Praying With Papa

So pure of face, wouldn't you say?

My father is full of surprises. Among his latest was telling me that even with all my shortcomings, he considered me his anak soleh. Me. The daughter the family would complain about when he came home from work at the end of each day. The one who was such a nightmare way back in school that he was ashamed to meet my teachers. The one who made him use the rotan on a regular basis, and for which he would cry afterwards. The one who was always the life of the party - usually first one on and last one off the dance floor. The one who was always more comfortable being friends with boys than girls (granted this was never to a disturbing degree) and giving people the wrong idea. And a billion other things I hate myself for and would never list here. He knows all this, and still he considers me the filial daughter he has the highest hopes for. And he expects the best from one he considers the best.
As a child you want your parents to be proud of you for what you are. But this exceeds all my expectations. This is a title I had never even dared to dream of. I always thought I'd be Queen of Malaysia before anyone called me anak soleh.
This is the highest regard, Papa.
I'll try my best not to let you down.

An Interesting Story

The two girls were sitting side by side, one of them watching the other carefully adjust her hijab.
"You look nice, sister."
"Thank you. I have seen you in a hijab and you look nice too."
"I wish I could wear it like you, sister."
"Why can't you?"
"Because I am not like you. I am not perfect."
"Nobody is. Only God is perfect."
"You know what I mean."
"Talk to me."
"I take my religion seriously enough but I still worry that I may be unworthy of wearing the hijab as you do."
"How so?"
"Some people dishonour the hijab. They wear it but do not behave accordingly."
"But I know you, my sister. And you are not like them. You observe prayer, fast during the holy month of Ramadhan and read the Quran in your spare time."
"But you do more than I do in terms of religion."
The other one smiled. "What makes you so sure the little that you do is not accepted by God and the plenty that others do is accepted by God?"
"I still believe that only some people are worthy of the garment."
Now the other one laughed. "If that is how you feel, let me ask you this: What have you got to lose from being the kind of person you do deem worthy?"
Silence. "It would be a major change."
"But for the better. And once you have changed for the better, no one should have a problem with how you choose to present yourself. It is between you and God - and no one else."

Don't Let Me Fall

AF and family took me ice skating the other day... AH and Up taught me how, thank you very much. It was my first time and I am happy to report that I fell only once - cheers to my cousin Joey for letting me play with his rollerblades when I was younger; I think that really helped :-D

Hardly going fast enough to melt the ice

Tired but extremely happy