another new chapter

i spent the weekend with my family and true friends.

on saturday nite i lepaked again with inas and farah at Section 14 until the wee hours. had a few hours of sleep then in the morning i met my childhood friend dina at ikea's restaurant. it's so good to see her again after 2 years. and we talked and talked, until i told her i had to make a move for the next agenda - the reunion with my seri puteri classmates.

the girls had been talking abt al -rawshar restaurant for weeks, even anne and ella who work in Johore. i, of course, was clueless abt what they're talking about until yesterday. the restaurant is located at jalan damai, and you have to turn into the lane next to Sucasa apartments and bypass SMK Seri Ampang (where i did my practical some eons ago). and there we were, the 5Ilmu girls - shidah, zana, as (the national education philosophy stresses on moulding a well-rounded person, and as is the living embodiment of it) june with her daughter, anne, ella and her son and me of course. when we reached the place, i felt like i was in an arab country, since i saw only arab men. it felt uncomfortable with the men outside, so we requested a private room, and we got a whole room decorated in customary arab red with arab styled cushions to ourselves. and while we enjoyed the delicious arab fare (i discovered that i love lamb), we talked about our lives, about why as decided to quit her job as a medical specialist in selayang hospital, about their upcoming business venture...about all sorts of things. we're more like sisters now, since we've been communicating about everything via yahoogroup and sharing problems together. the group is strong in terms of giving moral support and i appreciate them for this. because they do not judge me, (like some people do in another group i belonged to) they accept me, but they give me advice no matter how blunt they have to be. and the best thing is that we've known each other for 22 years. what i admire the most about them is that they're all ladies with high integrity and are high flyers in their companies (businesswomen, doctors, pharmacist, engineers, chemist) but they're still well-grounded and value life, being humble and faithful muslimahs. and they helped me to become a better person. last night, As called me, asking about my final preparation and i asked her should i ask for forgiveness from a friend who has hurt me with her words. and being a good muslimah, she said "nora, you should ask for forgiveness from her. i did so when i went for my umrah" that didnt sit well with me for awhile.... "you mean i've to be humble?" "yes, nora, even if it means lowering yourself. because when you're in mekah, you cannot have a trace of anger or pride". and so i took her advice.

so i take this opportunity to ask for forgiveness to those i've hurt through words, actions even for those who've hurt me in the past. i'm about to embark on a spiritual journey to cleanse my past sins, sorrows and hurt and to commune with God. hopefully i'll return and start a new chapter in life with a new hope.

peace be upon you.