What's different this Ramadhan?

1. This Ramadhan, for the 2nd year in a row, I am not able to go to the mosque for terawih prayer... I kinda miss that. The limit for jemaah in our local mosque is 400 for muslimat and only 50 for muslimah - based on first-come-first-serve basis via online booking. Alhamdulillah, Mr Hubby managed to book a place to go to the mosque for terawih but hey, that's okay.... I can perform my terawih by myself at home. This year, I challenged myself to recite different surahs during terawih prayers. Instead of reading the usual short surahs from my muqaddam years, I am now upgrading myself to read the first 10 ayats of Surah Al Kahfi, first  5 ayats of Surah Toha, Surah Al Waqiah (first ayat until the last ayat I can memorised - yes, I am in the process of memorizing Surah Al Waqiah. As at today, I had memorised till the19th ayat - pretty slow progress but yeah, I am getting there, insyaAllah), and lastly Al Mulk (alhamdulillah, I managed to memorized the whole Surah Al Mulk last year, so happy with this milestone - please pray that I will istiqomah and try to memorize more surahs in the future).  

2. Due to the pandemic, for 2nd year in the row, I cooked almost everyday for iftar :) Another milestone... haha! Only those days that I need to be in the office or taking care of my mom I don't cook. And since Izzaty is home this Ramadhan (she attended online classes from home), she helped me cook everyday :) I kinda enjoy this mom-daughter bonding session <3 It's a blessing to be able to break fast with the whole family. Last year Izzat was home the whole Ramadhan, but this year, he need to attend physical classes at his college and only be home on selected weekends.

3. Did I update you guys that my mom had stroke last year and now not able to walk and talk? Ever since my mom had stroke, my sisters and I decided to take turn taking care of her on daily basis to share the responsibility and 'pahala' of taking care of our mom 💓 So this Ramadhan, on the days of my turn taking care of my mom, I will perform terawih at my sister's living room with my mom following me performing the solat on her wheelchair... masyaAllah, Mak is so strong 💓 So guys, despite the difficulties and sadness we faced during the pandemic, try to create special moments to upgrade ourselves... especially this holy month of Ramadhan... kita cuba lah mendekatkan lagi diri pada Allah, perbaiki diri mana yang boleh and make our life more special. Well, this is a self reminder actually... moga saya istiqomah memperbaiki diri... doakan saya ya! 

💖Loves always.

Polynesian Cultural Center

Today was actually the last day for us to explore Hawaii as tomorrow we would be flying back to Malaysia. So, we decided to spent our last day in Hawaii in Polynesian Cultural Center.

I had such a unique experience here in Polynesian Cultural Center. Learned the traditions and history of the people of Hawaii. Apparently the aboriginal people of Hawaii came from many backgrounds /countries - there are some from Polynesians, Tahiti, New Zealand maoris, ect. Okay... nak cerita pun I dah lupa sebenarnya haha! Been years people! Baru la ni ada masa nak update blog haha! Anyway, those different backgrounds made Hawaii unique. They have lots of traditional dances - different race with different culture, ect. So we were entertained with so many cultural dances and shows... so interesting!

 Let's just enjoy the pic ya.

I gotto learn hula dance you all haha! 

The parade... 

While watching the parade, I saw one of the guide here wearing a Malaysian flag badge, so I asked if she is a Malaysian. And yes, she is! Wajib bergambar kan... haha!

Notice how tan I looked like in this pic? hahaa... gelap mak balik dari Hawaii you... 

Later we were introduced to more Malaysian tourist guides. They were Malaysian students studying here in Hawaii. Cool eh? :) Nice place to study... aunty so jealous haha!

Last pics at Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii before leaving this place.

Well, that's a wrap!

Mahalo and Aloha Hawaii!

I leave you with a heavy heart, heavier luggage (bag beranak pinak you! haha!) and definitely way lighter purse lol!

A Hue Hou - Till we meet again :)

Last dindin in Hawaii before leaving the island the very next morning.

Van World Cup Surfing Competition

 On our 6th day in Hawaii, we are back in Oahu Island. This time, we booked an apartment in Waimea Bay, located on the north area of Oahu Island. I did took some pics of the apartment, but I must have used the camera instead of my phone, tak jumpa pulak... huhu.

Anyway, not far from our rented apartment, there was a place called Vans World Cup Sunset Beach. On the morning of our 7th day in Hawaii, we spent a few hours at the beach to watch the Van World Cup Surfing Competition. Who would have thought that I could watch a live surfing competition Lol! 

The weather was beautiful! So many people came to watch this competition while sunbathing.. haha!

Sempat singgah beli tshirt Vans sempena this event :)

Left this place before the sun got hotter. We planned to go to Polynesian Cultural Center... please read this in my next post ya...

*** to be continued ***

Queens Bath, Kiholo Bay

Today, more exploring of this beautiful Kaua'i Island.

Super windy - loving the weather so much!

Our delicious lunch - coconut shrimps.

A must try menu when you're in Hawaii! Love it so much!!!

P/S : For moslem, please tell them not to put wine in your food when you order.

More beautiful places to explore in Kaua'i Island

Comel kan signboard ni.. :D Nene Crossing  haha.

Singgah pasar tani... eh! haha

Lastly, singgah Queens Bath in Kiholo Bay.

Took me a torture 30 minutes hike to reach the famous Queens Bath at Kiholo Bay in Kaua'i  Island. The trail was slippery and rough and I was only wearing fipper slippers and later decided to go barefoot. My shoes were wet after yesterday's hiking activity you see... terpaksa lah berselipar je haha.

Jalan2 redah hutan a bit and later we passed a waterfall leads down to a rocky landscape of lava rock... then another 5 mins track over rocks lead to this place.

Subhanallah, that's all I can say to describe this magnificent place.

Had to perform our zuhur/asar jamak-qasar prayers here... as dah petang sangat and we were out since morning. This was so un-plan. Telekung pun dalam kereta... so solat lah dengan menutup aurat seadanya huhuu. Yang paling tak boleh lupa, the pain that I felt when sujud - atas batu you all!!! The larva rocks are all tajam2 you know... nak nangis rasa huhuuu! Priceless memory indeed.

Leave the place before it's too dark... nak redah hutan nanti kang kalau gelap tak tau jalan balik haha!

Our din din... seafood of coz :)

*** To be continued *