October 19, 2005

take me back

I heard my first lagu raya for this year just now.
And it brought me back, way back to the summer of 2002 in Brisbane.
It was my second year celebrating raya away from home.

In 2001, I was all alone accompanied only by a singpost postpac filled with kuehs and serunding from my mom and 42-degree heat.
I had nobody to raya with but I didn't feel sayu or emotional at all.

2002 was different.
I had Naz, Sheda, Syida and of course, Ayu to raya with.
(okay, okay and Knap and Khai and Anisah & Brothers and many others)
It was a raya of many firsts.
Naz had downloaded lotsa lagu rayas (she was download queen that summer) and she played them first thing in the morning and all through the night, over and over again.
Some songs were just so sayu, and for the first time, I finally realised what it felt like to be away from family in somebody else's country.
It was also the first time really staying awake overnight making kuehs. It was kinda tiring but it was super wuper fun!
I actually went for one terawikh prayer (we wanted to go the next night too, but we found out it was already the last day of Ramadhan. so we were glad that we attended that last night to terawikh).
Choking back my tears as I minta ampun over the telephone wires raya morning(this I didn't do the year before tsk tsk).
Having an open house! A full open house at that, albeit some technical glitches, which left the place kinda dark haha! Yeah, an open house all by ourselves. Not bad..not bad at all.

I'll never forget raya of 2002.
I'm grateful for my beautiful friends who made it memorable.
I'll never forget each of your perangais during that period of time.
The video has proof of the different perangais.
heehee
But, I don't have a copy of the video. May I know who does?

Anyway, the song that I heard today was Cahaya Aidilfitri.

luv, tash 9:20 PM