Celebrating US

As we grow old together

And as we celebrate half a decade of sharing each other's lives

let me remind you that, although I don't mention it often

hardly anything else brings me

as much joy as loving you does

And in my little way let me say thank you

to all those moments that you have never refused anything I wanted

for the deep and ever growing love I see in your eyes

for being a truly wonderful husband and great dad

for every special thing that you are!

I love you every day 

and every little thing you do for me means much than you would ever know...

Aashika

When smiles and cries are all you hear all day long!

Life with the kids has been crazy enough. Add moving and ramadan to it and multiply it with two flights of stairs that need to be climbed about 10 times a day. I am exhausted and that probably is an understatement. I am guilty of not spending enough time with J. She is a child who has been used to being the centre of attention and now all of a sudden the demands and challenges have increased and I find it hard to make time to read to her and just hang around, or play or walk.

Little Haroon gave me his beautiful smile a couple of times and it is one of the most beautiful things that can meet a mother's eyes. We are settling in and adjusting to a new life. Grandparents are a great hep and a source of strength when you seem to feel lost or lonely. Come this fall and they will be gone but let me cross that bridge when I get there. Miss Amber and her kids... I am glad we still can see each other unlike Lilly who is 1000 or more miles away in Arizona. My adventures continue and I will keep posting in my many blogs as and when my chores take a rear seat.

Until then keep spreading the love!

I love Summer

Yet another April has made its way through my life. The sun is out again and its beautiful outside. The wilderness, whether the grass is mowed or not whether the branches are trimmed or not, is raw and elegant. During winter every day seems like an incredible challenge to get through. During spring and summer I am the happiest. I am spring cleaning and cooking up nice dishes and running all over the house trying to play catches with the toddler. We love the outdoors and wait for the weekends to picnic in the park or to try out new restaurants and desi or chinese foods. Traveling is always more fun when the weather cooperates.


I have been terribly busy lately. The magazine WISELET as it is called, is slowly taking shape thanks to a wonderful group of writers and to my husband who is a great source of strength. Insha Allah I hope it will be out by the end of May the latest. June will be a month of relaxing for me because the baby is due in July and after that I don't think I will have much time to rest being a mother of two. The education search site, which we have been working on for more than an year is just in time to meet the O/L students in Sri Lanka who are to get their results anytime next week. We are excited by the progress it is making. Please do register and help us promote it. Its the first of its kind and Free!


When the night sky comes, its time for supper and sleep. Some recitation of the Quran, a movie or a book will complete my day. Jannah needs us in bed by 8:30pm or she wont sleep alone. In many ways its good cos you wake up feeling like you had a complete night's sleep. And then it is just lovely to wake up to the sound of the birds singing and the golden light of dawn. Thank God for the beautiful days in our lives!

Who said there were only 7 wonders when they are indeed uncountable?

The curved roads cut through the mountains reminded me of good old mother Lanka. How much we take for granted. How much we want to leave her when we are there and how much we want to go back when are away. Yes the human is never satisfied. If we had four pairs of eyes we will still want the fifth one. Maslow was right except that the hill does not have a peak. How much we as humans yearn to be close to nature, the peaceful sound of water and the majestic swans... the copper mines on the mighty hills, the quacking of ducks and the break of dawn... the beauty of the pine trees turning golden brown! As beautiful as it may be, these are the little wonders of the world that give tranquility to your heart; the best things are indeed, free!

So pause to smell the roses... and make those pictures in your mind that will keep you company in your old age and when you are alone...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sM9vcAIYyc&feature=related5

Is April already here?

The long winter months have slowly come to an end and the sun is shinier. It is liberation to be driving again and I find myself more confident than before. I didn’t do it during winter more than a few times. The broken arm and the slippery roads were enough reasons not to.

My princess has become even more amazingly cute. It gets better everyday. Updates about her you will find here. She still wakes up in the night though and I could use more sleep anytime I can get some.

The writing has ceased and the gaming has increased. The cooking has definetly improved a LOT. Dont forget to checkout my blog: www.cookcool.blogspot.com 

Life goes on with a twist of salt and pepper every now and then. The winter makes us want to relocate so we are working on that one hopefully to a warmer state. 

Everyday I see on news:  abductions, murder, rape and theft. It makes my heart break and I shed tears of fear. I'm praying everyday for things be to be calm. Hoping that bad things dont happen to anyone! No child whatever nationality should lose another father to war. No mother should have to go through the pain of being alone! Every human being is a brother or a sister and I love them all equally!

Just the thoughts… so random

So here I am, sipping my caffeine free soda on a Wednesday afternoon in the chilly north of the mid west of the states. Baby – asleep in the crib… elbow slowly recovering… business… taking bigger shape… dealing with some difficult clients… thinking about the cooking plans for dinner… missing the husband…. Going on…. living on…

Sometimes it feels like a blessing and at other times, like a curse.

The thunderous silence sweeps in like a sand storm when he leaves and I go about my everyday wifely duties… hanging by the moment… watching the clocks tick away… Every now and then remembering the mother island and the parents and brothers and wishing we were closer… wishing we had used our time together even more. Hmm… so there’s no gossip… no “when’s the 2^nd one coming?”, No one to laugh at an odd choice of an outfit… and like those peace doves the snow keeps cleaning out your heart…

How I’d loved to be pampered with a hot cup of coffee from the mother’s soft hands… and roll in on the couch with my reader’s digest and fall asleep not having to worry about anything in the world. How I’d love to be carefree and melt in my own thoughts and imagination… and then I have to pinch myself to remind me that no human being beyond the age of five can be completely carefree. If we are, then we must be dead…. But I wouldn’t know cos I’m not still dead… oh wait a minute… Here’s something that no one will ever know! Hmm

So silently, I take a moment to post this and will then check my mail – I mean the ones that the post lady brings in and then it would be a walk through real life… some “Dr House” in the evening perhaps… may be tea with biscuits…. A couple of days to pass by…. until I’m in the mood to float again.

In a sling and in pain but still trying to smile it away!

So I though instead of complaining about the cold weather and hills of snow, I’ll go out and have some fun in it. So I went Ice skating the other day. Had a fall... Landed on my wrist and cracked my elbow. It was painful to the full sense of that word. 

Now I’m in a sling unable to do most thing with just my left hand. Yeah I should have been more responsible, I’m a mum. I should have been careful but strangely I don’t regret it. Accidents are not intentional. And may be I made a mistake taking the risk but I feel happy to have escaped something major.

Little things that I took for granted seem very hard now. Fastning a button, combing my hair and most of al being able to hug and hold Jannah...

Begin

Begin today and the days ahead of you in the New Year, to live with only the limitations given by Allah.

 

Know that there is a way to get beyond anything that might seem to be holding you back.

Convert any feelings of regret for what you haven't done and turn them into passion for what you are now able to do, with the grace of Almighty Allah

 

This moment is yours and only you can make the best of it!

 

Stop repeating to yourself the reasons why you can't. Begin reminding yourself, again and again, of all the powerful, meaningful reasonswhy you MUST!!!

 

Life is full of uncertainty, injustice and unfairness... Yet in each and every turn of events there is opportunity

 

 for achievement, for fulfillment, and for genuine greatness.

 

So, begin this new year with acceptance of every rich detail of life as it comes, and to transform those details into outstanding success, Insha Allah!

 

 Wishes for a very successful and peaceful 2009!

A wilted rose is but beautiful only to the one that it brought memories to!

Reflections of the land of red, white and blue!

Skyscrapers, speedy cars, rockets, doughnuts everywhere! That’s what we were thinking when my husband announced that we will be sent for an assignment to Milwaukee Wisconsin far far away. I was both happy and sad at the same time. Sri Lanka is a beautiful little island which gave us a home full of bliss. Would I ever be able to leave it, I wondered.

I remember shopping for warm clothes in the tropical paradise pearl as our island is decoratively known. The night that we left I remember looking at all my belongings in the closet and wishing we were allowed more than 50 pounds each. I remember how sad my dad and mum looked when they kissed us good bye at the airport. There will be no more “king coconuts” and “string hoppers”. We were thoughtfully quiet throughout the nearly 24 hour journey full of stops and transits. As our minds wondered back memory lane our hearts ached with worries about what awaited us.

Our motherland is by no means going through the best of her times. War bound and wounded, she strives to give us plenty from her soils and seas. There were days when my husband kissed me good bye before work and I wondered whether I would ever see him again that day. Life was not a bed of roses, nor a fairytale. Nevertheless, our lives were filled with family occasions, dinner at every good restaurant in town, holidays in the salubrious hills and heaps of fun and laughter.

We arrived here, when fall was bidding good bye. I soon realized USA was very different from what we had anticipated. We blended almost immediately into the American lifestyle. Yes, we did miss the folks back home and the wonderful Sri Lankan cuisine but then you understand that life has another agenda - a better life for your children.

Our daughter entered the world on a cold winter night. It was the happiest moment of our lives. Everyday that followed was like a new star in the sky. She brought laughter and peace into our home and hearts – being everything we can ask for and more. She is the wonder of our lives. In fact Jannah is our life now!

To me it was truly a new beginning. I thought, being Muslim in America will be difficult and the Hijab (or head scarf) would make people fathom me differently. I was wrong. There were some difficult moments like when I got my instruction permit which was a rollercoaster ride. The H4 dependent visa was unfamiliar to many, so I had plenty of ‘proving’ to do. A driving school that I registered for left me hanging because I had no SSN but my family never let me give up. I did prove that I was a legal temporary resident of this country and deserve the privilege of driving an automobile. When I finally got my permit, it was much more than a sense of elated liberation. It was victory.

It was an inspiring difference to have people greet you with a warm smile everywhere you went. At the grocery stores people were not reluctant to admire our baby and shower us with compliments. It made us forget that we were from the other side of the world. It was as though we had been here forever. Watching the children play together at the park and library not regarding hue or color was heartwarming. Sometimes we felt lonely. Sometimes gloom filled the air. Nevertheless, everyday grew a little better because we knew the warmth of the people could melt away the crystal snow. Their smiles erased our tears. Their closeness chased away our deepest fears.

Living on our own was a challenge – a notable change from the support of extended families back home. Living in a strange land without family and not many friends was harder. You wake up and look outside your window with mixed feelings. It really isn’t your home but it is too. The dark moments of reality add heaviness to the heart. Just as teardrops form, there walks by a person, cheerfully greeting you with a beautiful smile. An American at his best in spreading happiness.

Thank you, America for making my day!

We will see and learn many things during our stay in this land of freedom and opportunity. We will also give back, from the Asian culture and traditions together making a better world.

Published in the Jan 2009 issue of Wisconsin Woman Magazine

Anniversary Wishes

TO A LOVING SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW ON YOUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Three years of glory,
In your life’s journey,
Going forth together as one in unity,
We wishing you both a happy anniversary,

May the love you both share; grow,
With each passing tomorrow,
May you be together for another five scores and more,
And may your love never get sore,

Up and downs in life is galore,
But sharing and caring is its foe,
Make you lives a dream of love,
And Allah will accept your every bow,

Tales are made of lives filled with love,
Songs are sung when pains are few,
Faults are found when love is in the bin,
Greatness comes when humbleness is king,

To sis and bil as great as gold,
You are to us the hands to hold,
Wishing you always – each day many fold,
On this day – greater than all the gold,



By your two loving Brothers

to the newly weds

Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger

Learn the wisdom of compromise for it is better to bend a little than to break

Believe the best rather than the worst

People have a way of living up or down to your opinion of them

Remember that true friendship is the basis of any lasting relationship. The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.

Please hand this over to your children and your children’s children. The more things change the more they are the same.

A year New today and soon to be old forever!

People are so busy today that they send greetings; one - e card to all the friends and relatives. Far too busy to post a handwritten card… leave a lone that… far too busy to send customize messages through email.

I spent new years eve

Here alone on my bed

There’s nothing much I can do. There’s nothing much to a new year except a few numbers changing on your calendar… another reason to celebrate. I never wish anyone a happy new year. I sent some messages to the colleagues back at work because they do celebrate it. Our new year in the Arabic calendar mostly goes unnoticed and that’s how its mean to be. In Islam we celebrate three things only – the two festivals and weddings. Theres no harm in celebrating other things. There’s no need to.

Today is first of Muharram - the Islamic 11 month lunar calendar. May it bring peace and joy to the hearts of all mankind!

Lanka will always be my home!

Half my heart is back home

I miss the sunshine on my face

I miss the walks down the sea shore

I miss the friends at work

I miss the relatives and calls and all the fuss

Living here in to lap of luxury

Too cold to go outside

Snow everywhere

Beautiful to see

But miserable to be in

No friends… no family…

No sunshine… no sea

You hardly see a pedestrian

A building or a mountain

My dear country… War bound

I had to leave

To pursue, a future.. better for my family

Lanka - without you

I miss sun drying my clothes

I miss the rush hour hour

I miss the string hoppers and kiri hodhi

I miss the hoppers and pol sambol

I miss everything back home

And I don’t know when I will see her again

I miss my comfy bed

And my little home!

I hope Jannah will be lucky enough to enjoy her childhood as much as we did. We had neighbour kids to run around and play with. We didn’t electronic robot dolls and remote controlled cars to amuse us. Yet we had so much and more! We had outdoor sports and loads of fun… we had time to sit under the jam tree and play sellam gedara. We had time for cricket and kom pittu. We made kites and flew them We rode bikes and bruised ourselves. When parents used the cane we did not have authorities to complain! We felt the sand and grass under our feet and the rain and wind on our faces…

Jannah I want you to not to miss one bit of it!!!

12 November 2007 - Our New Home

So we officially shifted on Saturday and technically on Sunday. We also bought the crib, mattress and car-seat for the baby on Saturday. We did our grocery and linen shopping just in time to make it to the baby store. At the new place we installed our first piece of very own furniture – the sleeper couch. This was the first time we had a home of our very own. The finances are a bit tight so we couldn’t for the moment buy any more furniture. Small beginnings I hope would end with great futures.
We spent the last night at our old condominium with almost next to nothing because we had shifted all our stuff to the new place. We had noodles for an early dinner but since hunger disturbed us again we had to order some mushroom pizza from Dominoes.
We chatted with shafi periappa, dad and mum on Sunday morning before we left for the new home. We had to spend a day without TV, and internet. This gave us time for a nap at a very odd hour and shortly after that we left to downtown with a friend to buy halal meats and we also needed to check out a few furniture stores which were unfortunately closed on a Sunday evening. For lunch we had snacks. I had cornflakes and bru had last the night’s left over pizza. We fixed some can soup but that wasn’t very palatable for bru. Jannah was very quiet all of Sunday. By night I was beginning to worry if something was wrong. It’s been more than 3 weeks since any doctor checked us up. And till Tuesday 1pm – which is going to be my first doctor’s appointment here - I won’t know what was going on with us. It’s amazing how moments like this show us how much Jannah is a part of our lives even though she is yet to see the world!
Our first solid meal at the new apartment was chicken biriyani which we had to eat sitting on the floor. It was very large in quantity but missing lunch gave bru a good excuse to finish it all.
It’s Monday and I’m spending my first day at our home alone as I type this and before I start my cooking. It was an early start with bru making the tea and then leaving to work soon after an English breakfast of bread, butter and bulls eyes. Ladies’ fingers and chicken will see us through lunch Insha Allah.
I don’t miss home now as much as I did in the first few days. I’m slowly getting used to the place. Its like living in a dream…. Like I don’t have my feet firmly planted on ground yet… but I’m sure that things will be ok and much better Insha Allah after we settle down. I also have my journal and some books to keep me occupied. Ironically however, I don’t make enough time to get my hands on them. The cable company is to come in the evening today to get the internet connection fixed after which hopefully I can talk to home people.
Its 10 minutes past one. Bru came home for lunch, prayed and then left for work. I am going to nap now. He will be here by 5 just in time before the cable guys get here. He seems to be always thinking about managing the finances for the rest of the week or two. Insha Allah I think everything will work out in good time.
4:35 pm – the naps done thanks to the phone ringing. It’s dark and gloomy. I don’t want to imagine the cold outside. Time to get dinner prepared…

The first few days in Milwaukee...

Usually one would want to say that its been a wonderful 1st week here but unfortunately I cant quite call it that. The city is a bit haunted and the place is a bit dead. The view outside and the neighbourhood is beautiful and quiet. But is this really a place that I wan to live in….? I'm not quite sure…
We reached Milwaukee last Saturday (20th October) after a very tiresome and long 26 hr journey with lots of little adventures all through it. Bru had to start working from last Monday which meant that I had to stay home and fight the challenge of whiling away time in effective ways. Thanks to the cooking that keeps a good one and a half hours of me being occupied. I managed to do that for the past five days thanks to cooking, cleaning, washing, reading and TV. Well most of what's on tv is 100% pure junk and I'm really sure that this is NOT the kind of place that I want to bring up my kids in.
Home is a call away and I also keep in touch with friends at the work place but I miss homeland terribly. Memories and little everyday things that I took for granted now seem so far far away!
If not for skype, msn and telephones I should feel lonely enough to turn back and go home in two weeks. We got a web cam today so my mum and dad could check on my weight gain… I miss the noise and hustle and bustle…. I am so tired of hearing the washing machine and dryer and dish washer all the time. And oh not to forget the 100 odd channels on cable tv that seems like such a curse to have around the house. We haven't yet bought our lap top so I have to wait for bru to some home to blog or chat and since day and night clashes with folks at home there's not really much time to speak to them all!
Bru has been so busy with making arrangements for us to settle down that we hardly have time to think through things. This trip was such a mad rush as we had just two days to prepare everything for a three year stay. I do hope that things get better…!

Sponsor an Orphan

Sri Lanka is one of the worst affected countries from the civil war and natural disasters in the recent past. Thousands of widows and their orphaned children are struggling without a male bread winner.

According our information around 13,000 Muslims appear to be widowed and their children orphaned or displaced in recent times. Most of the orphans live with their widowed mothers and also a significant number are still in various orphanages, madrasas or with relatives and villagers. We believe that orphans should live with their mothers or relatives to enjoy the real love & affection of a family, which would help to minimize their trauma.

You may be aware of a recent event reported from Kalutara..

A Muslim widow (revert), attempted to commit suicide along with her 4 daughters by taking an over dose of sleeping pills.

According to her statement, the main reason for taking such a decision is poverty. She didn’t have any income at all and there was no help either. She then took the easy way out and decided to commit suicide after killing her own children.

With the help of Almighty the whole family escaped death.. Al hamdu lillah now the children are at the Kal-Eliya Islamic Ladies Orphanage with Al- Kafaala sponsorship. The mother is still hospitalised . This is one case which came to light, but there are thousands of similar cases out there, if we only care to look.

Can a Muslim wait doing nothing about it?

Isn’t it our Duty to look after the needy- especially the orphans???

What is the answer??? that we are going to give the Almighty on the Day of Judgment?

We, at Al Kafaala are actively involved in supporting needy widows and orphans. Special attention is given for young widows with school going children as they are more vulnerable to abuse and discrimination . We have a data base of thousands of needy orphans in the island and we are able to look after only around 650 of them. We can do much more if you could give us a hand to help them.

1000’s of orphans are waiting for your support and ours , Can we ignore their suffering????

We must do something!!!!!!!

You can make a change in an Orphan’s life with just US $ 0.50 a day

If you and I don’t give this 50 cents who will wipe off their tears?????????????

Your Friends & Families too can help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take an orphan under your care now….. and gain merits as a foster parent!

Are you ready?

IF YES , Reply now …..We will give you the details

If not please pray …….for them to find another sponsor

Tel/Fax::+ 0114 204 424,, Mobile: + 94 777 572 935, + 94 773 833 000

Mind Talks

Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz The higher of these two numbers below indicates which side of your brain has dominance in your life. Realising your right brain/left brain tendancy will help you interact with and to understand others. Left Brain Dominance: (9) Right Brain Dominance: (12) Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz

Wiser with age?

Why do we always happen to think that people older are also wiser?

Feelings for a new life!

Wonderfully amazing

Mysteriously quiet

A mixture of feelings…

Fear and delight….

Moments to long for….

Moments of pain and joy….

A new life within me…

Almost unbelievable,

No proof of existence…

Yet true…

Welcome dear one

The worlds for you!