Gambar di atas dipetik pada Hari Raya Haji tahun lepas. Kami, iaitu abang, mak, Aqila dan kite, solat raya di Masjid Pertempatan Melayu Sembawang. First time! Suka sangat dengan suasananya.

Ramai betul jemaah. Kite tak boleh solat, jadi kite duduk dekat tempat sukarelawan wanita menyediakan juadah. Usai khutbah, para jemaah dijamu dengan kari kambing cecah dengan roti perancis. Ooomph!

Selepas makan, senyum lebar lah kita semua. ^_^

Pada Hari Raya Haji tahun ini pula.. abang dan kite je yang pergi solat raya. Di masjid yang sama. Mak di Malaysia, Aqila di Mesir. Suami di Indonesia. Kena juga waktu kite tak boleh solat, jadi kite duduklah di kawasan yang sama. Kali ini, kite dapat bantu sikit-sikit untuk menyusun kotak-kotak air dan meletak roti perancis di atas pinggan.

Di sebelah tengahari, ikut abang dan kak maya ke rumah ibu Asri. Agar-agar cokolat yang ibu buat sangatlah sedap! Dapat tutorial ringkas dari Farah tentang bagaimana memakai shawl juga! Cukup teruja! Hehehe.. semua yang ada di situ kata cantik. "Pakai lah!" Waduuuhh.. terharu campur segan dengan pujian mereka tetapi cemas dengan galakan mereka! Sebab cantik lah kite tak nak pakai. Memadailah dengan style kite yang sekarang ini. Suami pun suka. Kite ingatkan diri kite sebab utama kite bertudung. Tak nak lah dipandang orang, dipuji orang. Hati kite mudah jadi bengkak, kepala kite mudah jadi besar, jadi kite cuba jauhkan diri. Kalau nak pakai shawl, untuk suami tengok je! (walaupun, bila fikir balik, buat apa nak pakai shawl di rumah, eh? hehe)

Kemudian kite berpisah dengan abang dan kak maya. Mengatur langkah ke rumah makcik suami. Semua keluarga terdekatnya berkumpul di situ. Meskipun suami tiada di sisi, tak rasa kekok. Mungkin kerana diri sudah biasa pergi ke sana ke sini sendirian sebelum berkahwin. Cuma perlu siapkan jawapan standard bila ditanya, "suami mana?" dan "kenapa awak tak ikut?". Di rumah cik Isa pun begitu, beri jawapan yang sama setiap kali dilontar soalan cepumas dan layan je bila disakat =p

Balik dengan abang, kak maya dan kak linda. Sampai rumah hampir jam 12 tengah malam. Penaaat (dan kenyang!).

Yang kite perasan di rumah mama dan rumah cik Isa, kebanyakkan lelaki mengenakan jubah dan kebanyakkan perempuan mengenakan jubah atau abaya hitam. Yang selalunya tidak memakai tudung, memakainya pada hari tu. Mungkin aura eidiladha tu sendiri yang membuat manusia mahu memakai pakaian yang lebih ringkas, sopan dan berkonsep Arab? :)



Alhamdulillah atas segalanya~

Two days ago, the camel figurine which I had kept for 2 years (and 23 days, to be exact) was broken. One moment my niece was holding it.. the next moment, I heard a thud, and there it was, on the floor, the body had lost its head. Most probably she had thrown it - I am not 100% sure coz I was looking at another direction.

I don't know why I kept this figurine for very long. It was the only one in the house - the rest are plush toys.. teddy bear, donkey, elephant, among other animals.. belonging to my niece - and there has always been that tug at back of my mind: I should not keep any figurines, otherwise the angels would not enter my home. But every time I considered discarding it into the bin, I stalled. For nostalgia.

I got the mini camel at a souvenir store at the base of Mount Sinai. There was a row of shops still open in the middle of the night. 2 of my friends wanted to buy batteries for their torchlights. We went to a shop manned by a Christian Arab (I immediately assumed that he was Christian because the displays in his shop were mainly Christianity-related stuff). I remember he complimented one of my friends' looks (she was not wearing a niqab) and gave each one of us a friendship band. And pieces of rock imprinted with shapes of trees; supposedly when God was about to reveal Himself upon Moses' request, the trees in the vicinity were so shaken with fear that they ran and hid behind/in rocks. I don't know how true the story is, and, even if it is, how authentic the rocks that were sold at the shop were. Well, never mind that. The shopkeeper was nice and friendly.. it was just a short encounter, yet I will remember his pleasant demeanor forever :) Oh, and one camel figurine. My friends did not want it.. they insisted I take it, as memory of my visit to Sinai.

Now that it's damaged, I'm feeling somewhat relieved; now I have a good reason to throw it away. And a bit sad.

So, ummm..

Goodbye, dear mini camel~