Judging

Today we went to the masjid for S' judging.

First we went to the post office to send a package to Grandmy, and then we went to the library to pay a fine for Z's tupA' book, and then we went to the masjid. I was sweaty.

So first we prayed Asr, and then we went to the classroom. S went first, with Surah Al-Mulk. She got a few mistakes and hesitated in some places. But mom, she was worse. She hesitated too much, and needed to be corrected in some places. She was doing Surah Maryam.

When she was done we left immediately. At home we listened to a lecture by Omar Suleiman about Laylatul Qadr and took turns playing with playdough and taking notes.

N

Potluck, Fish, and Cake

I have three posts to make today. One for Saturday and two for Sunday.

(PS: The title obviously says Potluck, Fish, and Cake. The words 'fish' and 'cake' just don't sound right together. It sounds nasty.)
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~The Potluck~

On Saturday, there was community iftar, as always, and that was the night I THOUGHT they were gonna announce the winners. After Maghrib I thought they would announce it, but no. So we ate our iftar and all, and it was really good! There was serving this time because usually when people take their food by themselves it's so slow. And there were less people this time because the Pakistanis had a party. So yay! The quietness. I didn't know there were so much Pakis.

S told Sandy that we brought a smoothie (made by me of course) and then Sandy was like, "Dude. Where's the smoothie?" So I showed her where it was, and she asked me what was inside it, and I said, "Blueberries, yogurt, soymilk, and lemon." So she drank it, and she was like, "Wow, N! This is so good! The lemon makes it so good!" Then she blubbered about how she used to hate lemon and all. And then, GUESS WHAT?! Mom showed me off to some of her friends named Myr, Joycie, and Umm Yaz. She told me to get the smoothie and some cups. And so I did, and then they were like, "You should make a smoothie shop called 'N Made It.'" And I'm like, ":D." Then Joycie looked at me and said, "I love your scarf. It really brings out the creaminess in your skin. You know, the lilac color." I was wearing a light purple tudong. Everyone went like 'Awww'! Well, mom and Myr and Umm Yaz did, but S and Sandy went like "Mph!" and "Hahaha!" Then mom said, "You're embarrassing her!" But Joycie said, "No, really! I wish my skin was like that." Then it was dessert time. It was oreo cake, I think. Then it was Isha time.

Sandy asked when they were gonna announce the winnahs, and I said, "I don't know, maybe after Isha?" And when they didn't, I thought, 'maybe after tarawih, then?' But no. Then I thought, 'Fine, maybe after witr.' And no.

So I asked mom why they didn't announce it, and she said, "I think it's 'cause they're waiting for the women."

Apparently the women's judging was on Tuesday, so bleep.
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~The Fish~

On Sunday we went shopping. Abi said we had to go shopping before the last ten days of Ramadan. Before we went we were like 'should we go or not' and then I asked mom and she said, 'Haa, boley lah!" So we went.

First we went to Petco while dad went somewhere else, I forgot.

S and I immediately went to the betta fish place. I went to where the rainbow rocks were, but they weren't where I saw them last. So I just went to the betta bowl decoration aisle. S said she wanted to buy a skull, but mom was like, 'ish, jangan lah!' S had olso said she liked my plant, so I got to choose a plant for myself. I was just about to get one when S changed her mind like Z.

"Actually, I'm going to buy my own plant."

BLEEP.

She took a very long time choosing. Then she changed her mind again! BLEEP x 2.

So I took a nice red silk plant, and a blue bridge. Then after I walked out of the aisle I noticed the rainbow rocks. I took the last pack of red, pink, and purple rocks.

S, apparently, got a castle for her fish to swim through. Then she got the water purifier. Then we joined mom and H & Z in looking at the other pets. We looked at the mice, the birds, the chinchillas, and the kittens. The kittens were so bleeping cute and so were the chinchillas. And of course mom thought the dumb old guinea pigs were cute. *BARF*

When we were done browsing we went to go pay. The cashier man was very odd. He was jolly.

"Hello! What've we got here today?"

"Hmm, I'm gonna wrap this up in a bag so it doesn't break." (Wraps up the bridge in a plastic bag)

"Would you like to donate a can of food to help the cats?" (Picks up a can of cat food and swings it around)

"Thank you, do you have a Petco card?"

"Thank you, have a good day. Hello sir, what do you..."

LOL.

So after that was done with, we went to the hated Ross, and then the disliked Marshalls, and the hilarious smelly Big 5. H needed cleats for his soccer. In a certain place mom found fresh shields for H. S was laffing like cra-Z about them. So much so she was even laffing after we left the store.

At home before Zohor, S got my bowl cleaned and decored. First she took the fish out, then the water, then put the gravel on a tissue to dry. Then she put in the decor and poured some smelly apple cider vinegar on it. Then she put in the water, and then the purifier. Then my fish's bowl was done. It was Fish Kid's turn. Fish Kid aka Iceblaze aka Sharkbait.

Sunset on the bridge.

S did hers and then when it was done we went to go pray. I made waz and when I lifted up my right leg to wash my foot, my best knee banged into the sink counter. I noticed later on in the shower that I got a bad bruise.

IceBlaze and his castle.

Sunset's bowl is beautiful now. ↓



H claims he told me to buy the bridge. Well, he didn't. I chose it for myself and that's that. I'm the one with good taste here.



Staring in rage at each other.

Here's a little video I took of Sunset biting my finger. I always make him bite my finger before I give him food. It's a little trick S invented.

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~The Cake~

That same day, H wanted to make sponge cake with fruit and cream. He got into a little argument with mom about folding. :D

So after dad came home from Shahit's store with the berries, H started the cake.

"Who wants to help me?" he said.

"Me," said me.

"M'kay."

So while he got everything out, I went to go look at Sunset. Suddenly H came in my room and said, "C'mon, Nar, let's go make the cake!"

I followed him to the kitchen in most grudge. He started making the cake.

Sifting the flour.

S holding eggs over flour.

(fast forward - I don't want to tell all about how we made the cake - I forgot anyway)

...I remember using the hand beater to make the cream. It required patience and it hurt my hands real bad. Then I remember H pouring the strawberries in a bowl and putting them in the fridge because he left them out too long and they melted.

Then the cake was ready, and it was too short (thanks to H's geniusness), so S made another one. Then it was frosting time. H decored the first layer with cream and the strawberries. Then he put the other cake layer on top and started frosting the whole cake. It was very messy. Then he decorated the top and the base with the remaining strawberries. It looked wunnerful. Then he poured the remaining strawberry sauce over the cake.

The end result.

Then when it reached Asr time, we woke up mom and prayed asr, an then we went downstairs and H said to show mom the cake so I showed her the pictures I took of it. She said to give it to the bleeping neighbors!! >:O I was like, shouldn't've showed her the pictures!

So H was sent out with a plate of cake to give to the neighbors. But they weren't home, so yay! XD

When it was time to break, H and I ate the cake pieces that were meant for the bleeping neighbors.

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Well, those are all the stories for today.

N

Jitters

I feel so jittery! Maghrib is in like about 7 hours, and today there is community iftar at the masjid! And I feel so jittery because I can't wait to see who won the Quran competition!!! They will announce the winners today! OMG. The jitteriness is making my tummy hurt even more because of hunger pains, plus I had a chest pain.

S is helping me train Sunset to bite my finger before I give him food. And I just dumbly noticed that he has ugly nostrils that make him look totally different from what he looked like before.

My tummy is growling. I gotta go mund*, it's already Zohor. See ya.

N
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*Mund is our word for 'mandi'; 'mandi' is the Malay word for 'bathe'.

The Competition

It wasn't how I expected it to be.

It was cacat.

Well, first of course, we went to the masjid. On the way, we picked up Abi and he sat in the backseat with me and Z. Then we got to the masjid. Abi took some time to get out of the van from the backseat.

Ummi, S, Z and I went into the women's side and sat down in the musalla. In a few minutes people came, and after the khutbah we prayed, obv, and then people started getting ready for the judging. It was in the cole ole classroom. Me and Sandy were participating. My other friend R was not in because she decided to let others have a chance. o_o

So first, a girl went, and then another girl went, and then it was Sandy's turn. Apparently after some tussling, it seemed to me she was nervous. So like, she went, and then it was my turn. I read the surah while sweating quite badly. Then I was done and went to mom and S and Joycie who were all grinning.

"You did good!" they said.

"Not my best," I said.

After that it was the little kids' turn. Hl went and read Surah Ikhlas, and then another kid named Dani read Surah Lahab and Nas. They were quite good, actually. After that, me, Sandy, and R went outside. S came out later with Z. S and Sandy talked together under the tree and me and R went on the swings. Then it was time to leave. We had some trouble thinking if we should leave H there or not, because he was being judged after Asr...so S called Abi and Abi said to just leave H there. After a bit mroe confusion we did leave him there. Then we came home.

And now my tummy is churning and growling. And my arm is still fuzzy.

N

11:00 AM

We have to get ready to go to Jooma in like mebbe 1 hour. The Quran competition judging is after Jooma prayer. I practiced my Naba this morning and I got no mistakes, so I should be good.

Don't getcher hopes up....

It is now 11:02. This post took approximately 2 mins to type. Time flies by.

Making Yourself at Home

Tonight we're having iftar at someone's house. H is making brownies now. Smells great! (Like me.)

N

Credit

Well, as you know, yesterday was my last day of massage class. Whoopee!!! People kept calling me 'sweetie' and 'dearie' (like my grandma) and they kept saying, "Good job! For a little girl, that's a great job!" I'm not a little girl! So I was extremely offended and I was like 'hehe'. Then we had to leave at like 7:45 pm so we could go to the masjid to break fast. Before we left, we had to get out certificates. And guess what? We both got eight credit hours! Oh and BTW, 'we' refers to me and my dad.

I was like the first one there, well, not really, someone named D was there with her kid named Hl. Hl was drinking and D was getting the dates and drinks ready. Then D sent Hl to the men's side to do some errands, like getting soup and all. Then people came, and someone brought rice. She saw me and asked, "You're alone?"

And I said, "Yeah."

Then she said, "Where's S?"

I said, "She's gonna come later."

Well, at least she didn't ask for my mom. Grr, I hate when people ask for her even though I already tell them she is at home doing things!

Anyways. After the Maghrib prayer Abwadab took me home to finish up iftar and then S and mom got ready to go. Btw we ate our Mexicans and they are really good! No I'm not a cannibal dummy, I'm talking about the brownies! No I'm not racist either. Well maybe I am a little bit. :P

So while S was getting ready, H came in the room and I showed him my certificate. For some reason they were both really amazed that I got eight credit hours.

So we got Z ready to go n then we went to the masjid. We prayed Isha, then Terawih, then we got to stay a li'l longer because Abi asked me if I wanted to and I said yes. So S and I went outside with our friend Sandy (well that's not her real name but I wouldn't really tell it to you would I?) to the masjid's playground.

H and his friend M came and played while we talked, and then they left after women came out of the women's side to leave.

N

Motabak

Today S and I are gonna make murtabak for the masjid's community iftar tonight. And maybe next week we'll do pizza...
H has to go shoppin' first.

Time...GRRRRRrrrrAAAGH!!!

My mom says I have to start doing math now because she sees I have a lot of free time. Why do I have to do things? This is Ramadan! A time of weakness, when you use all your muscles to get up the stairs. GRR! I hate school! I want to kill the dummy who invented it in the first place! }:(

N

A Ramadan Poem...

I have this rule for any poems on my blog. If they have a copyright sign they cannot be read aloud. CANNOT! 'Specially H and S! And don't ask who's that.

©A Ramadan Poem
by N. F.

Read Quran
Ask for forgiveness
Make dua
Achieve goals
Don't procrastinate
And lastly...
N hopes you have a great RAMADAN!

©N.F. 2012

Ramadan Day 5

Yesterday was our last day of studying the culture and history of Islam in Indonesia, and we finished the PowerPoint presentation. It's actually really lame. I have just gotta tell you. I think today we have to start doing the country of Afghanistan. Oh my.
Oh! You wanna know something funny?
If we can't make a food that we find from research of any country, we have to make it out of clay! I mean, seriously! xD Indonesia was easy, but this...?

I hope we're going out today. I need my rocks.

Today H and I are gonna make roti canai. It's real good. For those who don't know Malay, search this up.

N

Ramadan Night #1

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

Well, when I woke up from my nap at about 5:00 pm, I was completely covered in sweat. My hairclips were hanging from hair strands around my ears, and my necklace was messed up. S woke me up by poking my shoulder. I got up, put on my glasses, and fixed my hair and necklace. Then I followed S to H's room so we could wake him up.

Now this was a challenge. S poked H's shoulder a few times, and his body just wobbled. S tried and tried to wake H up, and took off his blanket. H just pulled it back up. S gave up and decided to just wake up H's friend, who was in the living room on the couch. S poked his shoulder, and he woke up easily. Then we all went to H's room to wake him up again. S got a belt from the ground and lightly whipped H's brown blankie. It still did not work, but H was awake and angry. H's friend came into the room and laughed when we whipped H. We finally got H's blanket off, but that made H angrier. He sprang out of bed and chased S out. I ran out too, for safety.

"Let's get outta here!" I told H's friend, but he wouldn't. He stayed in there and gave H a little push. H exploded and punched him. We eventually prayed without H, and then I started to get ready for my massage class. After the class was over, we went to the masjid for Iftar.

N

FREEDOM!!!

The good thing about this Ramadan is that I don't have to do math for the whole month! I think this is gonna be the best Ramadan ever!!!

N

Ramadan Day #1

Hold on. This is yesterday's post. Read it before today's.

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2012
Today was a big day. I had to go to the masjid for a Girls' Club meeting. We were gonna talk about preparing for Ramadan, our Ramadan goals and our duas. The girls were all bored to death, which was annoying. We all had to say what we liked about Ramadan, and they all mostly said, "because of the food." Seriously! The fatties these days! At least there was one girl who said she likes Ramadan because her mom doesn't force her to eat. But that's still bad. The point of Ramadan is not just about eating, as you know. Anyway, then we wrote down our goals and dua on paper (well what else would we write on?) using Sharpie markers. Then we played with H's hefty friend named Kylie in the men's side. It was fun! Nobody was there, practically. So then we went home and ate dinner, and then we went to 'The Hill' for moon sighting. So we found out that Ramadan was going to be on Friday. Tomorrow. Then we prayed Tarawih and Witr at the Masjid, and then S and I went to the masjid's library to practice Surah Al-Mulk for the Ramadan Quran competition. The End.

N
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And now, here is today's post.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012
Today, after Fajr, we listened to H read Surah Al-Kahf. His reading was SO horrible, I slept through it!!! Just kidding. He just read it, and I nodded my head. I hate that. Anyway, then we listened to a lecture about Surah Al-Kahf. Then we discussed our Quran schedule. I was going to read two pages of Quran a day after every prayer, starting from Al-Fatihah. So I went downstairs with my bazaar bought Quran, and read the first two pages. Then I had to go find the translation for the two pages that I read. This is what I got.

Surah Al-Fatihah translation. From this website. Dar-us-Salam.

1. Surah Al-Fatihah

1. In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

2. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).

3. The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

4. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)

5. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).

6. Guide us to the Straight Way

7. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).

And for Surah Al-Baqarah. First five ayahs.

Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

1. Alif-Lam-Mim. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'an and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings].

2. This is the Book (the Qur'an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun [the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)].

3. Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of what we have provided for them [i.e. give Zakat , spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives, etc., and also give charity to the poor and also in Allah's Cause - Jihad, etc.].

4. And who believe in (the Qur'an and the Sunnah) which has been sent down (revealed) to you (Muhammad Peace be upon him ) and in [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.] which were sent down before you and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter. (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds, Paradise and Hell, etc.).

5. They are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and they are the successful.

N

Fun Things

I get to make fruit salad and smoothies in Ramadan for Iftar! Yay! I'm also gonna ask if I can set the table too.
H recently made me a blowdart.
I was planning to make my fish fast for the whole Ramadan, as they can survive a whole month without food, but S said that's not recommended. *facepalm*

Countdown #11

5 more days! Five more days!

Yesterday, two girls came to our house to play. Last night, we went to the masjid. It was full, man! Well, not really full, but full-ish. There was a talk. Then there were refreshments - cake and fruit. I had one slice of cake and two bowls of fruit. The fruit was just watermelon and grapes.

Countdown #10 and Some Goals

6 more days! O_O

Okay. I have some goals for Ramadan.

• Exercise every day (ex. push-ups).
• Drink lots of milk at suhoor and iftar (I'm trying to get taller).
  
• Try not to play any computer games for the whole month.
• Try to listen to Mom and Dad and S.
• Try not to explode at H *if* he's annoying. (That's guaranteed.)
• Pray the whole Tarawih every night. (I usually always do, but sometimes I just rest.)
• Try to say Insha'Allah more. Things can happen if I don't. Seriously. :-|
  

And that's all for now...

N

Countdown #9

A week before Ramadan! Seven more days! 168 more hours!

Countdown #8

8 more days. 8 more days until Ramadan!

Today I had to wait two hours for Z's art class to be done. Boring!

Countdown #6

10 more days till Ramadan...
Ten more days until Ramadhan...
Sepuluh hari lagi sehingga Ramadan...

S took the plant from my container because her fish needed 'something to rest on' because of the opposite of dio*. And I can't take it back until we buy peas and cook them. *facepalm*
The next time we go to Petco, S says, she will buy a plant for herself and I can have the old one. And I can also buy my rainbow rocks.
Insha'Allah.

N
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*Dio is the short word form we use for 'diarrhea'.