counting down

last Sunday, I had dinner with Pak Ade...just the two of us. ok not! plus Fathin ah. I had letters for the kids in Aceh, so since he's here, might as well pass him the letters.

We had quite a long conversation and one topic that stuck to my head is the fact that Pak Ade noticed something that I didn't really take note of...

It went like...

"Semangat orang2 Singapur bagus yaa? Meriah sekali sambutannya. Lihat tuh disana udah terang. Lampu-lampu semua udah dipasang..."

"Iyaa Pak Ade, kalau di Singapur memang gituu. Sebulan sebelum perayaan, lampu-lampu udah dipasang segala..."

"Tapi Rai, kenapa Selamat Hari Raya??? Kan harusnya, Ramadhan dulu...??"

!!!!

Ting tong ting tong tink tonk!

There wasn't even a hint of sarcasm in his speech. Just like there isn't a hint of Ramadhan enthusiasm anywhere.

At JP, it went like Bazaar Hari Raya. On the TV, it was jualan Hari Raya...

Come on man, let's celebrate Ramadhan!

Although, I must admit it's not gonna be easy for my friends who have lost their family members. To you, it is a test of faith, only to make you stronger. I know you will pull through.

Counting down the days to the month of purification...