Relax Raya 2021

Usually, around this time we will either already be in Singapore or be on our way to. The Hubs born in Singapore and his mother, still a Singaporean have family there. And so without fail, through our marriage, it has been an annual tradition of sorts to spend the Raya holidays in Singapore.

Last year for obvious reasons we did not go but we still did spend the day with the in-laws. This year however because of the restrictions, we are not allowed to cross district borders and we are in two different districts even though we're only 20 km apart. That left us with zoom'ing our wishes and catching up.

Last night The Hubs decided to put up some lights for fun. He gathered the boys and in 15 minutes we had some "fireflies" twinkling some good vibes.

This morning, we crawled out of bed and prepared brunch as a family. Something, we never needed to do for the celebrations as we were always "guests". MIL had sent us some Lontong by Grab delivery, and we just needed to heat up the food and prepare the condiments.

Lontong is a favourite during Eid, especially on the first day. In fact, back when we'd go visiting, it'd come to a point that I just couldn't do another round of Lontong. This local dish is compressed rice cakes (kids used to call it square rice when they were younger) served with coconut milk gravy filled with all kinds of vegetables including sweet turnip, carrots, long beans, cabbage, tempeh, tofu. Topped with boiled eggs and sambal(chilli paste) and sides of beef rendang, chicken rendang and/or fried chicken.

MIL was a little sad for the kids. She felt they were missing out however I feel when it comes to a time like this it's the elderly that really need the get-togethers. The best time to gather your loved ones, eat and talk up memories from days gone by.

Were the kids upset? Not one bit. They were quite content staying at home and doing the things they always do - watch TV, play online games with their friends, lounge around, play with the cat, entertain their mother(I think haha).

Their mother, that would be me, on the other hand, seems to have a swollen wrist. It could be carpal tunnel, maybe inflammation of something... well I don't know. But it hampered many things that needed both hands, and the pain was so annoying. It is much better today, though to ease the pressure of typing, I used diction to text. I prefer typing but maybe it needs some getting used to.

Not being able to type properly reminded me of this typing game I played a long time ago. Typing Of The Dead, have you heard of it? Or played it? Zombies coming at you and you have to type the words that pop up on screen to kill them before they reach you. It was fun.

We did not get any new clothes this year. Even before the lockdowns, we had already decided we'd wear clothes from previous years. And if any of the boys had outgrown their clothes, we'd make it work. But we got dressed for a quick photo so we can remember these crazy times.

The night ended with some fireworks by a lone neighbour. It was so close, I managed to take a decent enough video of it. I only wish GIFs could include sound it could be heard too.

Honestly, I didn't mind being stuck at home. It was relaxing, and we didn't have to worry about the drive especially the one back with the horrendous traffic. I am hoping things will be better by next year- actually just soon, so we can make that trip to Singapore, or just anywhere in the country and at any time. I think I miss the freedom of being able to up and go, as and when.

Anywho, that aside, it's all good. I wish everyone celebrating Selamat Hari Raya

Thank you for reading,
Till next time, Carpe Diem!
Sh33la