RaYa SpIrIt

When you seldom blog, you will end up with mental block…and your writing skill will go rusty (macamlah ada skill sangatkan..).

I think I’m going through this phase currently.

But we can't let this situation prolongs right? So I better start writing before I lost touch with blogging completely.

Emm..what should I talk about? My life seems to evolve around the same thing everyday, with quite the same schedule. Cam orang yang sedang dilanda keboringan je kan? And I don't take interesting photos of the boys lately. Our camera are full of CMOG's accomplished projects, which I'm yet to make a posting in the other window. I think I should carry the camera around more often so I could snap those "Kodak" moments..especially when the two boys play together. It's lovely sight (as opposed to fighting).

Well, fasting so far masih penuh, alhamdulillah. I expect a full month puasa this year. Still haven’t got my menses after Aliff’s birth. I think I've gotten it as soon as I returned to work after confinement. But hell, no. It’s not menses. It just shows up one month, and never again the following month. Some suggested I go for a check-up..and some suggested I pergi mengurut since it’s almost one year. Tengoklah macamana. It might be due to breastfeeding. But then again, it’s no harm if I want to go for a check-up.

Now on Raya. It's going to be my fifth Raya with hubby. I still remember our first Raya together on how we make a pact to celebrate every Raya's eve at MIL's house in Pontian. Not that Hubby is being unfair or something, but that's just the way it has to be. My parents will go back to my grandma's house in JB, which is full of other 30 other unmarried cucus (I'm the first cucu), who have no choice but to spend their nights at JB house. Thus, there is no room for the married cucu like me to overnight there. Atok Mak pulak tu disallowed us to tidur kat luar..with us being newly married and what not. Thus, we then decided that we shall overnight at Mak Pontian's house. And the very next morning, we shall shoot to JB to pay Mak Abah a visit. I don't mind at all since I love to stay at Pontian anyway. Lovely kampung environment. After all, I see Mak Abah everyday, but Mak Pontian, hardly. So, basically that's how it goes every year.

Our first Raya, it's just the two of us. We were almost 11 months married then. Every time we met people, they'll ask..Dah mengandung ke belum? Pressurenye lah. Not like we didn't try. Actually, I was pregnant at that time, but I didn't know. Until after Raya, we found out the great news. As for Raya photos, I thought I have no digital image of our first Raya together, but as I did some housekeeping of all my PC folders, I found one, courtesy of my cousin. We don't have digital camera back then. Theme colour for the year was greyish blue. And I still remember I baked like 3 Raya cookies that year. I don't like cooking, but I love baking. Baking cookies, to be specific.

Then came our second Raya. We've got a new family addition i.e. Ashraff. He was almost 4 months old. Already an active young lad. I thought he was still too small to wear baju melayu, but atok-atok dia bersemangat. He got two baju melayus at that time, from both side of the family. Theme colour - pink. Hubby nak tak nak kena agree with that colour...hehehe. I didn't bake any cookies that year coz I really didn't have time. Ashraff was a handful with his evening colic..and I didn't have a helper. Since we've lost all our digital images when Ashraff was younger, here's the only photo that we have. Nasib baik I upload it in my frienster.

Gelapnya Ashraff masa tu...hehehe. He was born dark..like really dark, dengan bibir yang lebam ala-ala heavy smoker. Nasib baik sekarang ni tidaklah segelap dulu...

Third raya, the theme colour was brown. Hubby was being extra generous that year. We spent the eve of Raya in JB..and only went back to Pontian at around 12 midnight. Ashraff was like 1 yo 3 mo then. He's full of antics. Being the first and only cicit, he seemed to be in the centre of attention. And dia pulak, having that "celebrity personality", akan buat je apa orang suruh buat. Kalau orang suruh nyanyi, dia nyanyi. Orang suruh senyum, dia akan senyum. I baked 3 raya cookies that year, but too bad, semuanya tak menjadi. Entah kenapa. That year I would say is one of those rare moments when I actually put on weight. Lots of them. Semua orang ingat I was preggy again. Bengang je...I still remember my plan to go on a diet binge that year...

The night at TokMak's house in JB

Di zaman kegemukanku suatu masa dulu...

Came fourth Raya, I was even more bloated! I was heavily pregnant with Aliff back then. I'm due on the second week of Raya. We were contemplating on whether to go back to Johor or not. But, we took the risk and went back. In fact, that year we went all the way to Mersing for "adat merisik" for my BIL. Nasib baik tak terberanak kat Mersing! I guess, so far, this is the only Raya where I wore gown instead of baju kurung. I didn't make any cookies this year. Kepenatan. Our theme colour was dark blue. Ashraff was 2 yo 2 mo then. He seemed to enjoy Raya so much this time. He followed Mak Su Siti (Hubby's sister) around kampung to deliver juadah Raya. That's the best thing when you have a "real" kampung to celebrate Raya. Meriah sangat! And if I'm not mistaken, that's the first year I got to celebrate Raya with my BIL who is an army and was forced to work during Raya. He managed to secure a Raya leave that year.

On the 10th of Syawal, Aliff was born. A lot of people insisted us to give "Raya name" to Aliff...like Fitri or Aidil or Syawal. Sorry folks, Fitri is taken. That's his father's name. Syawal is way out of list. Aidil? Not bad. I was thinking of improvising the spelling to maybe..errr..Aidiel? But Hubby don't quite like that name, plus, we've decided on Aliff long time ago. Now that I think of it, I've never actually blog about this Raya. I went straight for my maternity leave after Raya holiday, leaving me with no internet access to blog.

This year...hmmm...unlike the past years, I don't quite plan well for this year's Raya. I guess we are too busy planning for the holiday trip we had earlier and A&A's party, till we 'overlook' Raya altogether. No new baju Melayu for both hubby and Ashraff. They are going to wear the same baju they wore for BIL's wedding, which makes our theme color for the year Red. I haven't really try the baju on Ashraff yet to see whether it still fit. Kalau terkecik, parahlah! Kenalah beli baju last minute. No home-made Raya cookies this year either. Semua beli. I have not shop for my tudung Raya..and I need new brooches as well. Most of my brooches are mismatched..and "urgh" looking. Ashraff still does not have sampin. Sampin dulu dah kecik. I think I need to pay Jalan TAR a visit soon. Kain baju melayu Aliff baru dibeli. Nasib baik MIL is willing to sew. Seriously everything last minute this year. I just hope everything turns out okay. Yang penting Raya pertama tu kena perfect for the customary salam-salaman and photo taking.

Oh, this year, Pontian's side has two additional family members One is 11 mo Aliff. And another one is BIL's wife. Mak would be very happy with the growing family member. If only we could get together one fine day, and go to photo studio to get our family photos taken. I always wanted to have a formal family photo with Hubby's side. Too bad, my late FIL (whom I've never met) is not around to celebrate Raya with us.

This year jugak, rezeki, alhamdulillah melimpah ruah. Just got my long awaited bonus. Few days after that, gaji pulak masuk. And then few days after, I received two cheques from IRB for tax refund. I’ve settled my credit card bills in full amount, put aside for A&A’s party end of this year..and some for savings and other good course. Just when I need them the most, they are here…alhamdulillah. When I think about salary increment, revision and bonuses, rasa sayang nak tinggalkan 9-to-5 job. But when we think about those highly-stressed moments, rasa macam masa tu jugak nak tender resignation…hahaha...

Oklah, better stop here. Hey, I think I still haven't lost touch with blogging. When you put your heart and soul to it, you can do it. Tengoklah berapa panjang my entry this time...hahaha. Err..how should I end this post ye? Raya wish? Maybe later. Too early for that...