is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:

"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious." [Al-Qur’an 16:125]

12. Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984.

An article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask, which war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam?

13. Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe.

Today the fastest growing religion in America is Islam. The fastest growing religion in Europe in Islam. Which sword is forcing people in the West to accept Islam in such large numbers?

14. Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson.

Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson rightly says, "People who worry that nuclear weaponry will one day fall in the hands of the Arabs, fail to realize that the Islamic bomb has been dropped already, it fell the day MUHAMMED (pbuh) was born"."

things like these just make my hati sejuk, u knw wat i mean? =)

much love,
be'ah xxx

Friday, December 28, 2007

running..

with the nike+ ipod sports kit.



muneer introduced it to me tdi. he mentioned abt it and i check it out online and now i want it so bad. throw in the nike amp+ sports remote and a jasari mix from itunes and i will be one very endorphins-pumped-up woman =)

oh wait, i still need to get a pair of nike+ ready shoes. haha buleh i thought any nike shoes would do so when i read up about it i went straight to my gym shoes (which are nikes btw) and peeled of the insoles on the left shoe. haha one shoe ruined bcoz i didnt read till the end.

but i reli reli want it. maybe my mum can get me this instead of the treadmill i asked for last week. at least this is cheaper than a treadmill...

how are u guys up in the uk? sajuk? =p

much love,
be'ah xxx

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

baby day

tak menyesal saya balik brunei!

ystrdy i got to see two new additions to my family, a 2 week old cousin and a newly born one. one is a baby girl form my dad's side and and the other a baby boy from my mum's side. im flattering myself that both babies were waiting till i was in brunei to pop out hehe. i know the baby boy was borned a week earlier than predicted. baby girl is the 2nd daughter and 5th child to my unchu elol and unchu bini and baby boy is the second child and first son of my usu amit and usu ali. congratulations to both sets of parents =D

babies are soooo adorable. i want lots of them one day =)

selamat dtg ke dunia alai Azirah Anuar and alai Mohd Al-Hakim Ali. semoga menjadi anak yg soleh dan solehah. amiin.

much love,
kaka be'ah xxx

p/s sorry no pictures. i had the babies in my arms during the whole visit and that was wayy better than taking a picture just to post it up hehe

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

merry xmas

jem was saying how during the hols ppl go off blogs facebook etc.

mana ada. aku active masih dlm PESBOOK =p

haha. hope ur feeling better now jem. sinar-sinari lah rumah dgn kecalian mu. pebaik sorang diri becali. nanti sudah kami balik, well-practised jua kau dah kan hehe

this holiday's been turning out good so far. despite the bf working he still has the odd day off every now and then and surprisingly my parents are letting me go out everytime i want which means lotsa dates with the prince charming. ertinya nda lgi lama kawin nie!

haha apakan?

ka rozie got married last weekend. it was a beautiful simple wedding. lawaaa her tiara headband thingy. i wish u all the best in ur marriage ka =) cant wait for mine. pasal aku mau jadi princess! kan sayang?

princess consuela banana hammock dengan crap bag.

hahahaha. nadalah. i love u.

to those who celebrate xmas, happy xmas!

much love,
be'ah xxx

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

selamat hari raya

salam raya aidil adha everyone!




isnt the kambing cute? kesian plg psl kan kana sembalih hehe.

update: im enjoying brunei. watched enchanted and had sushi ystrdy. and apparently i lost more weight (from UK) so i feel less guilty about binging. been seeing the boyfren a lot and he's getting more handsome everytime i see him. banaar! hehe

next on the agenda will be the golden compass, alvin and the chipmunks, narnia and possibly the dazzling lights festival in jp =D

much love,
be'ah xxx

Monday, December 17, 2007

30 degrees celcius

thats the temperature in brunei when we first arrived at the airport. it was announced by a flight attendant upon touchdown.

i love it!

to think i came to heathrow at 7am in the morning at a temp of abt.. i dont know.. 3 degrees? it just feels nice that when i go out, i dont have to bundle myself up with thermal wear/tights/sweater/scarf/coat/boots dan yg sewaktu dgnnya. not forgetting having to bring a brolly everywere bcoz of the unpredictable english weather.

my luggage checked in safely without any excess and tho the in-flight entertainment wasnt available (sumthing abt a fire warning when they tried to switch it on), we all arrived safe and sound and happy!

my youngest 2 brothers are taller now. i swear theyve growned abt 3 inches since i left them in september. went to the gym today.. but i cudnt get in on some technicality. they said they'd get back to me by lunch time. sumthing abt my membership expiry thingy . i was so looking forward to sweating it out. so i came back home and cycled around my neighbourhood for abt 15mins (just to get my heart pumping and sweat a bit) with my 8-yr-old brother. i wudve been at it longer if it werent for the killer sun.

aaah.. the sun. its so nice and warm here. i'm not gonna complain abt the humidity either bcoz better humid and warm than cold and dry. at least here i dont have to slather myself with lotion every 2hrs or so.

and saving the best for last, will be seeing my other half in abt 2hrs =D we're having lunch but sadly, not in escapade as i'd wish. he's alredi made plans with his frens so im joining them. but maybe we can have sushi tomoro, he says. so thats enough. plus, i had my mum's cooking for breakfast today, so its good.

i hope they sort out my gym thing soon. all this prospective eating out and no exercise is a big no-no. too bad i left my yoga mat in uk. but watever, im home, with family and better weather, seeing my bf on an almost daily basis.. its a happy holiday to me =)

much love,
be'ah xxx

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

23 months

i was watching moulin rouge lastnite, which in my opinion is the best ever love-story movie of all times. that movie never fails to get me hyper, moved, touched and feel lucky at what i have all at the same time.

"the greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return"

"how wonderful life is when you're in the world"

"come what may, i will love you until my dying day"

=)

today's been a lazy morning so far. i watched the 'this morning' show and there was this part abt caring for carers (if i remember correctly) and in it they featured this man whos 75 who cared for his wife (71) who has alzheimers (sp?). it was the real life true story of the notebook. i've said before that i didnt cry for the notebook but watching that man cry on tv made me cry over my nasi goreng too. and he said 'i'm doing all this because i love her.'

now doesnt that touch your heart?

now go to all your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you. coz you never know when that person will be gone. i tink alzheimers is much sadder because the person is there with you, but they're not really there. they're walking and talking and very much alive but they cant remember you. so seize this moment start appreciating your loved ones more and try not to take them for granted.

i love you. happy 23rd months.


lots of love,
be'ah xxx

shopaholic on high

this post is especially for bianca, who's one year away from being a twenteen as of ystrdy.

also dedicated to bread, ostrich and dragon ;p


i've started losing track of what day it is now that i dont have anything to do except sleep eat cook clean pray and shop. its the coolest feeling ever. altho i knw if left like this for too long like this i'd turn into a vegetable which was why i joined the gym back in summer.

anyhoo, there was a very fun event last saturday nite that i havent got round to update which was our xmas dinner. i didnt get to take pictures of the food bcoz i was so hungry but needless to say, the food was amazing! and what was more, everything was cooked from scratch. we had whole stuffed chicken, yorkshire pudding, sheperds pie, mushroom risotto and sticky date pudding served with caramel and cream and ice cream!!

to top off all that good food, we had great company, our surprise for a bday girl went well and played a good game of pictionary. and u knw why the game was good? bcoz the girls won over the boys... twice!

and ali keeps saying its bcoz they played with their eyes closed. sore loser =p what was cool was that the dice kept coming up in ones or threes so we had a long game going on and in the end it was neck to neck but anisah got the game in our hand so thank u nis!

saturday nite was a good break from all the work we had to do. a big thank u to atiq for his thoughful gifts to me and my housemates and thanx to ali for the desserts he got us and for bringing his siblings which made up for a very very entertaining nite. also to rezzy coz he took the best pictures =) i especially like the one where everyone was in one picture, kinda like a cover for the tv series or sumthing.

now that all our work's done its obviously shopping thats left to do. shopping for ppl back home of course. tho i havent started that yet. Jones was on sale, as an informer told me, and i got myself a pair of ballet shoes. gorgeous blue suede with chocolate leather buckle. i got a turquoise sweater from kew, a couple of plain tops from h&m and the most gorgeous lavender knee length winter coat from next.

3 more days left to shop and the 3 days will be dedicated for shopping for family back home =) i've got out my luggage alredi and i've started to put bits and pieces together so im all good. and im gonna be learning how to make sticky date pudding sometime b4 we leave so life is definitely good!

its funny how i can bake better than cook. i've mastered brownies and chocolate cupcakes and oreo trifle.. i'm gonna master sticky date pudding.. god my kids are gonna be fat. but fat chance my boyfren/husband will be fat at the rate his metabolism is going lol.

hehe but i still love u sweetie.

much love,
be'ah xxx

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

free woman

i have officially begun my xmas holidays.

i've sat for my family law test, returned my library books and sent in all my essays today.

its time to burn some plastic in town =D

because i am a free woman.

Friday, December 7, 2007

almost there!

its amazing how i find time to blog during hectic periods of essay writing. anyway, i believe i need a break because the time lapse since i last posted have been quite a progressive one for me. and since today i've finished with my friday classes, i'm now officially on my writing week.

current situation: 2 essays down, one well on its way!


what a difference a couple of days make. altho yes, i do have that test on monday but im hoping to waltz it over. if i keep up at this rate i hope, insyaAllah, i can finish by monday, which gives me time to shop!

things are obviously looking up because of my decreasing workload. today is society's and my hse's secret santa. a few days ago i didnt have the energy to feel excited abt them becoz i was so tied down with the work i had to do but now i cant wait. i cant wait to see the faces of my secret santee when i give them the gifts i got and equally, i cant wait to see what i got from my secret santas!

i've also been fasting for the past 3 days now (hehe bcoz daylight hrs are shorter) and now i look at that law book cake in the previous post makes me wanna have chocolate fudge cake. maybe i'll get one as soon as i finish my work. shopping and chocolate cake.. yum.. not a bad ending for a stressful week.

i just hope i do get there by monday. in the meantime, i know many of u have workloads either heavier or lighter than me, but just hang on! which reminds me, aunty may texted me that jones is on sale. about 2 mths after i got my boots. oh well, i least i got proper use out of them for 2mths. i feel i have to justify my paying for the full price since now its 50% off. *sob*

anyhoo, this is just a random post to say that i am gonna be on the streets of whitefriars soon enough. oh em geeeeeeee!!

haha. the last sentence shud be read sarcastically. i dont knw wat im feeling. i still need to read up a bit more to finish up my essay because apparently ive left out a big chunk of what im supposed to be doing. im actually feeling a bit supressed, its like my excitement for the holidays and end of term cant get out yet bcause theres this HUGE red traffic light to stop me from going thre and instead i gotta do a u-turn to all this panicky shit.

ugh.

this is such a 180 from how i started this post. at least i've come to terms with wat i need to do next. not write more garbage just to make up the word limit, but read fitzpatrick's book again to make sense of it.

adios!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

getting there

its 10 days and counting and my essay deadline is coming closer like a shark on the horizon =s

current situation: one essay down, another well on its way (i can prolly finish it by tomoro but the third one...

I'M COMPLETELY LOST FOR WORDS!

literally.

its funny how i enjoy the module but am a complete wreck when it comes to writing an essay on it. i've still got time tho, and at this point i guess im more worried about meeting the deadline than getting a good grade. tho at the rate im reading up, i shud just be given credit for a marathon reading of all fitzpatrick's work.


if only all law books were like this..

i've even resorted to sleeping with the book, hoping some of the texts seeps thru my brain through osmosis. doesnt work, obviously, but it definite makes me feel calmer abt the essay. i think its because psychologically, i believe i am studying my essay in my sleep.

hey, watever works for me.

and i have a test on monday that i havent revised yet. but i shall be depending on my GOG to get me thru that.

i'm at that point towards the end of a term where i know essays are looming but i cant help but wish it came sooner so i can get home sooner. sigh. i so cant wait to be in brunei. i checked my itinerary again ystrdy and we're not gonna be on the new 777. the 777 is like a myth in rba to be honest. they keep talking abt it but it never ever comes. so we'll be doing the standard flight and stopping in dubai otw. i hope my tv works on the way home.

on an unrelated topic, i just found out a fren of mine had a baby girl 2 mths ago. its her second baby and she just turned 20 in october. a part of me is happy for her (because i know she's got a nice caring husband) but another part of me cant help but feel sorry that her chance at higher education had to stop at 15. i thought marriages at that age dont happen anymore, except for the usual crash boom bang story.

oh well, i wish her well. at 20, shes pretty much settled in her life. personally, i see education as the foundational ground for stability and security. so to my friends, however much i moan and whine and complain or say enthusiastically about how i wanna get married soon, how i wanna be a housewife, i still see my education as priority. never in my future plans did i say i'd quit my degree in order to be a faithful wife. i always say i wanted to be a 'housewife with a law degree'.

haha. but to each his (in this case, her) own, i guess. whatever makes people happy, watever floats their boat.


that'll be me in.. 2 years' time? hehe

and im getting there too, insyaAllah. as soon as the boyfren is settled with his job and we have enoufh ker-ching for a wedding. haha. i never said marriage plans had to be put on hold until after my degree. though at the rate im saving, i tink i'd have to wait until after my degree. unless i change the magnitude of my dream wedding.

hmm...

okay im supposed to be doing essays. not thinking abt kawin. wish me luck (about my essay-writing, altho luck for my marriage prospects are much appreciated!)


much love,
be'ah xxx

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

new shoes

i am guilty of another extravagant purchase that i dont really need.

but im getting ahead of the story.

so i spent my weekend in london. it was the usual fun, a bit like an easter hols reunion bcoz azam, sanny, huda and imah were around. so it was karaoke nites for 2 nites in a row, friday and saturday. yes ppl, thats wat i do in london with frens. i go karaoke, i dont go clubbing =)

anyway, it was as fun as i anticipated. i met up with nav, but nav was really tired so she slept earlier than the rest of us.. which she claimed was around.. 4am? so the rest of us were reli reli up late. anyhoo, cits promised me a baju for me to wear (bcoz i didnt wanna wear mine and also coz hers are much voguer lol) so i needed new shoes and new tudong rite. to match the outfit.

so saturday morning (ish. we left at 1 i tink. it was morning at the rate we slept), i went to oxford and bond street with nav to get shoes and tudong. the thing is, i was a bit fussy with tie rack coz i knw hugeloads of ppl will be buying from thre bcoz

1. a number of the girls here dont wear tudong and the jemputan sed wear tudong (and i heard org london kana tagur awal2x abt this)
2. so all those girls will be buying from tierack bcoz its cheap.
3. and since everyone wud be buying there, i dint wanna wear an identical tudong.

anyway, i was set to go to elsewhere but cudnt find any that fitted my budget. hermes had some but they sell at a whopping 185quid. kalau catu baik ku bali kasut!

so i did. i went to faith and got a pair that was double the amount i set myself for shoes.mind u, that day i had been walking all over bond street and oxford street w/o any single purchase and i was hungry and cold and for a shopaholic to walk around without any bags on her hands is tres upsetting and mucho dissapointing.

so in faith, all i wanted was a reli nice pair of heels to make my day and bring me up 3inches taller ;) then luckily (or unluckily, however way u look at it), they had a promotion that the 2nd item goes fro half price. u think i'd let go of such a fabulous offer? so i got a clutch to go with my shoes.

so my outfit was set for sunday, except for tudong. back home, i asked anti tipah for a tudong which she gladly lent me. so i was set. and uh.. didnt touch a single law book or question the whole weekend. grrr!

unless u count the draft i made over azam singing and me being half-asleep.

on sunday, i met loads of ppl and took millions of pictures. facebook will tell u all that. but i dint take many bcoz my clutch was too small for my camera. i gave it to nav and we sorta separated sometime during the function. so there u go, i'd rather carry my clutch than my camera. but i looked awesome on sunday with the heels. haha. the only downside was my shoes were killing me towards the end (bcoz the whole function was done standing up) and in the end i cudnt even feel my feet. which was why when i took pictures with frens i insisted they take in the shoes as well so i actually get my money's worth.

i tink im one of those people who would kill for beauty. kill myself i mean, not other ppl =)

in the meantime, gudluck with the essay writing people.

much love,
be'ah xxx