7 Things I Enjoy About Raya

Assalamualaikum and hey there.

Okay okay, I know I'm 1 week late for this post, but who cares. I'm gonna do it anyway. :PP

So, after a month of fasting, here comes Eid-ul-Fitri, or Hari Raya Aidilfitri or simply known as raya, to commemorate our success in completing our fast. (or do we? :P ) So in Malaysia, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the biggest celebration for Muslims here, even though other countries (mostly Arab countries) will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha much merrier.

1) Balik Kampung!

Balik kampung basically means "coming home/ going back to our hometown". This is the time of the year where I get to gather with my cousins and catch up with everyone's lives (this sounds so like my Form Four's English essay :P ). And then we will visit our relatives which I will only meet them once in a year, which is, of course, during raya.

The thing about my extended family is that, almost 3/4 of my cousins are female, which is why I am so awkward with boys, especially the ones who witnessed me grow up from a cute innocent wide-eyed girl to a not-so-pretty, not-so-innocent weird young lady. It's AWKWARD.

2) Bunga Api & Mercun!

It used to be much more varieties to choose from, but not nowadays since firecrackers are not really legal (i.e. illegal) anymore,,,,, but well, you still drink alcohol even when you're under age. So, don't judge us. :P

This is bunga api, aka sparkler, but I don't really like this type because it's quite painful. But this one is more beautiful though.

This one is safer, but it's not really entertaining, and it lets out too much smoke (this is why air pollution is severe during hari raya :P ) And it's not as beautiful as the sparkler, so well, I don't know, maybe this is why I prefer firecrackers :P

I love this one - it's called mercun lebah. (bee), basically because it looks like a bee. And when you light it, it will fly like dancing starlight (bwahaha)

This one is quite similar, called mercun rama-rama (butterfly), 'cause of course, it looks like a butterfly. I think this one is prettier and cooler, but I barely found this one, so yeah, it's rare.

This one is the most typical one, called mercun naga (dragon). I don't even know why. Oh, maybe because the packet has a dragon logo? Maybe,,, IDK. But this one is colourful and fun. And safe. So it's a smart choice. I like it too. ;)

This one is called mercun gasing (top) because it spins like a top. It's beautiful, soundless and it's safe, probably safer than mercun naga. But it's not really fun though. But I still enjoy it. 

Oh my God, this one is not even a firecracker! It's practically a real bomb! Well, at least, the sound produced is like one. It's so ear-splitting I can't even bear with it. And it doesn't even create beautiful light patterns. So, I hate it. (oh btw, it's called mercun bola (ball) 'cause, umm, look at the shape. Duhh.

This one is called mercun aiskrim (ice-cream). I never played this and in fact, I never saw this one. It looks intriguing though. :P 

I think this is why some people called us terrorists- maybe they visited the villages during Hari Raya and saw children playing these less-scarier-version of bombs and be like "oh my, look at these kids, they're trained to be terrorists from such early age! Where's humanity?" Just saying. 

3) Baju Raya 

The Malay Traditional Clothes are Baju Kurung and Baju Kebaya for women and Baju Melayu for men. But nowadays, women opt for jubah too 'cause well, we ladies need more choice, right? :P

The interesting part of this is that most of us will go to a textile store such as Jakel or Nagoya and choose our own 3-metre of fabric and then pay a tailor to sew a Baju Kurung from it. So, we practically have our own custom-made apparel every Raya! Isn't that cool and exclusive? :PP

 


These are called baju kurung. It's simple, comfortable but still stunning.

These are called baju kebaya. Nowadays, I barely see ladies wear this anymore 'cause let's be honest, it's kinda,, revealing. But there's a Muslimah version of this which is more polite and still gorgeous.

This is just a few style of hundreds fashion for jubah. It looks like gowns and it's beautiful but personally, I'm not a fan 'cause it's uncomfortable for me. But it's still pretty tho.

And yes, guys have to stay with the same design of Baju Melayu every year, and only depend on the samping for some differences. Ahahaha.

4) Kuih Raya!

Just generally the food 'cause Malaysia is a food haven so of course, Hari Raya is one of the days that shows that title. Some essentials include ketupat, rendang and lemang. Classics would be dodol and wajik, which I barely see these days. And tremendous amount would be kuih raya, aka the biscuits and pastries, no matter traditional or modern ones.

the right one is the ketupat. Well, the left one is also a ketupat, called ketupat palas which basically a lazy version of normal ketupat 'cause let's face it, that weaving is an art and it's not easy to make art. 

this is called lemang. That's sticky rice (same like ketupat, wait, is that what we called it? oh well) 

this is rendang! What you eat ketupat and lemang with so that it'd be more appealing. 

this is dodol. I've tasted it before. It's very chewy and it's kinda sweet. Not a fan, though. 

this is dodol in making, and this is why dodol is so rare these days. 

this is wajik, I never tasted it. But it looks like sticky rice... too... 

kuih kapit, it's sweet and crunchy and tasty.

kuih goyang/ kuih ros. Also my favourite, sweet, crunchy and delicious. I think I prefer this more than kuih kapit.

yes people, we eat muruku during Raya. We are more 1 Malaysia than you thought :P 

Anything with cornflakes is an easy winner. 

Almond London. Very common/ It's biscuit covered with chocolate, and there's an almond in the core. Not really my favourite.

When I was in Form Three, I guess, my Mom bought two boxes of red velvet cookies and let's just say that was the most palatable bunch of cookies I've ever tasted. Even more delicious than Famous Amos! 

Yes we eat modern cookies too and oh my, I LOVE MERINGUE COOKIES!!! It's the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy and it's soft and it's mess-free and it's,,, expensive. Of course. (I never ate these cookies anymore after I met them 3 years ago. Huhuhuhu~~) 

5) Duit Raya!

                                      

It's like angpau, and children will get them. Wait IDK, I don't think only children get them 'cause even I got some a lot this year. Ahahaha. I guess as long as you're not working yet (among your close relatives) or as long as you still look young (among your far relatives and your parents' friends) 

Lately, the smallest amount I received would be RM2, compared to when I was little (RM1) which means Malaysians are getting richer. Bwahaha :P

6) Lagu Raya! 

Oh my, we have copious Raya songs! And for this one, traditional songs are still the winner. I don't like the modern ones, it's not really sentimental and of course, not nostalgic. 

And it's a lie if you say you don't listen to Raya songs every time you turn up the radio in your car during 1st and 2nd Syawal, 'cause radio stations are outrageous. :P 

Songs that are repetitively played during Raya to get into the mood:-

~ "Selamat Hari Raya" by Saloma 

Marilah, bergembira, bersama menikmati hari raya, minta mak, kuih sepotong, saya mahu makan kerna perut kosong ( I think the child's voice must have been around my mom's age by now :P ) 

~ "Seloka Hari Raya" by Hail Amir & Uji Rashid
Usahlah abang membuang waktu, mari menuju ke rumah bonda, usahlah abang membuang waktu, mari menuju ke rumah bonda 

~ "Pulang Di Hari Raya" by NoorKumalasari
Di hari mulia ini, kususun sepuluh jari

~ "Selamat Berhari Raya" by Rahimah Rahim
Enak menjamu selera, jangan lupa yang tiada, selamat berhari raya, walau di mana kau berada

~ "Suasana Hari Raya" by Anuar Zain & Ellina
Ketupat, Rendang, sila nikmati kawan, penat memasak malam ke pagi

Songs that are a must to listen to during Raya:-

~ "Balik Kampung" by Sudirman
Perjalanan jauh tak kurasa, kerna hatiku melonjak sana

~ "Menjelang Hari Raya" by DJ Dave
Menjelang Hari Raya, berakhirnya puasa, bergema takbir senja, menyambut Syawal tiba 

~ "Sesuci Lebaran" by my girl, Siti Nurhaliza :P
Bersihkan jiwa, sesuci lebaran

~ "Satu Hari Di Hari Raya" by M. Nasir
Satu hari di hari raya, aku menangis tanda gembira

Sappy songs that is possible to make you weep:-

~ "Cahaya Aidilfitri" by Black Dog Bone (I swear they speak Malay)
Siapakah yang sudi, menghulurkan simpati, kepada nasibku ini....

~ "Ku Pohon Restu Ayah Bonda" by Mamat
Tanpa kusedari, air mataku mengalir....

~ "Pulanglah" by Aishah
Di pagi hari raya, hati sayu....

~ "Dari Jauh Kupohon Maaf" by Sudirman
Dalam dingin Subuh, hatiku terusik...

Songs that are my personal favourites:-

~ "Indahnya Beraya Di Desa" by Azlina Aziz
Wahai perantau-perantau di kota, pulanglah ke desa, berhari raya

~ "Senandung Hari Raya Untukmu" by Dayang Ku Intan
Maafkan aku, kerana tak dapat, bersamamu sayang, di hari raya, hari yang bahagia, kerana, tugas pada negara....

Okay,,, that's so many.

7) The Special Raya Shows! 

Be it be the blockbluster movies that you figured there are so many more beneficial things you can spend your money on than buying a movie ticket (which I adore very much) or the special Raya episode of your favourite novel-adaptation TV Shows (which I'm not looking forward to), there are special and interesting. And thanks to the recording system, I can record all the shows that I want without sacrificing my time to visit my relatives.

See? Raya is fabulous and epic. ;)

Til then.

Salam Aidilfitri!!!

 Ikhlas Daripada,

5 Sappy Songs That I Love

Assalamualaikum and hey there.

Music will always be my biggest guilty pleasure. And when all the songs on the radio match your feelings, you'd know that you're actually experiencing one common thing - heartbreak. So here's my playlist when I was heartbroken back then. Hahah.

1. The One That Got Away - Katy Perry

    One of the first Katy's songs that I heard, probably after Firework. The beat is simple. But her voice is the winning factor. I appreciate storytelling songs so I love the story behind the lyrics. And also, this song is an awesome go-to karaoke choice. ;P
Fav lyrics: It's time to face the music, I'm no longer your muse...
Fav musical moment: The stretched part of "the ooonnnneee.... the oooonnnneeee...."

2. One Last Time - Ariana Grande 

    I don't like the music video. It's so misleading that it totally destroys the loveliness of the song. I love this song after I watched the lyric video. After realising the beauty of the song's lyrics, I replayed the song again and again. And of course, Ariana's voice is the cherry on top.
Fav lyrics: I should've done you better, 'cause you don't want a liar...
Fav musical moments: The whole chorus, especially that one last time (pun intended) she sings the chorus. "One last time, I need to be,, the one,, who takes you home,, ohh." 

3. Stitches - Shawn Mendes 

Yahh... that magazine-model face of Mendes is ruined ;P I love the metaphors in this song. I mean it's on the Swift level okay, in my opinion. :P But it's a bummer that he's not the writer of the song. Some guys named Daniel and Teddy and Daniel wrote it. Go check Wikipedia if you don't believe me. The melody of this song is so depressing and gloomy and of course,  he sounded heartbroken. And the radio way overplayed this song that by the end of 2015, I've had it enough of this song that I wanted to throw up. Don't take me wrong. I love this song, but too many sadness can affect our mood :P
Fav Lyrics: Needle and the thread, gotta get you out of my head. Needle and the thread, gonna wind up dead. 
Fav musical moment: The whole pre-hook ("gotta feeling that I'm going under...") 

4. Half a Heart - One Direction 

  I love the sad melody of this song. And the lyrics are just breathtaking and charming. The metaphor of being incomplete without someone is very sweetly romantic, if you think about it again. And I love the arrangement of who-sings-which-part. Liam in the first verse, Zayn killing it in the 1st chorus, then Louis continues, and then Harry singing the 2nd chorus and then Niall sounding innocently heartbroken in the bridge. I love it. I just love it.
Fav lyrics: Though I tryna get you out of my head, the truth is I got lost without you...
Fav musical moments: The whole chorus ("only half a blue sky, kinda there but not quite...")

5. Amnesia - 5 Seconds of Summer

Okay, I lied.   :P  I must say, actually my biggest guilty pleasure is spending my time watching these people on YouTube until late at night. I know I suck. I don't even like this band. :P I mean, I was just about to fangirl this band but when I saw the She Looks So Perfect video, I just... hated it. Lucky them, they have Amnesia and I was hooked. They should thank those people who gave them this song 'cause if not, I'd still hate to love this band.  ;P IDK, this song just tugged my heartstring. And it's relatable to me. And I felt like, if  I were Taylor Swift, I'd wish that I was the one who wrote this song, 'cause the lyrics are very heartfelt. The melody arrangement is also wonderful. From its acoustic start to its loud heartfelt 2nd chorus. And this is my favourite song of them.
Fav lyrics: It's like WE never happened, was it just a lie? If what we had was real, how could you be fine? 'Cause I'm not fine at all...
Fav musical moments: The 2nd time of chorus when the melody starts to grow louder. 

You know what they said, sometimes you love a certain song 'cause it catches exactly how you feel right now/ then.  So that's it.



Ikhlas Daripada,
 

Favourite Taylor Swift's Song(s)

Assalamualaikum and hey there.

Actually, every time when people asked me my favourite T-Swizzy’s song, I just couldn’t state only one. ‘Cause all of them have different reasons why it tugs my heartstring. So, here’s my 13 favourite Taylor Swift’s songs (‘cause she likes number 13 :P ) .

1.       1..Mean

Usually, if they ask like, only one, one favourite song, I’d say Mean. ‘Cause the lyrics are motivational, the music video is very inspirational and wonderful (and is also my all-time favourite music video) and also because she won TWO Grammys for this song! I mean, this is definitely an award-winning song. Even the art cover is gorgeous and on point! ;P I belt out this song whenever I’m feeling down as the kids at my school make me feel invisible and stuff.

Album: Speak Now

Favourite lyric: Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me.

Favourite musical moment: The bridge (“And a liar, and pathetic”)

2.       2. If This Was A Movie

It’s not really a popular song but I really love it!!! It was one of the bonus tracks but trust me, most of the times, bonus tracks are very good songs!  First time I heard it was on the radio and immediately fell in love with this song. When I looked up for the lyrics art, I just couldn’t look at the lyrics ‘cause it made me so sad! And the music really complements the lyrics, so it’s a beautiful song. And for this song, I could actually imagine the music video, if they ever decided to make one. I listen to this song when I just want to sing dramatically and pretend that I’m acting in the music video, and/or I’m living in a movie. Hahah.

Album: Speak Now (Deluxe)

Favourite Lyric: When time stood still and I had you.

Favourite musical moment: After the last chorus (“it’s that the kind of ending you wanna see now? Baby what about the ending? Oh ohhh…”)

3.       3.Girl at Home

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 I love the concept of this song. Taylor has always been in the point of view of “the girl who has been cheated by her boyfriend”. And it is intriguingly different in this song as she becomes “the nice girl who a guy wants to cheat on his girlfriend with her but Taylor firmly refuses.” That’s why I love this song. And I know this song is like a “lesson learned” for Taylor from all of her love experiences as she grows wiser.

Album: Red (Deluxe)

Fav lyric: It would be a fine preposition, if I hadn’t once been just like her…

Fav musical moment: the bridge (“call a cab, lose my number, you’re about to lose your girl”)

4.       4.I Knew You Were Trouble

Ohhh boy. I know people were shocked listening to this song as it’s wildly different from what Taylor used to sing but I loooved this song from the very first time I heard it!! It’s a T-Swizzy’s song that I love the most, musically. I love the dubstep and the mix of a little bit of country and pop in this song. The melody is just too awesome! I was hoping 1989’s songs would be way better than this but unfortunately no, 1989’s hits can’t beat this killer song. ;P

Album: Red

Fav lyric: A new notch in your belt, is all I ever be.

Fav musical moment: The beat of “Now I’m lying on a cold hard ground, OH! ,, OH! Trouble, trouble, trouble”

5.       5.Blank Space

This song is full of Insta-caption#winning-worthy lyrics!  (hey, you can’t deny this ;P) And I love the music video, especially the fashion and the sassiness. What can I say more? This song is definitely a winner.

Album: 1989

Fav lyric: Darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream. (C’mon, as cliche as this may sound, everyone loves these lyrics! Including me!)

Fav musical moment: The bridge (“boys only want love if it’s torture”)

6.       6.Should’ve Said No

This song is very emotional. I love the pop version of it more. I always feel like this song is actually the prequel of Girl at Home. I don’t have words for this song, simply breathtaking.

Album: Taylor Swift (country version) and Fearless (pop version)

Fav lyric: It was a moment of weakness and you said yes.

Fav. Musical moment: The melodies of “Do you honestly expect me to believe, we could ever be the same?”

7.       7.Brought Up That Way

This is a very heartfelt song! Only a heartless person would feel nothing! It will touch your heart deeply. Oh BTW, this is an unreleased song and I never really heard the original version of it. The only one that I could find on Youtube is a slightly pitched one, but it’s still amazing. Go listen to it!

Album: NO ALBUM. UNRELEASED.

Fav. Lyric: I didn’t bring her up, so they cut her down. I didn’t bring her here, so they can shut her out.

Fav. Musical moment: The part when “and through the tears she said, I couldn’t that to you… and he said..”

8.       8.The Other Side of The Door

Ain’t the art cover beautiful? Also, I like the title of this song. It’s one of country songs that I love. And it’s classic Taylor. And it’s also a perfect song to show how complicated girls are for always having a double meaning in everything we say. So relatable.

Album: Fearless (Platinum Edition)

Fav lyric: Baby you know everything, tell me why you couldn’t see, that when I left I wanted you to chase after me.

Fav musical moment: After final chorus (The whole damn of “With your face and your beautiful eyes, and the conversation with the little white lies” Yep, that one, which makes me asthma by the end of it)

9.       9.Ours

I just cannot not include this song. This song is enchanting. I was amused by this song, especially this one special lyric, which always be my go-to T-Swizzy’s love lyric.

Album: Speak Now (Deluxe) – see? The deluxe album tracks are always captivating!

Fav lyrics: Life makes love look hard…

Fav musical moment: The last chorus of “People throw rocks at things that shine but they can’t take what’s ours….. they can’t take what’s ours”

10.   I Almost Do

As I said before, I love sappy songs, and this is another one. This song is so sad, you can feel how heartbroken Taylor was when writing this song. And of course, a song would never be that meaningful to you if it’s not relatable with your life….

Album: Red

Fav lyric: I can’t say hello to you and risk another goodbye.

Fav musical moment: The exact same part when she sings that. It’s just too devastating.

111.Red

I love the metaphors in this song. When I first heard this song, I was diligently trying to figure out the meaning of the chorus – blue (sad, melancholic), dark grey (dull boring life), trying to know somebody you never met (difficult, near to impossible), red. But I have troubles deciding the one true meaning of red because they were so many that I found. But then I realised, it was all of them- passion, jealousy, anger, danger, infatuation, love. And due to all those smart lyrics, it became my favourite.

Album: Red

Fav. Lyrics: Remembering him comes in flashbacks, and echoes. Tell myself it’s time now, gotta let go.

Fav. Musical moment: The whole bridge

1    12. New Romantics

The lyrics are so inspiring! And motivational! And my favourites are “I could build a castle, out of all the bricks they threw at me”. I think the lyrics are just downright genius! With double meaning. First, it shows how positive Taylor is as she could take negative things (bricks) and turn it into positive things (castle). Second, it just shows how many critics she received over the years. I mean, there’re so many ‘bricks’ that she could actually make a ‘castle’ from it! Get it? It’s just genius. One of my all-time fav lyrics of her songs.

Album: 1989 (Deluxe)

Fav. lyric: I could build a castle, out of all the bricks they threw at me.

Fav. Musical moment: The chorus

1      13. Style

Okay, I admit it, One of the reasons why I love this song is because of the fact that it’s (presumably) for Harry Styles! This is the first 1989 song that when I first heard it, I immediately loved it. (I heard it from the Target commercial) (and BTW, Shake It Off and Out Of The Woods and Welcome to New York failed to do that to me ;P) So, it’s wonderful :D And not even a diss song, so yeah ;P

Album: 1989

Fav lyric: When we go crashing down, we come back every time.

Fav musical moment: The 2^nd time she sings the 2^nd chorus (“you got that long hair slicked back…”)

Actually, all of T-Swizzy’s songs are amazing. I also love Sparks Fly, Enchanted, Mine, I Know Places, Wonderland, Haunted, You Belong With Me, Love Story, I HEART ?, Picture To Burn and more. Yes. All of them.

Ikhlas Daripada,