Blogging from Penang | Floral memories

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

Praise be to Allah for keeping me safe throughout the 3+ hours drive to Penang. I am delighted to be blogging from my hometown as always. Super duper excited that I have got a new spot to blog at home. 

I can't wait to grow Kesidang (Bread) Flowers and Jasmine on the walls of my backyard in honor of my late Grandma who was so very fond of the flowers. Yes, gardening [and cooking] at my new wet-kitchen, is my Chinese New Year project. What's yours?

Anyway, here's a Malay pantun (poem) crafted by yours truly:

Hijau mekar dedaun cekur  

Kuntuman kesidang menjalar para

Kami anak Kampung Gelugor

bahagia mengenang kisah keluarga

Che Amah nama nenda tersayang

cantik berseri bersanggul melur
Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang
ini kan pula tempat berhibur

My apologies to our foreign visitors, I don't know how to translate the poem to English. It's just me reminiscing my childhood seeing how obsessed my grandma was with Jasmine and Bread Flowers. She would almost always wear these flowers in her hair bun. I remembered spending the school holidays with her. She would teach me Quran recital every day after Asar. Each time we parted she would gift me a handful of Jasmine. I didn't quite appreciate it then, but Grandmas know better because I learned only recently that Jasmine represents appreciation and good luck. And did you know that Damascus is also known as the City of Jasmine? Planting Jasmine at home would be a tribute to the sacred city of Damascus, home of the great Sufi, Shaykh Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi.

May Allah bless the souls of our families who have passed on to the other realm. May Allah forgive them and place them among those who are near to Him. Ameen.

p/s
May Allah heal our families and friends who are unwell. May Allah bless us with good health so we could worship Him as He ought to be worshiped. Ameen.