Do you feel it? Or is it just me?

These days, when Raya comes, everything seems very different from when we were children.

The atmosphere is different. I used to love going to masjid for solat raya with my mom. Not to show off the new baju or shoes but that was the time when mom got to meet her friends before her house was swamped with visitors.

Normally, after we got home, there was little chance for her to get out again until probably late afternoon.

So, it was up to me to deliver all the kueh raya and cakes to the neighbours (kecik-kecik dah keje delivery.. heheh)

As I hardly had any friends in the kampung since I went to school in the city, I didn't go anywhere on the first day. If I wanted to go to friends' house, I had to take the bus and that's only happened on the second or third day.

Normally, my brothers would go to their friends house as soon as the solat ends and they would be back just before midday. So, it was up to me again to be at home helping mom. Well, what do you expect from boys anyway? Takde nye nak tolong in the kitchen sangat pun.

I remember following the kampung kids around to kutip duit raya. We went everywhere, even though we didn't know the hosts. We still went in to drink air sirap and eat a kueh before getting our duit raya. I stopped when I turned 12. Malu.. dah besar kan.

Last year when I went back for raya, I observed that kids these days just stood at the door, salam-ed the hosts and just waited for the duit raya. They didn't even have the decency to go inside the house, which kinda annoy me big time. Semua tunggu nak duit raya je. Some didn't even salam but just ran to the next house as soon as they got what they were after. Kurang sopan sungguh.

Kalau dari kecik tak diajar, dah grow up nanti dah tak makan saman dah. If my nephews and nieces did this, memang dah kena dah ni.

Oh... talking about anak sedara, dah bertambah meriah lagi lah one of my brothers' house. Anak dah semakin ramai. Yang pengsan nya Ucu ni lah. When I'm there, all of them will be like Ucu beli ni, Ucu beli tu, Ucu nak makan ni, Ucu jom main tu. Adoii... penat Ucu korang melayan, but since I go home pun sekali sekala, kasi chan je lah to them kan.

I love it when all of them waiting to hug me when I was at the airport. Even my brothers hugged me without teragak2. When I look back, I find it funny that these alim looking men with goatie hugging a young woman (aheeemm... i young wot) with all the lebai and makcik2 watching. Hehehe... Think whatever you want lah Labuuu.

Before bulan mulia ni ends, I would like to wish my readers well, be it the silent or the chatty ones from all over the world (US, UK, Msia, Brunei, Spore, India, Japan, Switzerland, SouthAfrica, Mexico and a few more countries that I might have missed)

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin.

May God bless you.

Added: Kak Teh asked if I wanted to join her at Mawar for solat hari raya. Mmm... I dunno lah. Sembahyang wajib pun masih tunggang langgang and terawih pun dah bertahun tak penah pegi, tetiba yang sunat ni nak pi.

I feel like a hypocrite, but hypocrisy is not an excuse not to go. My answer would be Insyaallah.

I'm hoping that raya falls on Sunday. It will be work as usual if it's on Monday and I'd be in Wales. Sigh.