WASHINGTON (AP) — Attention, America: Paris has spoken. Paris Hilton, the blonde, doe-eyed celebrity thrust into the presidential campaign in an ad by Republican candidate John McCain, issued a tart rebuttal Tuesday, albeit in a scantily clad, tongue-in-cheek kind of way. Last week, McCain launched an ad comparing Democratic rival Barack Obama to Hilton and Britney Spears, suggesting Obama was no more than a celebrity candidate unready to lead the nation....

First, it was the inspection.  In Texas, inspection is first and foremost to get a car registered.  Done in half an hour....and state inspection is everywhere....every other car shops has this service.

Second, we needed to get a DL change to Texas...therefore becoming a Texan, but they told us to get the car registration and come back with it to transfer an out-of-state DL to Texas DL.

Third, we got our Title and Registration for the car and the plates on the spot...didn't take long...a bout half an hour also.  I overheard a gentlemen behind me said that the trick to do things quickly is to come to this location which was the Harris County Local Tax Office.  Hardly any line at all...and there were more ppl at the window to deal with.  Compare if you go to the local court house, yes court house for car registration.  You'll have to prepare yourself for a triple snake lines.  So we were really lucked out that day.  All we need to do is to get our DL transfered.


Then when everything was done...lunch time has arrived.  We drove and drove to look for a place since we were in the downtown area....we're not so familiar with this yet....hopefully one of our houstener friends can guide us in it.  Well, we found this place that looked "cool".  It turned out we were lucked out too.  Not only that this place is kid-friendly,  the food is awesome, and not too pricey.  Cyclone Anaya's Mexican Kitchen.  The atmosphere is relaxing yet exciting.  The decor is all about Cyclone Anaya who is or was a professional wrestler back in the 50's or 60's I believe (correct me anyone if I'm wrong).  I'll give it 3 1/2 stars.

WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2 Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger
parts

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice
in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones Then they mostly use
string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1 We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty
bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get
drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to
chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1 My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a
goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the
bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause
that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of
plastic surgery.
2. Diet - you know, her hair. I'd diet maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid
of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who
did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back
of her head.


WHEN YOU STOP LAUGHING --
SEND IT ON TO OTHER MOTHERS, GRAND MOTHERS, AUNTS
and anyone else who has anything to do with kids or just needs a good
laugh

The most important factor in any relationship. To be nerdy and oh so analogical; relationships are like a video game. You start at the bottom with little or no information. As you make your way through dungeons and forests, or levels and stages, you earn points or power or any substance that helps you progress further into the game. You battle opponents both small and large and some can even be considered bosses: The big baddies. If you are able to defeat them, you earn more of that substance. Trials and tribulations are those dungeons and forests. Exes and wrongdoers are the opponents. Trust is that substance. In order for a relationship to grow stronger, you must earn their trust.

Nobody turns to a stranger and says "I have insane explosive diarrhea and occasionally can be found tied up as a gimp while my girlfriend whips me" and manages to find a new best friend. Unless they're a freak. And so are you. (And no, I don't have explosive diarrhea. As for being a gimp...well leather is kind of comfortable. SIKE!JK) We don't start off that way. Because the fact is we all have a side we're afraid to show someone else for fear they may a)reject us or b)ridicule us. It is only through many experiences and connections can we truly be at peace with ourselves to share our deepest darkest secrets.

In my mind, there are pretty much four levels of trust:

- Acquaintance: Someone you are familiar with. A person you might see every now and then but actually have very little knowledge of their past, their present or their possible future. And likewise, they neither know yours.
- Friend: Someone you enjoy being around. It may or may not be often but the experience is usually joyous when you do. A person you've spoken to a number of times and have broken through that acquaintance wall.
- Confidant: A person who knows your past, your present and your sought out future. The person you usually turn to when in need or seek help from. They are your brethren, your kindred spirits. Someone you see as a life long friend.
- Soul Mate: Your significant other. Someone who has delved deep into your soul. Someone who knows you truly for who you are and loves every part of it. A person who does not give and expect to receive and thus who has no ulterior motive other than to enjoy your happiness along with theirs.

For most people, they usually have a cap or limit as to how much they are willing to trust someone. A glass ceiling so to speak. Most are acquaintances, some are friends, fewer are confidants. And there can only be one soul mate.

But what happens if trust is broken? It is a rough road back to stability if that moment ever arrives. When I picture it, I symbolize trust as a rope. It starts off as one thread. It's thin, lanky and easy to break. But then it begins to weave together with others. Soon there are layers, hundreds of threads wrapped around each other making it more and more difficult to sever. Eventually, thousands. And it is nearly indestructible. But it isn't.

The problem with trust is that when it is broken at the confidant and soul mate level, it usually results in anarchy. Destruction of the mind, body and spirit. It is truly one of the most painful experiences a person can go through and it usually invokes a change of character when all is said and done. And almost always, the change is contempt. Not for others but for the feeling. It frightens people to experience it again. So much so that they begin to close off certain levels of trust. They build walls around their heart and minds. It becomes locked away, sheltered by a huge fortress. And they become distrusting.

This is the path to the dark side. LOL couldn't resist. I read my own writing very dramatically.

But that's how most people become and you can't blame them. I'm not like that; I can't be. I'm optimistic and light hearted. I like to believe that all the risks of being hurt are always worth the joy of being loved. And you know what? They always are.

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
in Islam, I mean to say
For I just took my shahadah
at the masjid here today

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
I openly ask without any qualms
The one who just walked past me
Without offering me her salaams

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
Though she stands alone to pray
Each time I move to touch her shoulder
She takes a step and pulls away

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
the lady that is not of my race,
for both of us are muslim women
with varied hues making up our face

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
Who laughed and made fun of me
And those other sisters of mine who listened
Doesn’t their silence make them also guilty

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
Who didn’t call me when I was sick
For she seems to only show concern
for those special sisters, in her own clique

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
Who I invited for iftar in my home
But unfortunately she did not make it
How I wish she had bothered to phone

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
Don’t we both love our religion - this Deen?
Then why am I sharing my lament
About her being uncaring, indifferent and mean?

Isn’t the woman there my sister?
Won’t she open up and try to treasure
The love I want and need to share with her
As we both seek Allah’s Merciful Pleasure

source: www.islamicpoetry.com

To tell you the truth it has been pretty slow.  With the girls feeling a little under the weather and running in and out of the house for errands, the day wasn't that bad...it has not even ended yet.  They are sleeping, thank god for the medicine!

First, the closing for the house in Houston, Texas!  Waiting for the notary settlement agent to come to do the courtesy closing here at the house was pretty nerve racking!  But just going through the process was okay.  Finally we have a house to call our own, the main thing now is when to move.  YAAAY for our Little family!

Second, I was just checking my mail and deleting through all the spam/junk mails.  Then I opened up this email about a business proposal....as I read down the email, it finally dawned on me it's one of those fraud emails from Africa.  Well, it has been doing a lot fraud to ppl through the phone but now we're getting it with emails!  I remember talking to an old friend of mine who is from Nigeria.  He told me that he received one of those phone calls!  There were always reminders for us not to give out our bank accounts numbers and social security number and sometimes now we get reminders not to give out our email addresses and so on and so on.  Well, this is WHY!

IT'S A FRAUD I TELL YA!

here's the email i got:

FROM:MR STEVEN GABRIELTELL  :+0027-739-443-557FAX    :+0027-865-294-929

E-MAIL:steven_gabriel1960@yahoo.com

 

              PRIVATE  AND CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL
 Dear
Sir/Madam,

Hello,

Compliments of the day to you. Obviously this message might come as a surprise to you, but please consider it as a high priority issue, which will definitely change our destiny.

I am STEVEN GABRIEL, The Chief Internal Auditor for the Amalgamated Bank of South Africa (ABSA BANK) for duration of 16 years now, with about 10 months left for an over-due retirement.

There is a Draft Account opened in this bank in 1992 by longtime client of mine Mr. Smith Andre, who was a foreigner and a miner at Kruger Mining Company, he was also a geologist for several other mining conglomerates in Africa, before he passed away in 1995 due to severe cardiac arrest in a South Africa Hospital, leaving nobody as the next of kin or beneficiary of the money after his death. As his financial auditor before his death, I am fully aware of every details of his account from 1992-2006.

 

As a matter of fact the amount in this account is currently EIGHT MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS (US$8M) waiting to be approved for immediate payment by the bank to any foreign account holder with proof of Andre Smith beneficiary and next of kin. In other words No withdrawal or deposit has been made since 1994 to date into this account.

I am contacting as foreigner because this money cannot be approved for payment into a local account, but can only be approved for a foreign account because it was insured and there is clause in the depository agreement by the Bank and Mr. Smith Andre which states that on No condition can any local withdrawal be made from this account unless the money is transfer into a foreign account. In effect withdrawals can be made only when the money has transferred from the vaults of the bank to a foreign bank account.

If you are willing and capable of handling such amount in strict confidence and trust according to my instructions and advice for our mutual benefits, because this opportunity will never come my way again. I will use my position and influence to effect legal approvals and onward transfer of this money into your nominated overseas bank account with the appropriate clearance certificate from the Ministries and Foreign Exchange Department.

I will physically be in your country for Sharing as soon as you confirmed the money in your bank account, but agreement will be signed by both parties concerning the sharing modalities to avoid misunderstandings.

Endeavor to contact me immediately through my private email address, whether or not you are interested in this deal. Within two weeks I am 100% sure and confident our lives could change forever. Please note that secrecy and confidentiality is of paramount importance for and effective and successful completion of this major transaction. Please keep this secret.

 

I look forward to your earliest reply.

 

I will hang-on until I hear from you.
 
Regards,
Mr.STEVEN GABRIEL.

To whom they got this msg to....don't do anything else but SPAM it!

I GONNA MISS YOUR E-MAILS

McDonalds, Chuck E Cheese, Discovery Zone... All places with
ball pits in the children's play area. One of my sons lost his watch,
and was very upset. We dug and dug in those balls, trying to find his
watch.
Instead, we found vomit, food, feces, and other stuff I do not want to discuss.

I went to the manager and raised hell. Come to find out, the ball pit is only cleaned out once a month. I have doubts that it is even done that often.. My kids will never play in another ball pit.

Some of you might not be parents, but you may have nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or friends with children.

This will pertain to you too. As I read the following, my heart sank. I urge each and every one of you to pass this on to as many people as you can. I cannot stress how important this is!

Hi. My name is Lauren Archer, my son Kevin and I lived in Midland , TN.

On October 2nd, 1999 I took my only son to McDonald's for his 3rd birthday.

After he finished lunch, I allowed him to play in the ball pit. When he started whining later on, I asked him what was wrong, he pointed to the back of his pull-up and simply said 'Mommy, it hurts.' I couldn't find anything wrong with him at that time. I bathed him when we got home, and it was at that point when I found a welt on his left buttock.

Upon investigating, it seemed as if there was something like a splinter under the welt. I made an appointment to see the doctor the next day, but soon he started vomiting and shaking, then his eyes rolled back into his head. From there, we went to the emergency room. He died later that night. It turned out that the welt on his buttock was the tip of a hypodermic needle that had broken off inside.



The autopsy revealed that Kevin had died from a heroine overdose. The next
week, the police removed the balls from the ball pit. There was rotten food,
several hypodermic needles: some full, some used; knives, half-eaten candy, diapers, feces, and the stench of urine.

(You can find the article on Kevin Archer in the October 10,1999 issue of
the Midland Chronicle.)

Don't think it's just McDonald's either. A little boy had been playing
in a ball pit @ a Burger King & started complaining of his legs hurting.

He later died too. He was found to have snake bites all over
his legs & buttocks. When they cleaned the ball pit they found that
there was a copperhead's nest in the ball pit. He had suffered numerous bites from a very poisonous snake.






Repost this if it scares the crap out of you!! Repost this if
you care about kids!! Please forward this to all loving mothers,
fathers and anyone who loves and cares for children!! What has this world
come to?? If a child is not safe in a child's play area then where??

AND FYI:

In Florida and other places on the East Coast a group of people are putting HIV/AIDS infected and filled needles underneath gas pump handles, so when someone reaches to pick it up and put gas in their car, they get stabbed with it. 16 people have been a victim of this crime so far and 10 tested HIV positive.

Sitting in front of the computer checking the updates on multiply while letting my daughters figure out how to play the memory game I just bought them and suddenly i heard my oldest one talked to my youngest,  "what are you doing here, Joq?" and "Astafioyaziim!"

hehehheheh   Alhamdulillah...we get to go on a mini vacation...thx to miz Kevinia

HOUSTON here we come!!!

There are 0 states that has adopted these 15 laws.  However, 16 states plus DC were giving a "good" rating.  Highway safety are not priority in passing the legislature.  This "good" rating meaning the state is significantly advanced toward adopting all of the recommended laws.

A mother lost her daughter b/c her state didn't have one of these laws (seat belt) and when she confronted the Transportation Commitee who refused the let the bill heard, one senator replied, "What do I tell mothers who lose their children from DUIs? That the police were too busy ticketing people for not wearing a seat belt."

What are these 15 laws.....

1. A primary enforcement safety belt law.
2. An all-rider motorcycle helmet law.
3. A booster seat provision for kids ages 4 to 8 within the child-restraint law.
4. A six-month "holding period" during the learner's permit phase.
5. A minimum of 30-50 hours of supervised driving during the learner's permit period.
6. A nighttime drivng restriction from at least 10 pm to 5 am during probational period.
7. A restriction of no more than one non-family teen passenger during a probational stage.
8. A total prohibition on cell phone use by drivers with learner's permits or provisional licenses - except for 911 purposes.
9. An open container ban.
10. Enhanced penalties against hig blood-alcohol-concentration (BAC) drivers.
11. Repeat offender penalties.
12. Mandatory BAC testing for drivers killed in crashes.
13. Same for drivers who survive crashes in which another motorist was killed.
14. State authorization of sobriety checkpoints.
15. Penalties against impaired drivers transporting children.

So how many laws does your state has?

If you want more information, you can visit this page.

We all know that Air Bags saves lives, but here are some things you might not know:

• They deploy thanks to chemistry.  The impact of a crash generates an electric signal, which ignites an explosive.  That heat sets off a chemical reaction, which produces gas to fill the air bag.
• The entire process take place in 1/20th of a second.  That's faster than the blink of an eye.
• When fully inflated, a driver-side air bag is about the size of a large beach ball.   Passenger-side bags can be two to three times larger.
• Hitting a curb hard can activate an air bag.  Since the sensors measure deceleration, anything that suddenly and unexpectedly significantly slows down or stop your vehicle can activate the bag.  but even the hardest braking generates only a fraction of the force necessary to activate an air bag.
  

After eating sahur...here I was reading a magazine that Geico was sending out to their clients....and everything was very interesting to me....

There is this page titled YOUNG DRIVERS.  One of the sub-title is about driving behaviors and their pet-peeves that can trigger other driver to have road rage.  Not only are these behavior dangerous....and possibly against the law.

Of course, everyone should tak esteps to avoid road rage, but being courteous and treating other drivers as you'd like to be treated, you can help make the roads safer for everyone.

There are manners to be learned in every aspect of life that includes road and driving manners.

Hooray, hooray, big celebration!

Alhamdulillah he finally arrive, the newest addition to our family.  My "big boi" nephew....that means I am a Bude! and hubby is Pakde Imran....i love it!

oh I'm sorry....back to the subject....hiihihiihihih

Aidan Fadhil Hidayah Widodo was born in Elmhurst Hospital, NY on October 1, 2007.  He was 8 lbs 2 oz (3.7 kg) and 20.7 in (53 cm).  Mami (Sarah) is doing absolutely wonderful.  Daddy (aji, my brother) is doing awesome as a father, he's been feeding him, changing him, putting him back to sleep.

My big boi Aidan!  Bude loves you Nak!  May you be the sweetest and loveliest child and a good muslimin with a stronger iman than your parents.  May you be a child that have full of love and happiness and to love and obey your parents.  May you always have good health and long life.  Amien ya Robbal Alamien!

Seperti yg di share sama temenQ Eriq ttg links Al-Qur'an dan terjemahannya.

Saya juga punya nech....

1.  Qur'an Explorer

2.  IslamiCity

Dua2nya ada terjemahannya (English, Indonesian and others) dan Arabic Scriptnya (bisa dibaca).

Selamat membaca Al-Qur'an!

wassalamu'alaikum

Mengkirakan gempa di Banten dan daerah sekitarnya kemaren ada cuma satu saja ternyata sudah banyak gempa2 laen yg terjadi di area Padang dan Bengkulu.

HEBOH!

Listnya bisa diliat disini

Apakah ini salah satu message mengingatkan kita2 yg lupa kalo dunia ini emank hanya milik Allah SWT.

Sudah datang lagi bulan suci Ramadhan.  Kuatkanlah iman dan ibadah serta amal hanya utk Allah SWT semata.

Narita dan sekeluarga mengucapkan selamat beribadah bulan puasa utk semua temanz di seluruh bagian bumi ini.  Minal 'Aidin wal Fa'izin Maaf Lahir dan Bathin.

RAMADHAN MUBARAK, RAMADHAN KAREEM

Kel. Yousuf
Imran, Narita, Alianisa & Morgan