First hanabi for the little girl

Assalamualaikum and hi!

I've been a homemaker for about a year now, but I'm still struggling with time management. 

You know why? As much as we want to squeeze so many things in one time, but I found that I could only do so much for I am a mere human with terrible energy reserve 😔 For someone who has issue stuffing chemicals in a capsule, what's left for me to boost my stamina is exercise. But again, how can I find time for that? 😨 #cyclecontinues

Anyway, I was trying to apologize to myself first and foremost for missing so many memories that needed to be curated in here. Time goes by so quickly that most of the time I haven't moved on from certain occasions, especially the happy ones. I wanted to relive the moment and be reminded of the emotions.

Just last weekend, we went to the hanabi taikai (fireworks show) in our neighborhood. If fireworks are played during raya in Malaysia, in here fireworks are popular in the natsu (summer). My first memory of playing fireworks was when I first arrived in Toyohashi, Nagoya. The girls that time brought me to the beach which was so dark, I couldn't see anything other than hearing their voices and shadow when the fireworks are lighted. 

Back to now.  In Hiroshima city alone, there are a few hanabi taikai that you can attend. The biggest one is in Hiroshima port and Miyajima. In attending the hanabi taikai, the Japanese usually will be wearing the yukata (summer kimono) and bring along bentou. They will have a little picnic with their loved ones while waiting for the show to start. This year we decided to join the Hiroshima Port hanabi taikai which located just 20 minutes from our home. Last year, Lily is still very small, it just doesn't make sense to drag her to watch fireworks show that are terribly loud and congested. I remember we just drove around in our car and just watch the fireworks from afar. And still they are beautiful😀

This year we want to join the rest for the fun. Also, we would like to bring Lily for her first hababi experience. We went there by bicyle and Lily loved riding in one with her daddy. 

Looks like someone tried her best to fit into the crowd 😉 Lily chan in her yukata💖

Just one section part of the crowd is shown here. I don't know how many there are. Despite of that, we didn't feel suffocated or anything uncomfortable. It was very relaxing still😀

Lily chan waiting for the fireworks to start with her Aunty Farina and Uncle Khairil onboard😄

us with our rides 😙

Family photo with Lily chan yukata surrendering 😂

Beautiful fireworks behind us 😊

#TOS_ootd scarf from #duckscarves top from #aere
All from #fashionvaletmy #fashionvalet 

Sharing with you the sneak peek of the firework show 💓

For Lily's first hanabi, she didn't receive it very well. She was terrified of the sound associated with the fireworks. But she tries her best to keep watching while going back and forth from daddy to mommy for hugs and comfort. Pity her. At the end she gets okay with it but was so sleepy that she sleeps on her bicycle seat all the way home 😄

It was a great night, not just because of the experience, but because of the bonding I see between Lily and her daddy💓 I hope our family stays happy forever and ever. 

Selamat Hari Raya!

Assalamualaikum and Hi 😊!

We are still in Syawal, therefore, it isnt too late to wish you still, 

Happy eid mubarak!! or Selamat Hari Raya😀!

For you who may not know what eid means; it's the celebration that takes place after the month of Ramadhan ends. So, after we fasted from many things in Ramadhan, it's time for celebration. It is also known as the month of victory. Besides that, we are also encourage to ask forgiveness from other people that we have hurt intentionally or unintentionally, given that how weak we humans are. So, we just ask forgiveness to everyone on that day and ask their mercy to start all over again. If we expect people to forgive us, we must be the other end too. We must be able to forgive first. And...here, I ask for forgiveness from all of you too! #maafzahirbatin

Ok, enough ramblings.

This year, I still stuck celebrate the eid here in Hiroshima. As a Malaysian and...who loves eid (raya) so much, this is not a happy occasion. Raya in Malaysia..it's totally something else! While in other countries, raya is only a day occasion, in Malaysia, it is a month-long occasion (or more in some cases. haha). Open houses are plenty and during the weekend it usually caused a massive jam in KL. Despite of that, I still dig raya! Always told my husband that I'm fine we live here forever but I want to be in KL for raya, for the whole month to save my sanity 😣 ! and guess who cares? No one 😣 !

"What I love about raya?"

I have to say I love raya first for the get together. It's hard to gather people at one time with good reason.. But raya? You don't need to put so much effort to call up everyone to gather, it's raya! Sometimes, it's raya that can only bring people together after a year long not seeing each other and this is especially for relatives that are married and now has two families to entertain. Not just blood-relative, I'm sure we have so many friends that we call families. Of course we can't see everyone on the first day of raya can't we? That's why, in Malaysia we decided to raya for a month. It's so sad that I missed hundreds and hundreds of raya meeting since I moved here. Until my wish to raya every year in KL is fulfilled, Raya will be my my depressed moment in a year, I must say 😔. 

The second thing I like about raya is...the open houses (party organized by a host and friends and relatives are invited. It's like a birthday party except that it's not someone's birthday. It's like a social gathering to honor Syawal and it's mission)!!!Actually I don't mind open houses. I just want to pay a visit to the people I care. Just to catch up with them and see them physically. It's different when we get to see eye to eye and in the Syawal air. I don't know what makes it different, but Syawal air really does makes the reunion more alive. Is it because everyone is in their best dress?

The third thing I like about raya is...baju raya (raya dress)! With the rising of online boutique and social media, baju raya has been the cause of depression to me. Every year, the designs are getting better and better. It depresses me as for one; I can't buy them (most of them don't ship overseas), two; if the do ship overseas, to where should I wear the very-not-subtle dress to? (it's no fun dressing up to the ninth alone, don't we??), three; the Malaysian Muslimah fashion industry progresses to quickly, and that makes you keep buying and buying, and when I come back to KL there'll be mounts of unworn dresses that I don't remember that I bought them. It's been years like that, and I feel like something must be done about myself (I'm a freaking fashion hoarders 😖)! Anyway, that deserved another post 😔!

My 2017 Raya

Our raya started very early this year. Just cause we decided to perform the eid prayer at the Hiroshima masjid which is located about 45 minutes drive from our home. As a mommy of the house, of course I has to be the one to wake up first, prepare the raya dish. There is no specific rule as how for you to live the day, but I was taught to have a hearty breakfast (a special one) before heading to the mosque for salah (prayer). 

My raya dish. They are the typical ones, where we got chicken rendang, peanut sauce, kuah lodeh (mix vegetables cooked in coconut milk), nasi impit (compressed and diced rice), lemang (hollowed glutinous rice that's supposed to be cooked in bamboo). In Malaysia we usually have rows and rows of fancy cookies and cakes for the guests. But of course here, I only make nutella pod. haha. 

My small family early in the morning, at our parking area. 

#theAsyraff as I always tag our family photos in my social media account. Us with our so noticeable eyebags 😄

In front of the masjid. In here we call the masjid as Islam Cultural Center, located at the Higashi Hiroshima, the more rural part of Hiroshima.

There was a small party post-prayer. Everyone is in their best dress, but I'm sure they'll get heart attack if they raya in Malaysia 😂 Our raya dress is totally at another level #Malaysianthing

Some of 'stranded-Malaysian' in here. In front of the mosque 😃

At the first house of the day, Nabihah's and Najib's.

My baby busy eating at Nabihah's 👧

At the second house, Kak Ecah's and Wan Arif's. their house is like our own Malaysian Hall. They prepared real lemang for the whole village 😦 I ate so many of the lemang just cause I miss my family so much. Tell you the truth, i rarely eat lemang during hari raya in Malaysia. haha. 

The third house was Prof. Omar's 👴

I always love talking with another scholar. It makes my mind feels so alive and my heart so content. We talked about serious stuff and his point of view is totally at another level and that helps us to see things in different perspectives. Just what I wanted when discussions are ignited 😉

At the end of the day, we invited Dr. Farina and her husband to raya at our house. We prayed together and had dinner at our home. I'm glad my 1st Syawal this year was well spent, thus made me forget for a while that I was far away from my mom and siblings. I must teach myself that I must move one from the idea of Syawal that I have in my head now that I'm a mom of my own home and it's my responsibility to create our own version of Syawal. I know I can do this! Let's look for flight ticket to KL for next year 😉

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis in marriage.

Takoyaki night at our home..

Recently, we had takoyaki party at our crib. It was so much fun, I don't know why we didn't do it more often. And also, why is it I could only eat the most only 3 pieces when they are bought. But when I made it myself I can eat 20 of them #fat #cries . Anyway, while cooking the takoyaki we played the movie 'Arrival'. Did you know about that movie? Starring Amy Adams and who's that guy in the Avengers. I forgot his name. The poster of this movie features only a spaceship that looks so much like a standing coffin #creepy. Anyway,  it could be mistaken with cerita hantu or something #misleading.

Anyway, I was feeling a bit 'mehh...' when Asyu chose this movie at first. Because it happened that I believe a review by this one famous blogger who rated this movie 3 out of 10 stars. Not just that, she clearly stated her dissapointment in a way that it's impossible for us not to get it. That explains why she's so famous.  

Me: Oh, I know this movie. Why you choose this movie? I read the review and the blogger said it was so terrible!

Asyu: Really? But the IMDb rated it 8.2!!

Me: Ok la since it's already on, let's watch it!

After 2.5 hours, I understand why it was rated so highly. It was a slow movie, I agree. At some point you could fall asleep. But, it was a mind-blowing when it reaches the end. I regretted it that I did not pay a very good attention in the middle of it, thus, I replayed the movie again to feel the climax of your mind being blown better! Get it?

Anyway, the movie is written based on the theory called 'the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis'.

"The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is the theory that an individual's thoughts and actions are determined by the language or languages that individual speaks"

(Source)

I like the movie cause it taught me something else about human. I'm sure we all have observed occasions when the way people reacted to certain things are different and people of the same races (that speaks the same language, living in the environment) would share the same reaction.  After I watch this movie then I know that there's a term for that and what I observed is really a thing. It has also explained why 'A' reaction was different then mine in many occasions. I've been told that his inner thought were in Japanese. And mine is...most of the time in english. Or my thought didn't speak much. haha.

As a heterogenous pair, our action could be differed by so many factors. Our gender factors is enough to cause a huge chaos in a married life. And now we have mother tongue to add to that factor. But now that we know, it helps to make us understand better of our differences and use that to our advantage. I love 'A' for her different way of thinking. Emm..is it because he is fluent with 3 languages that he always wiser and a better problem solver? Who else have partner who speaks multiple language here? Would love to hear your thoughts!