STRIVE TO BE PERFECT OR STRIVE TO BE BETTER

Bougeanvilla

Strive to be better or strive to be perfect I ask myself?  Somehow more often I have heard myself saying many times  " it has to be perfect "   and I have also heard some of my friends say "I am a perfectionist so this wedding has to be perfect" and lately I heard a friend say " ...but nobody is perfect" ....so in other words are  some of us   striving to be   perfect without us realizing it? 

Begonia

The question is what we think is perfect, is it really perfect ? I began to reflect...in inventions nothing is static..it evovle with time...what we think is perfect today may be history in the future... Just look at telephones  and how it has  evovled to what it is now, so small, pocket size, multifunctional  and still evovling .The same is happening to so many other human inventions. Think about it !? It made me wonder whether  the inventors are chasing after perfection .

Petunia

Then I ask myself can perfect be like beauty ? Beauty they say is in the eyes of  the beholder. What  is perfect then? If perfect is also in the eyes of the beholder then what is perfect to you may not be perfect to me and the others. So as long as we are human does it mean that   perfection is beyond our reach?.

kantan

Well, if we can recall the recent tsunami in Japan, analysts did say that when the nuclear power plant was built inventors did make calculations and  took into consideration probabability of occurence  of such an event. However in reality when tsunami hit the area  the nuclear power plants could  not withstand the force of nature. Complications arose due to nuclear gas leak and the tragedy saddened the whole world  and touches everyone's heart . A  memory that will remain if not haunt some of us for a very very long  time.So the question that arise is what lesson  learnt ? Does it mean we humans can only try our best and strive to achieve perfection but to be perfect is near impossible because the concept of  perfect is godliness...it belongs to HIM .. Only Allah is perfect and perfection is HIS. His creation is always perfect and what he created if we think is imperfect is only a matter of  opinion from our point of view...He has his reasons... and that makes it perfect...

fusion of leaves

fusion of flowers

Of course I had to go  to my garden to find perfection. I immediately saw perfection  was all over ...I look at the leaves , they are green but if you  look at it closely they are different shades of green, different in shape and sizes, similar yet not the same. If you examine closer you will be able to notice all these differences.They   like humans, have their own   "thumbprint"! .  I looked at my  roses which was blooming in the dozens  and they look beautiful...the colors perfect...the shape perfect...the size perfect...the scent perfect...and unique...so just like the leaves each individual rose have their own identity too. In short no two roses are the same although they come from the same stem ! Amazing ....isn'nt it? I just could not find any imperfection in them . Mashaalah...Subhanallah....

a perfect creation

I began to see my relationship with plants and roses in relation to perfection. Thinking aloud I thought , roses are perfect creation of Allah, no doubt about it but on the other hand some would say  it has to be tendered with love and care for it to bloom beautifully. It still would require human intervention in terms of knowledge in caring like  pruning and manuring etc.  Looking at it from the angle of face value I agree totally. But if you observe carefully  you will  realize that human intervention only happens  in situation where we  try to grow roses ourselves in controlled environment.  Somehow roses that grow in the wild, in their natural habitat they require no human intervention and  they are even more beautiful. Why? Because where human has not interfered there is balance in nature, in other words all is perfect,as Allah had created in the first place, all in perfect balance.

double delight

However after giving it a deep thought I think  unlike the rose I cannot strive to be a perfect person in whatever I say or do ...because I am just human .....what I can try to do is to strive to be better...a better person....in my relationship with others and more important in my relationship to the one who created me ....Allah. The rest just leave it to HIM That makes me feel much  better ...I do not know whether you feel the same...

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CHERISH WHAT YOU HAVE WHILE YOU HAVE IT

 Asalamualaikum

Hello there

claw 1

What is your reaction if you heard someone say " is it not better to have hands than to have a handbag, better to have feet than shoes?" It shook me! I never saw it in that light ..never ...Hmm... I thought quickly ... All this while my focus  was ..what handbag next ? GUCCI...or  LOIUS VOUITTON or ????!       What shoes next ..BALLY...TODS..BRUNO MAGLI....????

mix roses

How silly can I be? I suddenly took  a good look at my hands ....at my feet...only this time I make sure I  see both my hands and feet with my heart. You know the difference when you see things with your eyes  you  just see the vision at face value but if you see it with your heart you almost can feel and appreciate it's beauty. So this time when I really took a "good look"  at my hands and feet I noticed  not only they are beautiful but they are perfect!

Angel Face

view from my mousollah

I tried to wriggle my hands,  pick up a bottle with it, pick up a pin and was amazed at  its agility  and usefulness. I began to imagine if I loose a thumb what will happen? I tried picking up the same things as above but this time  pretended I have no thumb and found it very difficult if not near impossible!

Mashaallah..what a unique creation!! Whose work can it be if it is not Allah ! I stop to ponder and went to the mirror to have a good look again at myself . I have so much ..if  I tried to list what I have on me and in me it would be an endless long list because I am sure there is more to be found  what else we have in us ... thank GOD! I began to thank HIM for creating me so perfect ...HE has given me the best ..what more can I  ask?..and all this time I worry over next to nothing ..over material things that wither away even before I die . Unlike my hands and feet they last a lifetime!

mini roses

To those who disagree, hear me ..I  am not saying you cannot have  handbags or shoes ...but the difference is in principle to give  the handbag or the shoe priority over those hands and feet !!! That is the issue here...at least it WAS for me then!

After giving it a lot of thought, now I am starting to appreciate what I have for free! Free? What is free you might ask. Who would give anything for free these days. The AIR ! Imagine no air??? Thank god it is free? Unlike water which we also need badly  was once free from the rivers, now from the tap ,  there is a cost for convenience that we all have to bear.

Kenanga

Hybrid Rose

Trying to appreciate the air I began to  breathe deeply ....closing my eyes trying to feel all the air that is going into my lungs ....how good it made me feel.. all this while I never bothered ..I just took it for granted that breathing was a natural thing to do ..why fuss ? I gave it a deep thought ....hmmm...if humans were to manage the air we breathe what happens if I delayed in paying the bills....just like I did to my handfon ! I was denied of usage.. Oh no! denied from breathing ...it simply means cannot breathe ..so bye bye to this world ..ardious ...ina lilla ...


 I thank Allah the  almighty...(AR-RAHMAN) for his greatness, he knew  men's natural instinct on greed because he created them so HE  created air in a manner it's there everywhere for everyone irrespective of race and creed...  "subhanallah"....

double delight 

What is the correlation with gardens then? I remembered when I was little the teacher used to tell me that we share our oxygen with plants but the plants are thoughtful she said because they give out oxygen in the daytime and only give out carbondioxide in the night time. I look at my garden which is full of green leaves from the giant heconias and a tree called the Pride of Myanmar or Queen of Flowering Tree. As I take my usual morning walk I breathe in deeply and  slowly ..and this time I could smell the freshness  in the air as the rain just stopped and I could also smell the different scents from the  parfum generated by the the roses,  jasmine,murraya paniculata, odontanedenia, strohanthus gratus,aglaia duperieana local name chinese perfume plant or chinese rice flower or mock lemon who are all in fullbloom. How lucky I am  able to smell all those fragrances for free ...suddenly I was reminded again .. that nose ...it is that nose that enable me to smell...I cherished that nose more than ever now !

strohanthus gratus

Have you ever given it a thought,  if you are handicapp or suffering from parkinson's disease you cannot handle an egg or a flower for that matter...picking or holding an egg is an art that we picked up when as we grew up...just try watching toddlers when they handle an egg or a flower for the first time ...what happened? They most probably drop it or crush it isn'nt it ? My thoughts began to race... even if we have a cupboardful of handbags the question is whether we can still carry the same handbag with style and grace when we are 84 years old! However we should thank god if we still have those hands ....

Aglaia Duperieana

kerak nasi

So now I feel enriched with whatever I already have, myself especially, my husband, my children my sister, my relations and friends. Now I walk tall, feel comfortable with myself anywhere ...I do not need any material thing that is  branded like Brabus or Louiss Vouitton  to hang on to to make a statement of who I am or what I can afford, I am just happy and at ease to be just me. Now without even thinking I would just grab any recycle bag when I need to go out ..my daughter noticed the change in me and  did ask me one day.." mama" she said, " what is wrong with you, why are you carrying that "thing" where are your handbags?" I just smiled and said thank god I have these hands ....


In your case did you ever gave a thought what or who you cherish most....is it still with you now ..is it worth to cherish.......if you had lost it did you cherished it while you had it ????

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FRIENDS ARE LIKE FLOWERS

FRIENDS LIKE FLOWERS?

Friends to me  are like flowers.. They have to be  handle with care and recieved with open arms..  Ever recieved a bouquet of flowers?  How do you recieve them ? At the sight of it do you automaticaly smile from  ear to ear without even realizing it  almost a reflex action... I do, how else would I do it I thought to myself
.
Anyway if you want to try recieving it otherwise example try to put on a sour face the next time you recieve one and hands behind your back and is successful at doing it  please let me know ok ...



I let that thought float in my mind and I began to  look at  gardens that I had visited as I began to relate to those thoughts again I ask myself... could friends be like flowers? Like friends flowers too make you smile at first instance. True, plants that flower do wither and die after some time while other species do appear to dry up but produces seeds that germinate and bloom again and again.

Some other like roses need to be pruned after flowering to encourage more shoots and more flowers but this only happens if you  provide the correct environment for it to thrive .....so just like  friends that remain close to your heart they sort of hybernate but they hear you somehow although do not contact them virtually for quite a while. You see as long as deep down  you keep on remembering them they actually remember you. It's telepathy. Like plants that flower they can germinate. So can realtionships they thrive through time and  they might suddenly physically reappear and suprise you...when that happens your heart will  begin to race and you will smile from ear and you will be recieving that old friend with open arms ....I bet...  Hmmm..I thought to myself there surely is  a correlation after all....

I began to reflect again but this time on my life's journey ... especially the time when I lived overseas. I had lots of friends then but  Iost many along the way   just because I did not make any effort to keep in touch or remember  at all because I was younger then and too  busy taking care of the kids..too busy with work ..too busy ..too busy...with  this and that. Some I can remember faces but vaguely of course  but names they just seem  impossible to retrieve. How I wish e mail was made available at that time then most probably I could have save a few the least. So it is quite true ...just like flowers if you are too busy the next time you walk out into that garden not only there are no flowers but in all probability  it will be replaced by weeds and undergrowth !

Realizing that fact I checked my present status. I am a pensioner about a year old. I began to reach out for my handbag and dig in for my blackberry and started to scroll   and  scan the names and fon numbers. At least trying to save whatever I have. I was reminded on the price I had to pay for procrastinating and acted immediately by sending sms's just to cek whether I am lucky enough to  get a response. I waited patiently and prayed that they are still available and most important they remember who I  am ! I kept my fingers crossed and anxiously waited for each reponse. To my suprise many are still available but sad to note that I was also informed that a few has left us  for good. That really hit me ...it sort of made the word procrastinate came to life!

I looked at my garden again and looked at the flowers and thanked god for alerting me ....thank you allah ...

Starting from that day I made a point to e mail, fon, sms or meet them at my blog...I also rearranged my lifestyle to fit my friends in for a chat or skype through the net.  When I walk around the garden and feel that I do get tired faster than I expected I realize then that I actually have grown older in age. Many tend to forget you know and do you sometime think otherwise since now wrinkles do not seem to appear as clear as it did to our mothers and grandmothers somehow..

However since the garden constantly remind me  how small I am compared to the greatness of Allah it has hopefully made me wiser! At least it made my ego smaller than it used to be ! Back to rearranging my life sometimes I do have some friends around for a cuppa over fresh home made bread, buns with stew or mexican soup, scones and some local sweets. It is satisfying to note that my efforts paid off and shared moments with true long lost friends and also new ones  is really gratifying.

I will not trade anything for those moments I refer to as treasured memories to keep ...and like flowers they will appear again if not this spring ...next spring....

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Email fauziah2010@yahoo.com

never fail to make u smile

TALK TO YOUR PLANTS
Asalamualaikum
Hello

AURA IN YOUR GARDEN

Ever been to a garden that make you say WOW at first instance ? It somehow awakens your senses and adranalin start to flow in your body without you realizing it and you somehow feel hypnotised by the surroundings . You feel sort of calm and your pulse seem to beat slower and in rhythm...You just suddenly wish that garden is yours to have and to hold kind of and your mind start to wonder what it would be like to be able to sip tea couple with fresh bake buns , scones or bread or even the simple goreng pisang ? Your nose can almost smell all the frehness the bread, the buns, the scones and the grass and your ears begin tonhear whislong of the leaves as it start to rusle in the wind ...to me when one's senses is awaken when you enter a garden small or big kept or unkept ....this maybe what most of us refer to as the garden has AURA...

colours to wake your senses

HOW TO CREATE AURA

The question is how to create aura in one 's garden ? To me the answer lies with tender loving care. There is a difference to be present in a garden that is perfectly manicured by contractors and in a garden that is less manicured but is looked after with tender loving care by the owners themselves... I am not saying you cannot contract out some job that is too strenous for you but what I am saying is that there has to be this bond between the owner and the garden. The trees, plants and flowers has to be tendered if not nurtured besides it has to be addressed and better still has to be " spoken " to. Yes I am not joking they love to be spoken to and they will actually respond in their own special way by rewarding you with their flowers and fruits and they will appear more fresh and more happy ....so do not be afraid ....talk to your plants...softly of course ...what will the neighbours say !!!

TALK TO YOUR PLANTS

profusion of colours

You know I have this experience , I was expecting some special visitors one day and I thought it would be nice if the garden is at its best that particular day. I wish all my roses and daisies and heleconias etc would bloom profusely so the garden will be very colourful on that daybthey arrive. So what I did was I spoke to them and let them know what date I was expecting my visitors and I told them to be at their best that day.

virgin bloom

Believe it or not I was overwhelmed when the day nearly approach the roses were budding appearing fat and juicylike and come the day I was overjoyed when I saw that morning the roses were all in full bloom red hot , all the heleconias in their own spectacular colours except for one that is the dinasaurus which I was informed by an expert friend its not time yet .... Anyway as for the rest it was such a feast for the eyes and soul..

When my guests arrived they were also pleasantly suprised and we really enjoyed our tea in such simple colourful natural surroundings ...I thank god my visitors also are plant lovers and they made an effort to walk round the garden and of course my plants and flowers heard all the words of praise they had for them ...and that was rewarding for both owner and garden ! I felt as though the AURA in the garden grew ....just the same when one's ego grows with any recognition given in public !

Dinosaurus first bloom

EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED

However talking about the Dinausaurus at last my wish came through. All the effort of manuring and talking to it paid off today. At last my Dinosauraus bloomed for the for the first time in my garden and my helper was so excited that she called for me to see it! I ran down with my camera as rhough trying to capture the first steps of my first grandson ! You know both of us have been encouraging it to flower for the last as I have had the plant for almost three years now. At last she flowered and what do yhey say about heleconias species once they flower they will keep on flowering !!! I am looking forward to see more of them on parent plant in future ....how exciting I thought !

This is what I mean when I say the owner has to have this bond with the plants and until you are able to get excited over some would say "silly things" like the first flower etc then only there is AURA in your garden.....it's soul is alas alive ...
ORGANIC AND COMPOST

reminds you of fresh orange

My helper is also responsible for the rewards in my garden because she too talk to the plants and will notice which plant has bloomed or otherwise in the garden. She and me without fail will be in the garden every morning to trim the roses and see which shrub need pruning. Putting organic manure and organic spray will be done weekly to make sure they get enough nutrients to remain healthy and productive. So far our efforts has paid off.

We also recycle our food waste to turn it into compost and we cleverly dressed the compost hole with bamboos to make it more pleasing to the eye because my compost hole is in front beside my gate at the five foot way. In the begginning I try to avoid making compost from fish or chiken to avoid the bad smell as I have neighbours to consider so I only put remains of cooked vegetables or otherwise and also garden waste. 

disguised compost hole

However lately I tried to put abit of fish remains by adding a liitle of brown sugar to the compost, a tip given by a friend to avoid bad odour while the process of fermenting is taking place. So far it works so you can try it ! For your information recycle garden waste is no comparison to any commercial garden soil and is real good for all kinds of plants and the best thing is, it is FREE !

PROFESSIONAL HELP

mauve to move you

Last but not least it is advisable to get professional help once or once in three months to give the garden a good clean up. This will ensure that the garden is professionally attended to and not unkempt and will ease you the burden of having to worry to back breaking activities especially if you have passed the prime age or a pensioner who for more than thirty years have got used to the pen instead of the spade ! You would be suprised that occasional professional help do not actually cost a bomb and be careful when you call in strangers to do the job especially nowadays when honesty is not the culture. Professional help do package themselves with security.

red roses in full bloom

I guess I have to sign off now ..till then see u again in my next posting and let me know what you would like to share with me ....

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LOST MY VOICE FOUND MY SANCTUARY

view from dining

LOST MY VOICE
FOUND MY SANCTUARY

lingulata spiral yellow

mini bridal bouquet

Assalamualaikum
Hello

I have been keeping quiet literally because I temporarily lost my voice.You see  I was sick and down with flu, cough and fever for about  just two days and guess what ??... on the third day I lost my voice !!
Ever lost anything ? If  you have I bet you did not even realise you had it until you lost it what more appreciated it. I definitely felt like that. You know on second thoughts when I had that voice I used to  abuse it ...say what I like ..shout sometimes...practically just do as I please  and often did not even care or realize it was there! No respect at all... for that voice ...I guess I just assumed it will be there tomorrow and the next day and forever. it had been with me all this while for nearly sixty years....Until when I opened my mouth and just heard myself  sort of "hissing" then only my heart told my head "no voice today...system down..." Oh No! I heard myself say ....What have I done ? Did I abused it? I must have ...my conscience began to confirm...the realization came abit too late ... just like when you have lost something or someone ...sound familiar ?  I pray it is only temporary because I  cannot imagine not having a voice...god help me !

japanese carp in love

bright yellow daisy

No voice to me mean I cannot recite the quran Mashallah!


That would be tragic for me...plus amoung other things that I will not be able to do which I enjoy most.... ....sshhhh..." talk" to my plants and my fishes ? Sound mad  and unreal ? Well to be honest I really do that  ...I mean literally "talk" to them all when I had my voice. It's called bonding.  Now that the voice is gone I miss being able to  give both fishes and plants  words of appreciation for their bright colours, beautiful bloom and especially  for the oxygen those plants give me for free ... and all that happens is with the grace of God.

Scented Strophanthus gratus

You see I am an early riser, up before the sun peeks through the sky...I will wait anxiously  for the it's first rays to penetrate through my window ...always in awe .... although this phenomena is expected to  happen every morning ! Why? Because I always remind myself that I may not be here to see that ray or that garden the next morning if my time is up ...to meet Allah ! Suhanallah

sweet smelling kenanga

I remember the moment I gained some strength I was looking forward to do my usual routine..that is to walk in my garden for an hour..however the only thing different this particular morning I could not "chat" with my plants and flowers and suddenly it gets to me.... What if that voice never return ! It made my body shiver and my heart beat faster.I prayed hard and  my heart begged Allah almighty for his mercy to return my voice.I began to reflect how life just change in a split second for some people on this earth with the onset of unexpected calamities or disease or accidents and when that happen it is the start of a new chapter. You are just forced to accept it ....Patience is the key to remain sane. The chapter before this suddenly remain as memories to behold...

I walked as usual and suddenly I started to realize that I was using my other senses more... I could hear birds chirping and there were more than one kind of chirp which I did not notice before this. Then I saw a few birds chasing one another as they rest now and then either on one of the many flowering heleconias or the rich red costus barbatus cleverly balancing on their tiny little feet, their long thin beak reaching for the nectar inside.  How amazing ! This cannot be the work of nature...this must be the work of the CREATOR ! mashaalah ...How great HE is I was reminded again...

Streligecae Nicolai

bird perch on  costus barbatus

peach scented rose

The rain drenched the leaves of the giant bird of paradise, Streligecae Nicolai ....and guess what I saw a little bird...its breast blue and yellow if I am not mistaken
it was drinking and enjoying a bath at the end of the leave where the water was trapped. It was opening and closing its wings and dipping itself in the water and chirping happily not caring for the surroundings and that scene was special and magnificent to me.

I wish I had my camera to document such special occasion....To me seeing a bird bathing in a man made bird bath ..that is common but to see a bird bath at the end of a leave ..that is certainly very rare... the leave curling itself at the end to trap the rainwater... there must be a reason ...I thought this is god's grace and began to rationalize ..I thought to myself ....when it rained in the jungle especially where water is scarce this is where for that short period these birds can really enjoy a good bath in the flora and fauna yet safe from predators... However the next day I managed to capture the bird who decided to stop and perch on my costus barbatus after happily suckling it's nectar.

droplets on mauve rose petals

lovely royal gold

vinca purple

I continued to walk again and I saw how beautiful my roses were with all the droplets from the shower and how they shine against the light from the morning sun..how refreshing...it was therapeautic and it made me feel better somehow ..there was this invisible energy between the roses and me ...energising

I looked at all the other plants and leaves and flowers while they are still wet and it sparkled as though the droplets were diamonds strewed all over the garden !! What an amazing sight.. Thank God I said to myself ...I will try to not miss this wonderful moment and sight even when I get  my voice back ..inshaalah....

macho male - i can smell you !

         The next morning I was more prepared and had my camera with me ...my voice was back but only a little...alhamdulillah.Suddenly in the background I could hear a short bursts of MEOW... MEOW...its the stray cats again back in my garden calling out for each other ..there was this distinct macho meow responded by  the sound of a sexy purr....hah! it's mating season of course and this time my camera manage to record a pair of cats busy...making sure I guess that their kind continued to roam my garden even when I am not around !...

cool female - hello i am here !

So lesson learnt.....   although I lost my voice ..
I found my sanctuary in my heart and in my own secret garden..... Have you found yours?

Syukur Alhamdulilah

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