MY GIRL.
I think i found the right lady in my life..possibily for a lifetime, inshallah. She's an inspiration to me and awakening something insde me. She has also touched me with her good heart and life story. Mashallah she's an amazing lady, yet very modest of her gifts. Anyways, enough of the gushing and before I jinxed myself. :P
HOW WE MET..
I met through a group of Indonesian friends at the mosque. We talked a bit as friends and when in Indonesia she continued to email me. Gradually we opened up to each other and our hearts and now... well... I think she's the one. I am going to Indonesia sometime next year in 2008 (not going to tell you the exact date since I do not want my plane to be hijacked by you jihadists..kidding) and I think I may pop the question.
ABOUT HER..
Her name is "Khadijah" (not her real name but her Islamic name..i'll explain later). She is about a year older than me. She was divorced and perviously had a child who died last year.. she would have been nine years old. She got married in an arranged marriage after she graduated high school, which is rare in a moderate secular modern Muslim country. Her marriage lasted for a year and half because the husband was drug abuser, wife abuser and a dead beat dad. Her in-laws did not know about his sinful life till he abused her in front of the family on Ramadan
.
After the divorce, her mother took care of her daughter while she worked in various hospitality jobs in Indonesia. She had some failed relationships and later she had a tragedy in her life with the death of her daughter from a virus. She had various hardships life on top of that. Her father was a Chrisitan and her mother is a devout Muslim, but converted just to marry her (It is not uncommon in Indoneisa for that to happen since I noticed that a lot of people belive in the power of love and all that). Her father was player and had other women and this eventually led to divorce. She lived with various relatives as her parents had to sort out the drama. Upon the request of her mother for her to learn about Islam, she went to an Islamic boarding school for two years and then lived with an aunt who treated her like Cinderlla.
Despite all that she decided to change her life around and become more involved in Islam, and hope to find a good Muslim husband who will be a leader for her family. But like most old countries, a divorced woman is not very desriable, unless for short term boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. So anyhow, we got to know each other and contintued to email her while she was in Indonesia and talked on the phone. She started wearing the hijab and tries to fast on any available days and prays five times a day. She enjoys singing and goes with her co-workers to karoke and has an awesome voice like Sarah McLachan awesome. It compliments well when she recites Quran because she recites really well.
She somewhat worried about what her friends might think with her being a born-again Muslim. Her circle of friends used to be a bar-hopping yuppie types. They don't know that she wears the hijab now but I think they will find out when they have their yearly reunion this December. But they will understand but they would be shocked. Even my Indonesian friend who introduced me to her is shocked because she always knew of her during their bar days.
She enjoys music. Her favorite singers are Kristiyanti (Indonesian singer), Siti (Malaysian singer), Alicia Keys, Sarah McGlaugkin (sp), Mariay Carey, Destiny's child, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, classical music, and Kid Rock. For fun, her and her friends go to a family-oriented cafe to sing Karaoke. She used to sing as a child for her father's family and her relatives would give her money for her singing.
She said I should choose an Islamic name for her. I chose Khadijah because when i think of strong, devout Muslim woman.. i think of Khadijah (RA).
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT HER..
her inner strength, her devotion and despite all the hardships in her life she maintains good heart free from jadeness. I was moved by her story and her beauty from within. She is like a petal from a flower floating above a tough current. She encourages me to have a good heart and she is genuinely understands me and makes me a better person by bringing out the best in me. She believes that I am good person with a good deen and good heart. As I said before she has an awesome singing voice. She told me she wants me to sing a Bryan Adams song when I hang out with her friends for night of Karaoke. I am still working on trying to sing. I did try to sing a 50 cent song to her called 21 Questions and she was like "That... was good, Tuan". She puts up with my unconventional stuff. I told her that I was thinking of getting a tattoo with the saying "To God we Belong, and To God we Return" in Arabic with an Indonesian dagger on my back. She was like "Tuan, don't do that! That's haram. your prayer will not be accepted". She is ok with my body piercings as long as I don't get any additional ones. She is ok with my long hair and the body muscle I display, but added that I might intimidate most Indoneisans because I look like a street thug in their eyes. She did have crush on guys with long hair but not anymore since she is grown up, but I think deep down she likes the muscles ("Tuan, you are so big!"). nevertheless, she says she would not ask me to change and accepts me for who I am.
My Girl..my Girl...talkin About...
....and yes I will send you one as well. 
)..for if she was the one, you would have shown some "ghayrah" and you'd have refrain from posting her pictures on a public forum...
were my initial suspicions correct, then? i didn't want to say outright "haha, now that's funny..."
