You Can Be Whatever You Want To Be!

There is inside you
All of the potential
To be whatever you want to be;
All of the energy
To do whatever you want to do.
Imagine yourself as you would like to be,
Doing what you want to do,
And each day, take one step
Towards your dream.
And though at times it may seem too
difficult to continue,
Hold on to your dream.
One morning you will awake to find
That you are the person you dreamed of,
Doing what you wanted to do,
Simply because you had the courage
To believe in your potential
And to hold on to your dream.

by: Donna Levine
 

TGID -- Thank Goodness It's December

Woah...
what.a.year.
2011 has been a year of change
a year of tears and loss
of hard work and perseverence
of hope and prayer
finding the silver lining.
December brings
the light at the end if the tunnel
relief
holidays
my birthday :)
fun in the sun
family, friends
After the year we have just had
all I can think is...
Thank goodness it's December!!

Hello Summer

Hey Summer... nice to see you back in Cape Town!

Summertime in Cape Town...
reminds me of school holidays,
oh the stunning views and the gorgeous drives
sea, sun, houtbay ice cream :) mmmmm
hats, sunscreen, heat!
but also lazy days with friends and fam
Kirstenbosch summer sunset concerts
picnics, strolls along the beach
brekkies, coffees, braai's
yummy lunches
fresh fruit, smoothies
Lots and lots of photo's!
catching up with old buddies and new
the laughter, the smiles
reminiscing
and welcoming new possibilities
thankful for the end of a busy year
and the beginning of a new one
the vibe, the atmosphere, the gees
Newlands, Camps Bay, Table View, Big Bay
Llandudno, Houtbay
Stellies, Franshoek, Langebaan
Mountain, seas, views, farms, forests
Home, away
How lucky we are...
Love Cape Town!

R

Singing along to Coldplay...

Am loving this song at the moment... Coldplay becoming surprisingly awesome! Great song when driving around on a rainy day. Cant help but press repeat!

FIX YOU -- Coldplay

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down on your face
And I...

Tears stream down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And I...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Our Dear Dedda

I wrote these words as part of a tribute to our dear grandfather, on behalf of his grandchildren...

Thinking about our beloved grandfather, Achmad Sadick Saban

Who was lovingly and affectionately known as DEDDA to us

Brings tears to our eyes

But also so much love and so many memories...

Dedda... The one who's face lit up whenever he saw you

Who always greeted you like you were the best part of his day

His jokes and laughter

Who appreciated every single little thing that you did for him

Or gave to him

Such a genuine person in every aspect of life

We'll always remember...

The kites he made for us on windy days

The cricket bats for a game in driveway

The carts and cars and so much more

He was so talented with wood

And with making things

And with fixing things

He was our McGuyver

We knew, if it was broken... Dedda will find a way to fix it

Never worry or fear if Dedda was near

And he was... He was always near and he was always there

He saw electronic things and technology as a challenge

Instead of being overwhelmed by technology, he loved finding out how it works

Dedda has been using a cell phone for years!

And not just answering phone calls

But making them...

And sending sms's too

He was so talented in so many ways

When he made things or fixed things

He would show you how, if you were interested he would teach you

And such a good teacher he was too

We remember... his beige Ford Escort that he would lovingly take Mamma wherever she wanted to go

And fetch us from school, where our friends would affectionately say "hello Mr Miyagi"

His savvy shopping skills

The soup he made on rainy days

His love of sport! He was an avid supporter of South African teams, especially in rugby and cricket

He always supported the Springboks, Stormers, Western Province

And yet he admired the way the New Zealand teams played as well – he was fair like that :)

There are so many more memories

And so much more to say

We learned so much from him

Some things tangible and some intangible

Generosity, honesty, dedication, perseverance, hope

spirituality, salaah, duah, hardwork and playtime

The importance of family, friendship, relationships, supporting each other

Joy... So much joy and smiles and laughter

But most of all...

LOVE

Showing it, expressing it, living it

He made such an impact on our lives

We will always love and remember our beloved DEDDA

May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdous

Insha-Allah ameen

R

16 July 2011

Blessed

Algamdulillah
Calm and blessed is how I feel now
Steady underfoot?
Yes, most days.
I really do feel grateful
for everything that has happened.
So much growth has come of it
Self-development
Inner strength
I can feel the strength
the inner glow
For the 1st time, since I can remember...
I can honestly express
that I am happy to be ME... algamdulillah
Really, truely
This self-knowing...
This sense of self
is such a blessing
I say shukr ya Allah
for granting me all that you have granted me
thus far in my life
I see now that it all happens
and it all happened
for a reason and for so many reasons.
That confident, bustling, happy little kiddie Rabia
So full of joy
Has finally re-emerged in grown up Rabia
The honest joy is back
Grown and wiser
but joyful
Grateful and thankful
Ready and open
to give and receive
So much love

R
20/7/2011 

Perspective

Its's amazing how life just gets put into perspective
What a rollercoaster the last 6 months have been...
I am staring at this page
wondering just how to put it down into words...
Today was really the first time in so long
that I felt I was standing on steady ground
I have been floundering for so long
that I started thinking that it was 'normal'
Like a duck...
Paddling frantically under the surface
in order to keep going, keep moving, keep floating
Whilst trying to keep calm above the surface.

So yes
Life got put into perspective in the last 6 months
Algamdulillah
I think I have grown up in so many ways
more in the last few months than ever before
I say thank you to the Almighty
I see now what an important time of self-development and self-growth
that I have been through.
Intense training almost.

I have learnt so much about expectations
about change
about dealing with emotions
about relationships...
those that are good for you
and those that are not good for you at a certain time.

With all that has happened this year
I have become so much more aware about what is really important in life
(well to me at least)
and what is just not an issue / unnecessary
Dont assume anything... everrrr
The Almighty's plan is so immense
and sooo beyond our realm of possibility
that we cannot really comprehend
the full extent of even the tiniest part of it.

What an emotional rollercoaster the last 6 months have been.
Physically too.
All I can say is shukr, thank you to the Almighty
for getting me through it all in one piece.
I actually cant believe it.
The power of prayer has been a light at the end of the tunnel for me
Algamdulillah!

For so long
I couldnt really deal with alllllll that was going on
To me
in me
around me
with me
Everything was just too much
I didnt know how to even verbalise my
thoughts, fears, emotions
Nevermind to write them down.
But I first managed the unsaid
from the heart and soul
Which gave me the courage and ability
to give the said
To verbalise
and now to start writing it down
Algamdulillah.

Steady underfoot is what I feel like today
Inshallah it will continue tomorrow
But Algamdulillah.

Calmness
moderate
serenity
peace
gratitude

R
1/7/2011