Long Weekend: A Little Taste of Heaven

What a long weekend! It was one of those rare ones that felt like a proper reset button. My house is clean, the fridge is full, and I’m pretty sure I spent every waking moment either in the kitchen or just hanging out with my four boys. The best part? Crawling into bed last night with fresh-from-the-dryer sheets and comforter. You know that feeling—warm and so wangi it feels like a soft hug? I found myself thinking, "This is it. This is enough." I felt so incredibly grateful for my health and for everything we have. It was a moment of pure contentment, so much so that I thought, "If I were to go in my sleep tonight, I’d have no regrets." Haha, well, almost no regrets! I still need to work on myself tho. 🤭

All the Boy Things

It’s been a busy week for the boys! My eldest, Adam, has his SDEA lisan and hafazan exams this week. He’s a natural with memorization, so I’m not too worried about him acing Juz 21-30, along with Surah An-Naziat and Surah 'Abasa.

Meanwhile, I’ve discovered a new favorite activity to do with the younger ones. I taught Yusuf and Fateh how to solve Sudoku puzzles. It was a total proud-mom moment when they both got the hang of it! It’s been years since I played, but thanks to an old PC game, the tips and tricks came back to me. Now I’m thinking I should start playing again to keep my mind sharp.

And can we talk about how fast they grow? Iman started school in March, and already his uniform is too small, and his shoes and bag are falling apart. The surprising part? His shoe size is now the same as mine. I just bought him a new pair from Decathlon, which has become my go-to for school gear. The stuff from Al-Ikhsan and Bata just didn’t last as long, and since Adam and Fateh also needed new ones in June, Decathlon it is. It’s a good feeling knowing the gear will last; not forever tapi harap berbaloilah dengan harga.

Chai or Masala Tea, anyone?

Lately, I've been trying to switch from coffee to chai tea to curb my sweet cravings. The struggle is real. I've somehow gained 6kg since February, and I have no idea why. It's not like I'm eating a ton of junk food. Duh.

I’m still exercising, stretching, and working on strengthening my muscles to deal with this hip pain. The good news is, it's getting better after my last physio visit a couple of weeks ago. It’s a slow process, but I’m sticking with it.

The Latest Scoop

Last weekend, we went to the library for over five hours and borrowed 12 books—mostly comics. And cookbooks, which I’m so excited to get into. 

I've been catching up on some interesting podcasts lately. Did you know Segamat had a bunch of small earthquakes recently? I hear about it from the KJ's podcast (Keluar Sekejap channel), where they had an expert on the show. FYI, Malaysia sesungguhnya dah ada dalam Lingkaran Api Pasifik. The biggest earthquake in history, I mean in Malaysia, happen in Ranau, Sabah with 4.8 skala richter.

Should I talk more bout this? Yes, I will.

I also listened to a podcast about Syed Saddiq and how some people criticize him for being two-faced (and anything happen between him and Bella adalah PR semata-mata). But the speaker made a great point: people who criticize him might just be jealous. He’s not from a privileged background. He’s worked hard to get where he is. It’s a good reminder that we have no right to judge someone we don't know personally. I couldn’t agree more.

On the other hand, I've read bout this Indonesia on "fire". The recent protests and riots in Indonesia all started because of a plan that made people really mad. The government wanted to give a huge housing bonus—like, 50 million rupiah a month—to its politicians. This felt like a total slap in the face to everyday people who are already struggling with money. Things got even worse after a heartbreaking video went viral showing a young food delivery guy getting run over by a police truck during a protest. Now, President Prabowo's government is trying to calm things down by taking back some of those perks and promising to investigate what happened. 

It's a big situation that really shows how out of touch people feel the government has become. Malaysia macam mana? Tibber.

School Holiday Plans?

My family and I also received the RM100 MyKasih. While it’s only a one-off, it's a great help juga. Siapa nak bagi duit free kan? I'm waiting for the rush to die down at Lotus's and Speedmart before I use it. 

With the school holidays coming up from September 13th to 21st, I've already applied for leave. The boys are buzzing with ideas. Yusuf keeps asking: Ibu, kita nak pergi duduk hotel dekat KLCC ke? I don't know where he get that idea from but I’m leaning more towards a camping trip. A hotel in KL would be a good compromise, though, since I’m not a fan of long drives or super crowded places. 

Let's see what happens.

P/S: Honestly, a 3-day weekend sounds way better than just 2 days. Maybe the government should consider it, kan? 😄