My 2022 Raya

Hi! I wish I was a better blogger but facing the realities of work, once I come home and wind down, I kinda just want to scroll through TikTok 'til I fall asleep. 

Raya's come and gone! I can't believe I missed out on blogging that. In short (ye ke short), I absolutely enjoyed my one week holiday in Penang. Raya came unexpectedly early this year, the first time I've experienced it! And that was pretty eventful in and of itself. The *content* on TikTok and Reels and alllll the captions. It was hilarious to see. It was very rushed for a lot of people who expected another day of fasting. We were all good alhamdulillah in the Mahmood household. We did go out to buy lemang at 11pm just behind our house. But the market place was SO packed, the line extended outside. It was crazy! But also I'm sure very necessary lah since some people tak start apa pun lagi. 

But I loved it allllll, from start to finish. The food, the late night games, the company, the hecticness, the kecohness, the laughing, everything. It was so wonderful to see Raya in full force again. Amelia and Iman at point, got emotional about it and was tearing up seeing the house so full. I was happiest for my grandparents because they, above everyone else, missed this most. I loved it. It was the best Raya for my family and I alhamdulillah. I also went to Taiping after so, so, so, so long and that was sooo fun too. I just love seeing beraya all out and it was so nice to see everyone gathering together again. I can't describe it, I was just very happy.

I won't post many photos here sebab dah lama dah but some of my ultimate favourites. We had no theme for the first day but we were decked in purple for the second! 

The aforementioned lemang buying.

Raya announcement time! 

Nothing like a good Raya morning spread.

Iman's annual glam team.

Outfit's from Whimsigirl! I bought the sage green one first but always had the pink in mind so succumbed and got it too.

Whimsigirl team in Taiping! In the middle is our sweet, sweet cousin Elin.

Second day ''fit! I tailor made this. Perhaps one of my favourites I have.

Even Jeevan flew over! It was so nice and fun to have him in Penang and for him to see how we celebrate Raya. 

With my favourite in life.

Loved this year's colour theme. Mine's not exactly 100% purple but I think it made for a good colour mix anyway! Hehe

Hope you had a pretty great Raya too! We're about a few weeks away from Raya Haji and insyaAllah we will also be there in Penang to celebrate even if it's just for a few days. Stoked anyway! I always love going back - it's home.

Have a great weekend, everyone! I'm going to continue on my Stranger Things binge - as usual, I'm only starting on the show (from episode 1 of season 1). So far, so good. Don't know how I feel about this genre though!

xx

My Ramadhan 2022 so far

It's Ramadhan!! Alhamdulillah we're here yet again. It's day 14 of puasa already. I'm on my menses (worth noting I got it 20 minutes before berbuka yesterday) so I'm on a weeks break. But otherwise, it has been going well. It was great that the first day of Ramadhan fell on a Sunday so it was a good start for everyone - to be able to have a day of just rest and getting used to fasting again. I think the one thing about fasting is that you wake up for sahur and that tends to make sleeping difficult. I often get super super sleepy in the office because I don't get great sleep after sahur. When I mean great sleep, I mean longer than an hour or two. Haha. So in the past couple of days, I've actually skipped sahur. I'd wake up to drink and solat and then sleep again. I've also found that eating SO much for sahur doesn't really affect how late you'd be hungry again. I ate roti canai and a whole plate of rice one morning only to be hungry by 11am. 

I've been having a good mix of berbuka in and out. Here are some of my really really sedap dinners I've had. 

I'm soooo excited for Raya this year! We finally get to beraya with our families insyaAllah. And in Penang too!! I'm so stoked. It's been so long and most importantly, it's been so much longer for our grandparents who have had to spend it alone these past 2 years. 

Spoilt for choices for baju raya this year but I made mine months ago so I don't think I'll be buying anything anymore. But the Raya collections this year have been pretty impressive! You have to appreciate how creative designers have to go about creating something along the silhouette of the traditional kurung/kebaya. 

So excited to see what everyone will wear this year. Macam MET Gala pun ada gak rasanya. Refreshing Instagram after lunch to see what people have been doing/wearing/eating. Always so fun.

Ooh! I also recently went on a trip to Kuantan with Marissa. Our first trip out since our 2014 Amsterdam/Berlin one. It was so so so fun and just something both of us needed. I loved every second. Can't wait to blog about it and show you some photos! I haven't been on a beach holiday in eons so it was so wonderful to be reunited with the sand and sea. 

Selamat Berpuasa everyone! At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my sincere hope is that everyone gets some clarity and a lot of light this Ramadhan that continues throughout this whole year. Make lots of doa and do a lot of good this year. InsyaAllah, prayers answered soon for everyone. 

"Whatever is prayed for at the time of breaking the fast is granted and never refused" 

-Nabi Muhammad SAW

Be good!!

xx

My Lunar New Year in Penang

I spent the whole of my Lunar New Year break in Penang. We flew there to escape the 9-11 hour holiday traffic. Penang's always known to be a go-to vacation spot so we're all too familiar with the traffic. One time, it took me eight (8) hours to reach home. Never. Again.

We spent a lot of the week indoors because as it goes, CNY in Penang is a lot like Christmas in the UK. Nothing's opened and you've gotta survive with what you've got. And when I mean 'survive', I mean plentiful of food and snacks at home by our favourite chef - Mak Tok. What about grandmothers and their cooking? She always says "Ala this is nothing much ya Nadia!! You want anything else?" with like 5 dishes and plentiful of fruits and brownies for desserts. I love her so much. 

Being in Penang really feels like a time out from everyone and everything. I also love going back because while everyone goes there for a proper holiday (beaches! nasi kandar! lining up for cendol! taking photos on armenian street! cafe hunting!), I'm there like it's my second home. So we take things pretty slow. We hardly go out to eat and personally I have NEVER gone out to line up for a local hot spot. We'd laze around, complain how hot it is, eat, take naps, go out for the occasional drive for a McD run or to buy groceries for the house, come home, eat, watch movies, sleep. It's the actual best. We're already looking forward to our next trip soon-ish insyaAllah.

I've put this on my Instagram but this is the tote bag Diba MADE for me for my birthday. Insane!!!! I love this print so much, it's so me, super colourful and flowery. Love it soooo much. It's actually made how much I love this bag. I was wearing a black knit top and a brown pair of pants so this bag really did not go with my outfit but I really didn't/don't care. Thanks Diba again for the millionth time, you're the actual best.

The only real shopping we do is at Sam's Batik House. They have these colourful tops that you might've seen me wear many times because it's also the comfiest thing I have in my closet. It's so light (I usually buy the chiffon ones) and airy and it's the perfect no-brainer top I have. Just wear it with a pair of jeans or a pair of white trousers and you're really good to go. I bought 3 tops this time and a jubah (not really jubah per se but something of the sort). My mum, sisters and I love going to Sam's because not only do they have great things but the customer service is unparalleled. Michael and Rachel are the owners and they'd always greet us with a "Hi sisters! Long time no see!". They also have the best employees who'd help us punggah completely just for us to see. Sometimes I'd feel bad but Michael would always reassure us that it's ok and this is the least they can do for us. I highly recommend! It's a great lepak baju!

We found this top at the counter but it's like 8 sizes too big for me but get this!!!!! They also have in-house tailoring services so if you find something that's slightly big or slightly small, they can do the alterations for you totally free and in a jif. This one cause they had to significantly size it down took a day and we picked it up the next morning. It's sooo beautiful, it 's probably my favourite of the day.

Hameediyah is just around the corner so we thought we'd try our luck to get some to bring home. But the line was unbearable so we just ordered it on Grab and it was just as good! That's probably my one and only tip for Penang trips; don't waste your time lining up for food. Unless you wanna do it for the experience then by all means but this island is hotttttt hot heat so I'd recommend you just tapau and eat at the hotel. So much easier and saves you bundle of time.

The light of my life.

These are Tania's buys from Sam's. Cotton single-toned tops. Loveeeee the colours so much.

It's seriously so hot in Penang, look at how brown the grass has gotten despite being watered always!

The yummiest.

Tania was sweet enough to think of buying a birthday cake for us (another excuse to celebrate!) to sing Happy Birthday with my grandparents. We haven't celebrated a birthday with them in so long, so we thought it'd be nice to do so.

I can always get teary talking about my grandparents. Because they have really played such a huge role in our lives since we were born and they have always been so generous to us masyaAllah. Leaving Penang and waving goodbye from the car always makes me sad because as we celebrate more and more birthdays and celebrating the transition into adulthood, they're also growing older and older. And it sucks that I don't get to seem them as often now that they don't come to KL anymore.

God, thank you for the blessings that take form in my grandparents. They're my biggest supporters and they love us unconditionally. What a thing to be grateful for. Alhamdulillah for them here still with us. 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

xx

Birthday Week

Posting about my 29th Birthday! (I know I said I'd post every week but last weekend was hectic for me so never got the chance to!) 

I turned 29 on the 19th of January 2022. Alhamdulillah. Ever grateful I'm still here with the people I love the most and am having a bloody good time too. Last year we spent our birthdays in lockdown (we meaning Tania and I, her birthday's on the 17th) and while that was just as nice (I had so many treats sent my way and we made the most of it!), I was determined to be out celebrating.

For that birthday week, we booked a hotel at Pavilion for a mini staycation. I'd highly recommend Pavilion, the service was impeccable and we loved the room! It was spacious and they were very generous with their room service, I have to say. Loved it. Of course, it's always convenient that a mall is just downstairs so it was easy for Iman and Papa who stayed put the whole time there. Tania's birthday fell on a Monday and I was working that day. Only managed to see the room when I got back from work. And!! I took the MRT. I always love taking the trains because it reminds me of the daily struggle when I was at Nelissa Hilman. But I love the MRT, just wished their ticket machines take cards! I'll save that rant for another day.

We had dinner at Natalina's at Avenue K. Have always wanted to try out the place so we're happy we found the chance to do so! This household loves a good Italian meal. It's almost our go-to whenever we're sick of local food (hardly ever but ykwim). The food was okay surprisingly. So many people had hyped it up but maybe what I had wasn't great? I don't know. But the pizzas were good and everyone else enjoyed it a lot. My dad who is SUCH a critic, rated it 10/10. Even put up on his Instagram Stories "best Italian restaurant in town". I'm willing to give it another go and maybe try something else on the menu. The place is pretty small and tight but it was packed! Reservations only I'm sure. Mind you we were there on a Monday night! Monday!! Who goes for fancy food at the start of a week anyway??

This was what I had. Maybe I just don't like my pasta al dente?? 

My dad being annoying. You can tell how sweet Hanis is cause she's unbothered and laughing it off. We (Iman, Tania and I) have had enough.

Tania's cute cake was from The Comel Bakes. Link here for their Instagram!

So instead of using flash like a normal person, my dad takes the table lamp for extra lighting.

Tania even texted in the family group chat what she was wearing and asked everyone to ikut theme..... did I also mention she plans her birthdays like easily 6 months before?? 

Good thing the 18th of January was a public holiday so we had some free time. Our previous staycations, we'd pick odd timing of the week so I'd usually be out working and don't really get to have a lie in or make proper use of bumming around in a hotel room. 

We went to have lunch at Lai Po Heen. Of course, my favourite thing from LPH is their durian pancake. Just so damn good. Can't seem to find anything like it anywhere else! We then went around KLCC but got tired of it pretty quickly because with any other public holiday, of course it was so packed with people. 

Currently reading Guy Raz's How I Built This

Flowers by my favourite florist Pretty Bunga on Instagram.

And then!!!! The 19th came. We were watching a movie in bed, I think it was Princess Diaries, when the clock struck midnight and Tania brought out her present for me! This year I was practical with presents. I asked for things I wanted. Which seems like a no brainer but usually people would go "aww you don't have to, tak payah" or "whatever pun ok, I'm fine with anything!"

But this year instead of wasting, I just simply told people what I wanted. That way I know I'll be happy to receive it (not that I'm not happy with any presents given my way because I love all gifts truly) but I definitely know I'll get a good wear out of it. So this year from Tania, I just asked for a pink cardigan I saw because I wanted to wear it for my birthday party. She also chucked in a Dior eyeshadow (!!) and a Nars powder, both that I loved so so so so so so much! It's making me want to go back to collecting make-up. And sweet darling Iman got me a Jo Malone perfume. She was even so sweet to say "Sorry it's the small sized one, it was the only thing I can afford". ????? Excuse me this is not a place to cry. Eeep love them both so much. Zaim and Hanis later on got me a black handbag that I'm obsessed with. I immediately brought it out the second I could haha! 10/10 recommend just telling people what you want. Down to the colour, fit and size. Heck, I even gave some people the link to the thing I wanted! 

We didn't do much actually! I got sooooo much love everywhere from all my friends so that was so sweet and made me so happy. You're always reminded how loved you are when your birthday rolls around. We went for a Spanish lunch with tapas and all that before just laying around in the hotel room. I went for a quick wash and blow at Lot 10 and came back in time to get ready for a dinner at Serai. We were thinking where to go for dinner but for the previous meals, we had been going OUT of the hotel and macam not really taking the advantage of being next to a shopping mall. So I just chose Serai - good food and pretty place. I managed to get the seats by the back which gave us bit of privacy. 

I wasn't planning on getting myself a cake but at the last minute I figured why the heck not! So I managed to get one in hot pink hehe and it was SO good actually. We always have Cecilia's butter cakes as the benchmark but this came pretty close! It's Delicate Cakes on Instagram if you're curious! 

My beautiful birthday flowers were from Pretty Bunga.

The pink cardigan in question hehe

Stopped over to shop for a bit after lunch. Got Iman that bucket hat she's wearing.

Thankful mostly for my parents who brought me here. 

Here's my birthday speech: 

I'm a mix bag of disbelief and amaze that I'm already 29. I remember being at Zaim's costume birthday party when I was 5 and seeing my aunt's friends who came over to help with face paint. They were mid to late 20s and the whole time I was just in awe of them. Not because they could face paint but because they were at the age that felt so far so distant. They weren't as old as our parents but in what I'd call, the age of cool. 

I've had a friend tell me "Stop trying to be an adult so quick, Nadia". I'd like to think she meant well and that I was mature at a very young age but since I was a kid, I've always just wanted to grow up and be cool. Like independent, free, do whatever I want, be cool. 

I've been so blessed my whole entire life; from the get go to the now that I'm living in. All that I've asked for alhamdulillah has been granted to me. In hindsight, all that I've asked but wasn't granted was for the very best for me. It's taken me a bit of time to get to this revelation but I'm here! I've decided that whatever was meant for me will be given to me in due time and that is the happiness that envelops me everyday. 

At 29, I would like to think that my younger self would be quite happy to see where I am now. Like I've got the best family and my relationship with them has always been good and I only pray that it maintains that way. My friendships are ever strong with my closest and dearest and am so loved by the people that matter to me. I'm independent and I do things that make me happy. I've grown out of my shell and developed a bit of fire in me and some sass (something I never thought I'd have cause I'd just be too shy to stand up for myself). I'm happy! That's most important. I've had the best time being in my 20s, had the best time in college and then EVEN BETTER TIMES in university?? And then coming back to work for a for a fashion start up because that's just I wanted to do instead of opting for a safer option??? Guts. I'm proud of it all! 

I'm going to enjoy being in my late 20s and having fun with whatever it may take me. For as long as I know it'll make me happy at the end of the day. 

29 and independent, free, I do whatever I want and am totally cool.

Thanks for sticking around through the years, friends. You've made the journey all the better.

xx