My articles

It is snowing outside. It is really freezing too. I love it!

After reading my article printed in Today’s Zaman this morning, he said:

“Now, i am proud to call you my wife. If baba (his father) is still alive, he will be proud of you too”

Hey! What was i before? A wife he was ashamed of??? Grrrrr…

Here is the link:

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=132656


Mumbling in a local newspaper came as a suprise to me as well. Yes, i mumble in my blog. U all know that. But mumbling in Today’s Zaman occasionally is totally unexpected. I submitted my first piece, *I”ll gladly take the back seat, thank you!* just for fun. The piece was there already written in my pc anyway. So i thought, if they printed it..then it would be fine. If not, i would have nothing to lose anyway.

You should have seen how proud my beloved was when the first piece came out. I think he was more excited than i was. What motivated me more was when even baba liked that piece, while the rest of the siblings teased me about mumbling about traffic! I think they liked it too:0)

I wanted to write something about baba as well… and therefore, my second article came out. I used baba’s wise words and sayings to connect to my article entitled *developing potential*. He was so happy! U see… when in a crowd, normally i switch myself off from the sounds around me. He was happy that i actually did listen to him and was able to quote his words, using his own words, *better than his explanation*. He kept telling that to everyone! That article came out at the right time coz it was then he was diagnosed with lymphoma. That article cheered him up a bit.

My *health and care* article was written when baba had that operation. I thought it was the thing to talk about since i was at the hospital each day then. It was published on the day baba’s condition quite deteriorated. Selim read the article to him.Up till now, i dont know for sure if he actually understood what i had written esp with Selim’s nice (wink wink) pronounciation.

Baba died. An eulogy was only normal… and so…*it is an honor to be honoured in life as well as in death* was written. I was too sad at that time… and so i used a lot of the stuffs i had written in this blog and coined them up together coz the pieces combined were what my heart was saying.It was my ode to him.Up till today, i still miss him .

The phase where my writing concerns baba stopped there. And my fifth article….*New Year in Turkey* talked about the issue i had long wanted to talk about. I took that chance and wrote it.

And my sixth…well… it is here…it is a topic i had toyed with for ages. Considering the fuss they r making in the media nowadays regarding headscarves..i decided to write this piece….with my beloved’s encouragement… this is from my heart. an honest account of my thoughts....i hope i had not offended anyone there..

I am not a good writer. Allah knows how the proof readers of todayz zaman worked hard to correct my mumbling into a good writing. I am sure Helen P. Betts and her team went xtra crazy everytime they had to review my article! Hahaha..but i trust them… and i also know that Pınar Vurucu will provide a nice layout for my articles. İ know they are in good hands and for that i really thank them.

No, i dont get paid but that is not important.. What is important is that i get to voice my view to a different group of people….i am not only limitating my views to only to my blog readers…and to be able to see my piece printed out there..that is the ultimate satisfaction coz i get to compile it… and one day when my kids can read english, they will be able to read their mom’s mumblings!

Enough of that… where was i?

I was….rushing here..rushing there every day!! İ was totally free during the times our pc crashed and the moment i was connected again..phew!! by 10pm each nite…i was dead on my feet! Hahaha

Now the kids r at home. The pc is up n running… i have to fight for the rights of the pc with 3 other people… Halil,Hatice n baddin vs urs truly… games vs internet!! Arghhhhhhhhh!! İ am losing! Hahahah but my kids actually deserve their games times coz everyday, after breakfast from 9am till 12noon…we all got stuck with the homework!! Yes… itz a holiday n the kids have tons of homework to do!! …will tell u all about it later…..soon…

Here are some pics of us... the first set...snapped yesterday..on a rainy day (pls bear in mind that the kids have flu n cough at that time)...at 4 degree celcius...freezing cold and Halil decided to have a family sport! The snow ones were snapped this morning...again as a family.. the fun bit was to be able to throw the snow towards each other! my shoulder is still painful!! halil doesnt know how to throw the snow gentler!! hahaha

i am soooooooooooo sorry if i lambat blog hop... tercungap cungap nak layan bebudak kat rumah...the fact that i can even update this blog is a miracle! but i will try to visit ur blog as soon as i can...i have so many to tell...anyway...

today is baba's 52th day of death. We will have a small doa..we had an overcrowded doa on the 40th day...today,it will be just us zaims and an imam...Al fatihah...

muahhhh muah muahhhh miss u all loads!

Update: this is the link of the headscarves update in the turkish scene:

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=132820

dad n daughter running after the ball..

the dad dominating the game..poor dear daughter!

Hey u!! give the ball to ur son!!

a crying son! he needs to learn the concept of..* i lost!*

sweaty sweaty people.. xcept me..i was frozen! i forgot my gloves !

ready to snow fight

ready to snow fight too...

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

Am back!

After having sooo many headaches and heartaches eversince 6am ..1st of january 2008...Alhamdulillah.... Halil finally bought our very first own CPU (the deceased pc belonged to baba...i guess the pc decided to follow its real owner to the other world).

Halim (my beloved's brother) provided us with the configuration to buy for the new cpu....and none of us ever thought of adding sound card to the configuration! hahahah so now our pc is without any sound ...which drives me crazy really since i need the sound system to teach my kids the Quran n etc..etc...Knowing how important sound is to me..i think i will be able to convince halil to buy a sound card at his earliest possible free time (which is difficult to find)...

...our new cpu is nothing fancy...just a simple one but i am soo happy...!! Living without internet is really difficult for me to do.. it is the machine for me to mumble and jot down my thoughts..and its absence...drove me to real deep depression...that is how spoilt i have become...a simple pen and a a piece of paper r not attractive anymore for me to write down my heart... my quill is in my blog ...it represents what is inside...

this week is a really busy week...am puffing.. we had baddin's end of semester mini school performance last friday... we will have hatice's mini performance tonight....this friday will be their last day of school...2 weeks of school break...busy busy busy...am in a rush now... i am sorry i cannot reply ur comments in my previous entries yet...i will try to reply them soon...i will snap a pic of our new cpu in my next entry (probably tonight)...n update on the kid's performances...

I have missed u all loads!!!..and i leave u with the pics of hamsi pilavı..rice cooked in fish called hamsi (anchovies)..recipes..later in my recipe book..

hamsi..deboned
simah'z lazy way of preparing the rice

i love this pic..it looks sooo flowery..:0)

to be eaten turned upside down..then the view will be really nice..:0)

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

Crash

The pc crashed.

i will be online again once i am connected .

Dunno when...

will miss u guys loads!!!!

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

Mumblings of a mom

My dearests,

How i have missed you all. Where have you been? Where r u hiding??? i cant seem to find you! I know that i had put u all in a bag...i remember putting u all somewhere...but now that i need u all..i cant find u!!! It is not that i havent turn the whole apartment upside down looking for u..i did!! i searched high n low for u!! What u r nowhere to be found!!

Hatice abla and Baddin abi need u all... Halil needs u all...the cold weather is here... .. and ur presence is sorely missed.... i just cant believe how i still cant find you!! I know i am waaaayyy slack in home tidiness... like i said. i had actually turn the place down looking for u..tidying what needed to be tidying...but u r still not here...please reappear in my dewy sight....

We had snow last week...but hatice, baddin n halil could not feel the warmth of ur entities. They had to make do with the new sets of u all in order to keep their necks, fingers and head warm. They r missing ur wooly presence... so my dear dear dear beloved winter gloves, wooly hats and wooly shawls.....pleaseee... pleeeeaseee... i beg of u to return home... i promise that i will look after you with more loving tender care the next time....

Someone who needs you....

Simah

***********

Oh yeah.... i cant believe that i could *lose* the whole winter gloves, shawls n hats all together!! hahahah i am soooo disorganised!! i have checked everywhere....it is somewhere but

WHERE??

Oh boy. i am in soooo much trouble!!! *grins*

I hope it is not too late to wish you all ...

Salam Maal Hijrah..

a very happy New Year for the islamic Calender...

Nowadays... i find myself under more stress. Hatice is finally able to write and read (see www.haticeveokul.blogspot.com ) it means that...her homework no longer centers around reading and writing. Nowadays, the focus is more on maths. ....Being a mom with quite limited Turkish (and who hates maths!!)... i find myself having difficulties understanding the more complex words...and technical terms.... that means..if hatice doesnt understand some words or instructions... if i am on the same boat as her..i will have to call somebody in the family to ask for the explanation...i can see how tough homework time will be for me in the near future!!!

hatice this morning before going to school

baddin this morning with the gel on his hair.... they will have class photography session hehehe

he loves to look at himself these days..konon konon hensem la tuu..perasannnnn

as for baddin.... he is getting more social...( see www.baddinveokul.blogspot.com)... but he is getting much much more naughtier too... !!! He is still the good kid i know but i have to repeat myself a few times nowadays before he listens!! arghhhhhhhh...he just love to run...n i mean run.....reallly runnig in the living room...along the corridor...in between each spoon during mealtime!!! The rule...sit..finish ur meal n go doesnt apply to him... HelP!!

What i discover so far is.... having setting up sets of rules at the beginning of the school year works for us.....sort of....

For example... on school days, the kids will wake up at 6.30am. Eat their breakfasts ....which normally consist of egg, cheese,fresh sliced tomatoes. toasted bread with peanut butter and jam...and 2 glasses of fresh milk definitely...

After they come back from school, the first thing they will do when they enter home is to wash their hands....eat their dinner (at 4.45pm)....do their homework.....and later...bath time and free time...n finally bedtime at approx 8.30..of course before the bed time, they have to eat their fruity yogurt n drink 2 glasses of fresh milk... n a dose of yaasin listening for each of them (hatice has so far memorised the first page of yaasin n baddin a few lines).....weekends homework of course to be done on Friday so that saturdays and sundays will be exclusively for whatever it is they wish to do...

Having rules and guidelines to follow i think is important for me to manage my kids properly (despite how disorganised i am hehehe)

And what i am happy most is that both my kids... even though they r not a fan of some food...they eat what i serve them... they finish them up coz their anne says so... even the spinach n cauliflower..This is a great achievement for me coz baddin especially... he used to eat only rice and köfte (meatball).. lunchtime in school i think...and the discipline at home is paying off...i am happy on that account....and so our life adventures continue... i am learning along with my kids ... and we all agree that homework time is the least favourite time for us all.. but we did it coz we had to... :0)

How lucky they are actually... to have their mom next to them during their homework.. i remember when i was a kid... my mom never ask me whether i have any homework or not. To do or not to do he homework was entirely my own responsibility.. i was taught to be independent... contrastively...my kids.... i set the rules... they do their homework with me next to them... going *crazy* over the homework together with them...

And my kids... i think they are so lucky...never in my life had i imagined going to school with a pool...they even have swimming lessons as part of their physical education!...They have a computer lab for computer lessons ..(i learned using a computer when i was in high school!)..they have chess lessons (i dont even know how to play chess at all..but my kids..even baddin know the rules already..n they have big chess at home)...a nurse in school in case somebody gets sick (mcm kak elle punya kerja soon ...)..a comfortable school uniform (t-shirt n skirt for hatice)... a computer with internet connection for the teacher in the classroom...the white screen for the kids to watch cds (for educational purposes) in class...they even have a mini cinema as part of the school structure!! a good school in general.. i just hope my kids will be able to appreciate the benefits they r reaping from learning from that school....they just dont know how lucky they r...

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

This girl cannot stop mumbling! hahaha

Hatice woke up that Saturday moning and directly looked at the view outside from her window...

*Anne..kar tutmuş!*

(the snow holds)

she excitedly said...she begged me to bring her outside...but being lazy n all..i told her to first finish her breakfast and wait for her baba to wake up....

It was by 1030am i realised that the sun was shining brightly the little bit of snow there was might melt soon... without waiting for halil, the kids n i excitedly went downstairs...the ground was icy..we could have skated on it if we wanted i suppose hehehe.. i kept telling baddin...

*koşma!!*...dont run!!! but did he listen? Nope! he was too excited playing with whatever little snow there was... he fell on his bottom many times of course... but did he care? nope! hahahah such free will eh? here r some pics of my kids... their first snow this winter...trust me... snow is a luxury for us on the lower grounds of istanbul...we practically didnt have snow last year...this year snow came a it early... Hey! i just love it!! (even when i forgot to bring my gloves along n couldnt zipped up my winter jacket! hahah)

the view from her bedroom..

2 happy siblings...


kak elle..the snow is for u...see..baddin collected them xpcially 4 u hehehe


baddin at war


frozen baddin

frozen hatice

I miss Malaysia...there is no doubt about it...i miss my own family....i phone home every week of course...i even get to chat with my dad b4 the new year (he doesnt answer phones by the way...so i rarely chat with him)... mom is as usual........ mumbling this n that..

...my younger sister, Yana will be graduating with a dean's list for her undergraduate degree..bravo kiddo!...Now u just need to find a good job so that i can bully u later when i go back to Malaysia... hehehe ..

my youngest brother... he got a total of 3.9 for his CGPA this semester....wow! anak manja mak pandai jugak yek..

.and only this morning... when i smsed my elder bro...he said he had recieved a bomb threat... probably aimed at the office...job related or something... hez worried... hey! i am too... frankly speaking... i dont think i can take any more losses in my family.....first my nephew...then my dad in law... my prayers r with u dear bro....hopefully that was a prank threat.....amboi... malaysia pun ada ka orang main letup bom? dunia dah nak qiamat kot??

i cant wait to see them insyaAllah middle of the 6th month this year.... i cant wait for my kids to be able to see their tok wan anna anne and their atuk dede... i have even specially asked my mom n dad to hug n kiss my kids everyday coz they need that from them... my kids need more physical affections from their grandparents more than ever now....

At times when u think of the bad happenings in this world....of how bad it is getting each day...the people changing...etc...etc... it is in the circle of ur love ones and trusted friends that u feel safe.....

and yup! i have updated my

weight challenge blog

it is back on again... though i do wonder how will i walk under the snow without slipping n killing myself... hmmm...

and i have also learnt one lesson...

NEVER EVER DOWNLOAD 2 VİRUS PROGRAMs İNTO UR PC AT THE SAME TİME!!

i went crzy for a few hours until halim restored the memory to the previous days! hahahah










Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

Hey 2008!

It had been a long time since the four of us went out as a family....just the 4 of us.... ....our little happy family. ..we had things to do there....at carrefour....we all got hungry...but we had difficulty finding a place to sit at the food court. Baddin demanded Burger King...while the rest of us were thinking of KFC .... My beloved bought baddinz food first....2 burgers, coke and chips....my beloved then went to kfc..

Baddin started eating....I saw how famished hatice was.... i asked baddin whether he could share his fries with his sister.... he said yes...

They started to eat quietly... suddenly....baddin said...

"abla...sen bunu alabilirsın"

(u can take this)

while he pointed at his second burger...

of course...his sister immediately gobbled the burger quickly..

later her kfc came... and she too shared her chicken with the lil bro....

There was an undescribable warmth inside of me as i saw how they were sharing...

Alhamdulillah..my kids r decent kids... though they fight occasionally.....they r not like cats n dogs.... Hatice particularly is a very responsible- selfless and decent kid... baddin being the youngest...though he is a decent kid, i have some worries..

today he proved to me that deep down he has a good conscience...that is wonderful sign for me... ..i think he will be ok....

Yup..Hoşcakal 2007...Hoşgeldiniz 2008!

How time flies very fast eh? Well.... where did i go missing for a few days? Itz a longgggg storyyy.....

I said my farewell to the 2007 with my article being printed in the local english newspaper...

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=130405

I think i better say something nice about Türks soon before they disown me! hahahahahahah

We all had a big family dinner at baba's place that new year's eve.... Our first formal siblings gathering as a big family after baba's death. It went well i think...the siblings chatting ....all of us getting on with our lives....

It was on that 1st of Janary..at 6 am..i was soundly sleeping when my beloved woke me up and said..

"bilgisayar çokmuş"

(the pc crashed)

huwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

we went to techno SA to check out the price of a new cpu later that day.... the price is not cheap... halil consulted halim and halim said he will scout for a better priced pc for us....

and on the next day....he gave us this for us to use till we get a new cpu...

a can u guess what it is? it does look like a lact ptop isnt it? well...it is actually heheheh a laptop without a monitor... halim has this unused monitor free laptop... so for now we r using it...using our lcd monitor screen attached to it hehehehe

But getting connected to the inernet was another matter of course...we coulnt get connected...again...we had to ask halim's help to get connected..and finally...yippie!!! i am the happiest girl on earth!! hahahahaha..thanks halim..u just saved my sanity!!

i am having difficulty adjusting myself to the use of this semi laptop...i keep pressing something i shouldnt! hahahah

Anyway... a new year with a new beginning... today we have our first snow this year (in istanbul)..

this photo is snapped from my bedroom window... beautiful isnt it?? i have also started my weight challenge again...though i havent been able to update the blog just as yet... i have so many things to do..i dont even know when i can blog hop as well...i really miss reading ur blogs...

Here r some pic snapped during the family dinner at the new year's eve...

pehli....a turkish dish..made by afife teyze...made from ribs...

the cold food... pot luck style...made by the ladies

elo-ekrem-baddin-ediz


funny faces by keremcan-zynep-hatice-safa


merve-mhveş-safa



mother n son

funda n selim

iclal-minik mustafa-kerim

özlem-halim

halil-simah

how r my kids? obviously..they r still sad.... but hatice no longer sobs herself to sleep...yes..she still cries but gnerally she s better... time is indeed a big factor...and the listening of yaasin on th mp3 before bedtime actually works Alhamdulillah... nowadays both hatice n baddin are trying to follow the yasin reading bit by bit...it has become a subconscious effort for them to memorize it....hatice after every reading will make a doa..for example...

*ya Allah..please send a big bouquet of flower to my dede wth this yassin* etc..etc

she can actually somehow read the first 5 lines of yasin..and baddin.. i heard him reciting some parts too....they are in general soo much better....Alhamdulillah... over time.they will turn to normal....insyaAllah...

p.s...forgive my typing..i still cant get used to typing using this semi laptop!

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..