Maidless in Hari Raya
Wow… It’s been a while since i’ve last jotted something here… the past few weeks have been absolutely mad! What with the year-end workload at the office, fasting month, Hari Raya preparations and other significant agendas in my life… To top it all off, the recurring pain in my leg, plaguing one of my few joys in life… SHOPPING!!!
I’m not gonna talk about work, coz i’m bored of it. So let’s start with Ramadhan and Hari Raya then, shall we?
Ramadhan went well, considering we were maidless and had to cook and clean ourselves despite coming home from an absolutely hectic day at work. But at least we didn’t skip any buka meals and got up for sahur almost everyday… Abit disappointed that i didn’t lose much weight this yr, what with all the yummy stuff we bought from PARAM (read: Pasar Ramadhan). But, as they say, there’s always a silver lining… due to us being maidless for a month now, i can honestly say that the house is more complete and homey than ever! The kitchen is more organized, we eat healthier food (an attempt to lose weight on me and my mom’s part, hehe), got ourselves a brand spanking new washing machine (we never knew our old one was in THAT bad a shape) and we got some new furniture to complete our home.
All of this made Hari Raya a teensy bit more exciting than normal. Tiring, yes, but exciting nonetheless. Still, Raya hasn’t been the same since arwah Babah and Atuk passed away… Seems like the glue that used to hold the family tightly together is beginning to dissolve… Although it could be just that everyone has moved on and have different agendas in their lives, and forgotten how fun it was back in the old days… Getting together at our great-grandma’s place in Rembau, us kids playing out in the yard and running up and down the long house like nobody’s business, uncles and aunties joking and laughing.. and at night, we’d all go outside to play with sparklers and fireworks (it was still legal back then :P). And when we went to Babah’s house for Raya, she’d always, ALWAYS have all these delicious, scrumptious food all lined up to meet us… Soto Madura… Nasik Tomato… Laksa… I’m getting hungry just thinking about it… Yum yum…
But to be honest, what i miss most is Babah’s infamous stories, her jokes and cheeky smile, those big hugs and kisses, the religious guidance and her undying warmth. She was like this flame that makes all us moths gather around her, forever wanting to soak in that warmth exuding from her very pores. And as for Atuk, his quiet and strong demeanor and caring ways will never be forgotten…
Newayz, i guess we all have to move on and create NEW traditions, perhaps with new frens and family. We’ll see what happens NEXT Raya… hehehe. For this year, I’m still trying to figure our HOW I’m gonna do my annual open house… How am i supposed to cook for all my frens all by myself?!?!! Fenin fenin fenin….
