The Isolation Journals Week #4

The Isolation Journals is a weekly post on life during the unofficial lockdown or Restricted Movement Order (RMO). The journal will be updated every Wednesday. This is the journal for Week 4.

Photo Credit: Ahmad Aji on Dribble

By Farhira Farudin

The RMO has been extended long enough until we have reached the month of Ramadhan. I hope everyone is doing well so far. Ramadhan this year is infinitely different than the previous ones we had before isn't it? The joy and hustle of going to the nearest Bazaar Ramadhan near your house to get your favourite roti john or that spicy ayam penyet you've always craved for throughout the whole year is no longer available. For some reason, most of the food available at bazaar ramadhan are just as available throughout the year but we only choose to eat them during the fasting month. Isn't it strange? Everything indeed taste better and more special when it's during Ramadhan. Without the luxury of going to bazaar, what have been your options for sahur and iftar? My family have been relentlessly resort to mainly home-cook meals so far. Most of us had learn how to cook under this circumstance. I am sure some of you will end the RMO with a new found love for cooking. 

I am sure everyone else here would love to endure the spiritual journey the same way like we did in previous years. It's the month where we escalate our deeds and feel closer to God. Ramadhan feels like a rare and exciting opportunity to be the better version of yourself in terms of spirituality. We pray together with strangers during taraweeh and yet we feel close to one another. We wake up early in the morning pre-sahur for our daily sunnah prayers. And perhaps we are ever lucky to be enduring MCO during Ramadhan this year. As we work and learn from home, we have copious ways to be closer to God and of course with our loved ones. 

However, I feel a tinge of sadness during Ramadhan this year for not being able to wake up for sahur and enjoy iftar together with my friends back in Unisel. Last year was the most memorable Ramadhan I had with my friends. It's the time we got closer to each other. The bond feels tighten as we cared for one another during the whole month. We woke up and cook our meals - most of the time we only reheat the leftover food from yesterday's iftar together. We went to different bazaar ramadhan in hopes to seek for the best version of nasi kerabu we could find (in my personal quest, I find Bazaar Ramadhan Seksyen 13 Shah Alam to be the best for its diverse selections). During the days we can't go to bazaar, we opt to other options we have such as home cooked meals or the daily menus we can find at Cafe Dewan Biru. Nothing tops the feeling of breaking our fast together at Cafe Dewan Biru with the food that we bought at Bazaar Ramadhan Ijok. It's a heartwarming experience I believe we should've appreciated more if I knew it was going to be our last time celebrating Ramadhan together at Unisel.

I hope everyone is coping well so far. This fasting month can either be a blessing or a challenging one for some of us. Sometimes it's both. Whatever it might be, I hope all of your good deeds and prayers will be answered in this holy month. Insya Allah.