Raya in Penang 2017

SELAMAT HARI RAYA, EVERYONE!!!!!

Long time no write, dear blog but I'm back from the most wonderful Raya break!

I sincerely hope everyone had themselves a great week off, we all kinda needed it, right? Everyone working in retail would know that pre-Raya is hectic and crazy. I left the office mid Thursday because I had to take a flight to Penang that evening and I was so busy that whole week that I didn't get to pack for my week in my kampung. So I dropped by the office in the morning to do some last minute packing of the last batch of orders and had a quick outfit change for the team photo shoot (you can see that on our Instagram) and literally changed back and packed up to leave. I was supposed to just leave for the airport but I had to rush home because I didn't do my damn packing. Stressed! 

Anyway, got onto the pretty packed flight and arrived just in time for buka puasa. I love Penang, I love it with all my heart and soul and I will always love it. If you don't already know me, I'm not a Penang-ite. I was born and bred in KL but Penang is my mum's hometown and we've been going there ever since we were born. In fact, my brother was raised by my grandparents for a good few months in Penang before we got Kakak. So really, Penang is like home. 

Which is why I LOVE Raya. I love, love, love Raya. It's my favourite holiday. I know some people have come to realise that Raya might have been a lot more exciting when we were kids. But not for me!!! I love it, I love the days and weeks leading up to Raya and I love how Raya isn't just a day or two, it's a whole month! And if I tell you what we do for Raya, you'll laugh and question what exactly is it about this time of year that I love. 

We do nothing. Like, we just bum around and eat. Which is probably why I love it so much. I don't see my cousins as often anymore now that we've all grown up a bit. Half of us are already in college/uni/done with uni. But Penang is the time of the year where we all stay under one roof and have so much fun. We play games all day, cards lah, Monopoly lah, Avalon lah, everything! If not that, we're eating or sleeping. Honestly, we take our bumming around seriously. When people would ask "Ooh, where do you go eat when you're in Penang??" and I'm like, "...home...?" which might frustrate some people because they think I'm missing out. But am I really???? Have you seen the amount of food and drinks we have at home???? 

And we don't even do our ziarah-menziarahi during Raya. We don't have any other family in Penang so we're literally just home hahahaha what kind of Raya right??? But kinda glad because honestly, we get so sleepy after Raya lunch that most of us out flat by 3pm. Probably a lot to do with the amount of rice and bread we eat throughout the day.

Here are photos!

One of the main reasons my grandfather bought this round marble table was so that we could play card games during Raya. What a Godsent right?????

Raya breakfast! Featuring china plates my grandmother brings out only once a year. Who else has the same exact ones???

Essentials! Phone (to play Psych duh) and balang's of kuih.

I loved my batik this year! I bought this 2 years ago and made it also 2 years ago but since I didn't come back for Raya last year, I kept this kurung for 2017.

My heart and soul and entire being. I love my grandparents so much, I can't verbalise it.

Ok reason we always take photos at the same place with the same background is because of lighting. Everywhere else looked odd. And also??? I'm the shortest???? Bye???

This was my first year of giving out duit raya so obviously I needed to take a photo to commemorate the special moment. So weird for me but I oddly loved it. And yes, I did force them to take this photo with me. 

"Hug me or no duit raya!"

One with our dear, dear, dear, wonderful Pak Tok.

We unintentionally looked like one harmonious colour palette. My aunty said, "You guys look like Stabilo!"

'96s and besties fer life.

I look extra sepet that night because I had a minor sty and it really made my eyes swollen. So although it calmed down after a day or two, it was still quite painful and I decided to swear off eye make-up for a bit. So this is what I really look like without some mascara, guys.

Idk, guys.

We also celebrated Myra's birthday in Penang as she turned 21 on the 3rd day of Raya! This is her green tea cake.... which no one really ate except for this family hahahaha 

What a cutiepie!!!!

This was when Sharul and his lovely family came over for breakfast on Tuesday. I think? I'm not too sure now but Mama bought nasi kandar in the morning for breakfast. So nice having people over because we don't usually have guests hahaha

Mama's friend pesan-ed some jeruk and I was like, "Why??" because I thought it was so random... until my mum then told me "Hello! Jeruk in Penang is like keropok lekor in Terengganu ok, it's famous here". I tried one and didn't like it.  

We were singing along to Rollin' by Khalid though it doesn't look like we were. Rollin' was our theme song the whole of Raya.

Raya was so much fun and I was so sad when we had to leave. We left a day earlier than my other cousins so it was even more sad. I always tear up when I had to wave my grandparents bye and yes guys, even at age 24 I teared up. I love Penang and I love Raya. I look forward to it feverishly every year so after not spending it in Penang last year (I was in the UK, waiting for graduation), I was especially looking forward to come back this year. I don't know if we made the most of it but I definitely had a lot of fun. I think also because we've grown so much since we were children that we can kinda relate each other a bit better. 

I also immensely enjoyed scrolling through my Instagram and Twitter feed this year to see the Raya love. Seeing people so segak and so cantik in their baju raya really does make me so happy. And I've always loved what Raya stood for - to take time out to forgive one another and to be together. We're so busy with work and studies and ourselves that we tend to distant ourselves from family - whether we like it or not. So to have that one time of the year to come together and to salam and to laugh and play games and reminisce is so greatly needed. And although I dread that the Penang house doesn't have WiFi, I'm also very glad it doesn't. 

Raya is and has always been my favourite time of year and I can't wait to celebrate more here in KL with more family and friends. How brilliant is it that we have a whole month to celebrate??? I know a lot of people might not resonate with my love for Raya so this whole post might sound too squeaky and shrieky (can you imagine my voice? Bet you can) but it fills my heart with so much happiness and so I thought I'd write a whole damn post on it. 

Hung out so much with each other that we started to sync with one another.

After a whole week with them, here's what I've gathered

Song of the week : Rollin' by Khalid

Word of the week : 'Rude!'
Phrase of the week : "Check yourself before you wreck yourself" and "Bye Felish"
Food of the week : Apam telur and nasi tomato
Game of the week : Psych

Already miss my Raya in Penang and today being the first day of work definitely did not do anything to subside that.

Selamat Hari Raya! Maaf zahir batin from me and from all that I've said/not said, done/not done. Here's wishing everyone the loveliest, the funnest, the most fulfilling Aidilfitri.

xx

P/S : I'm sleepy and have no energy to spellcheck and grammar check so maaf zahir batin for that also. I'll do it soon.