The First 8 Days

Right now, it's already 11pm. I should be sleeping in order to wake up for sahur at 3.30am tomorrow. But I am inexplicably gripped by the desire to write something about my first 8 days of Ramadhan here.

It has truly been a roller-coaster ride. I am still sad. Not just because I'm away from my family, it also has to do with the feeling that Ramadhan here doesn't feel like Ramadhan. It sounds confusing, but I'm sure you get what I mean. Back home, you can sense that it's Ramadhan; you can smell, feel, breathe it. Here, you don't really feel how special Ramadhan is.

I am heeding Fatin's advice to not think too much about it. But it's soO difficult!! :(

My first 8 days have their ups and downs. Let's start with the good stuffs:

1) Received my Raya parcel from home. It was a lovely surprise since I was not expecting it for another 2 weeks. The parcel contains: 1 baju kurung + matching tudung + telekung + blouse + Faisal Tehrani's 'Tunggu Teduh Dulu' + a lovely letter from my sis.

2) Bought a pink skirt to go with my new blouse

3) Went to Featherdale Wildlife Park. Got to see animals such as: kangaroo, wombat, tasmanian devil, koala, dingo & emu upclose

4) Ate a lot of good food!! Here is my break of fast food log:
-1st day: lamb curry + ikan goreng + sagu gula melaka + Fatin's cheesecake
-2nd day: ayam panggang + whipped potato
-3rd day: mee kari + begedil + popia
-4th day: nasi goreng ikan masin + telur bungkus + choc chip muffin
-5th day: nasi lemak + kuih cek mek molek [courtesy of Durra, Ana & Tasha]
-6th day: tom yam + puding jagung
-7th day: nasi beryani + lamb curry
-8th day: bihun goreng + puding roti + roti john + coleslaw

I have to thank Nisa for cooking such delicious meals each day. :)

Ok ... now for the bad stuffs:

1) This has been the most unproductive break ever!! 2 weeks void of academic work. It should not be a big deal except that I have a major assigment due on 10th Oct!!

What I have been doing:
- oversleeping
- Bollywood marathon with Harvin & Nisa (Mohabbatein, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi, etc)
- watching tv excessively (Kill Bill, The Wedding Planner, etc)

2) Had the most horrible headache the other day

3) The sink in my kitchen is blocked! As a result, dirty dishes piled up & we are forced to wash the dishes in front of our house (in full view of bewildered MUV residents) or at Tasha's place. This is only done when there are absolutely no clean dishes left.

The sink is blocked since Friday night. We are told that we can only call a plumber after the weekend and the Labour Day holiday. Until then, cooking and cleaning up are very trying affairs. This is what I called "dugaan bulan Ramadhan"(!)

While waiting for Tuesday, we tried "unblocking" the sink by using a plunger. It didn't work. You should have seen me thrusting the plunger with such determination - I must have looked like a demented person.

+ + +

The mid-term break is over. Have to buck up now. Besides, wouldn't it be a pity to spend the rest of Ramadhan like that??

May the remaining 22 days be more meaningful & dapat dimanfaatkan dengan sebaik-baiknya ... insyaAllah ...