miss rema erd

hello and welcome and yo.

i am Hannah (my name's a palindrome).
i am the first daughter of the first daughter of the first daughter.
i love my family deep deep. my favourite red is carmaine.

i also love football, good books, sunsets, grinning babies, poets, photographers, a good intellectual conversation, quirky people, pious bad boys with soft hearts and good minds, happy surprises, the rain, flat shoes, the thought of painting, coffeebean's caramel ice blend, borders (as in the bookstore), bubble tea, and waking up on my own.


/ Donate blood @ Outram completed on 23/03/2008
/ Ice Skate @ Kallang Leisure Park
/ Rollerblade @ ECP
/ Plan a community service project coming up!
/ Enter a photography contest
/ Jog with Tch Rapiah @ Tamp Stadium coming up!
/ Buy an English translation Qura'an
/ Buy the $100 book on the 4 Imams
/ Take up a new skill @ a CC
/ Paint a picture by Singapore River
/ Play paintball @ SDC
/ Go to the Tree Top @ MacRitchie
/ Learn how to (really) ride a horse
/ Plan an event for my old Madrasah
/ Get that DSLR i've been drooling for found Colby on 05/05/2008

Aba told me on Monday that to make myself available on Thurday to send Nina to CGH in the morning, then he will pick us up and send Nina to school. On Tuesday, I check the maps to make sure I know how to get there. On Wednesday, when aba changed plans and said I didn't have to, I insisted. You see, for months, I have been craving for a breakfast at McDonalds, and for weeks (thrice in a fortnight, to be exact) I have been dreaming of Ma'arif, and my flowers are all dead (again). So you understand that I had a plan I hope to carry out.

This morning at McD's, Nina and I took close to ten minutes deciding what to eat. I was that excited. In the end, I decided on hotcakes, a sausage mcmuffin and an iced milo. ^_^

Although Nina, my very own Resident Cartoon (who had once been described as a Tornado as her form teacher), could not sit still for half a minute and talk loud enough for a cabin in the MRT to hear, I love her company. She's silly funny.

We took a shuttle bus to CGH. When she went on board, she turned to me and said in awe, "No need to tap EZ link? Free?! Wahhh." The koi fishes in front of the clinic loved her; she screamed when she touched a slimy one. She moaned and groaned when waiting for her turn at the clinic; I'm guessing the 80% of the other waiting patients either understood her impatience, or were shaking their head at her behaviour. We arrived at 930, and were done almost 2 hours later.

After getting new prescriptions for her glasses, we headed off to West Plaza and Pasir Ris. On the way in the car, I spotted a little one with her mother at a bustop. Because I love kids, I turn to watch the girl, who turned out to be Iqah's baby sister Nuha, who's mother was Nina's Ustazah (ngaji). She blew us a kiss. *awwwwww*

When Nina was choosing new glasses, I sneaked off to the florist and bought myself an orchid and a red carnation. ^_^ Poor florist; she had a sore throat, and had to whisper and make signs with her hands. If I were to write a book one day (this is the part where you roll over the floor laughing) I'd put her as a character, because I love florists and she's very friendly.

Our last stop was to Maarif. Sigh.

Everytime I drop by, there are always changes. Ma'arif used to one Lanes 14 and 16, but since they've sold both lands, they now only used Lane 14 for the rest of the year. I will miss that rumah kampung at Lane 16. And the playground where I used to imagine the ghosts like to play? Now covered with cement. No more playground. It almost breaks the heart.

After sending off Nina and while waiting for Dee and Loi to finish school, I bumped into Nadiah Karim, whom I've not met for years. I was actually choking; that was how close to tears I was. We used to be bestfriends-turn-rivals in Primary 4 *chuckles*. She's in PreU now.

It was also a pleasant surprise to find that Radhiah's and Fatanah's mom knows my name. ^_^

I met a lot of the little ones (should I name them?), here goes: Raihana (who called me Kak Hannah OB!, whatever that meant), Nurul Huda Sulaiman (I remember her fathers name! haha. She always greets me with a surprised "Kak Hannah!"), and lots of Dee's friends (who I dare not name because I might miss one of them and offend them (I get the feeling that Doya is always shy when she sees me)).

I met some Ustazahs: Ustazah Zainab ("Awak tak panas ke? Masuk lah dalam. Cepat eh da third year."), Ustazah Samnah ("Awak stress eh? Asal kurus sangat? Tak makan eh?" "Saya makan macam kuda, la Zah!" "Ye.. nanti da jadi businesswoman jangan lupa kita dekat sini."), Cikgu Dibah ("Eh awak ni macam papan eh!"), Teacher Mahmudah (who I know recognises me, but couldn't put a name to my face. I don't mind. It was nice to see her smile.), Ustazah Zaliah and Ustazah Asmah and the makciks of the canteen, Cik Milah, Cik Jual Air, and Cik Canteen (Maaf, saya tak tahu nama2 dorang, tapi saya suka melihat mereka senyum tanya khabar).

All that is gold does not necesarily glitter, and that is what Ma'arif is to me. Gold. No matter how much I used to want to run away from Ma'arif, I'll always be back.

End this with a conversation I had with Nina in the car, as we arrived at Ma'arif:

Me: Eh! That's Teacher Aslinah's van!
Nina: Teacher Aslinah?
Me: Yes. She was my form teacher.
Nina: She's Maimunah's makcik!
Me: EH! She was my form teacher for three years.
Nina: Well, she's still Maimunah's makcik.

*chuckles*

broke my fall (0)

There are many reasons why fish sometimes drown. They need oxygen to live, and if they swim into oxygen-depleted waters, they will drown.

John Locke said: Education begins the gentleman,
but reading, good company and reflection
must finish him.


If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

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