.: Almost Unreal :.

Entirely surreal.

Minutes, hours, days, weeks and months. 

In a matter of days, K and I will insha'Allah embark on a relatively new territory. We never thought the day would come. We were contented with what we had and we still are. Yet Alhamdulillah, He is the ultimate provider and He has paved the path for us to achieve something we had never imagined to ever achieve in this lifetime. 

This may be a small step for others, but to us, it is a major blessing. A blessing that we can never thank Him enough for bestowing upon us.

While we are unsure of the path ahead, one thing is for sure, come what may, we are certain that He will guide and protect us along the way. As He always does.

Just a few more days to go, khair, insha'Allah. 

5.27pm, Malaysia Time

.: 新年到，新年好 :.

New stage in life.

Wishing all of you a Happy Chinese New Year! 

May it be a year of prosperity, good health and lots of happiness. 

祝你们新年快乐，万事如意，身体健康，天天快乐！

Before anybody starts asking me for red packets, I have to point out that K, despite being a Chinese from China, does not celebrate Chinese New Year. In fact, his family never celebrates it. Chinese New Year to them is just like any other day. Then again, they do not really celebrate any festivity, so this did not come as a surprise for me. Did that just blow your mind? 

So what did we do on Chinese New Year? We went out, met some friends, had a nice dinner with K's niece, and we slept. Even the firecrackers and fireworks failed to kick the sanity out of us. We heard the sounds, we disregarded it, and we went back to bed. Best sleep ever!

But we did host some friends the day before. We had hotpot. For a brief moment, it did feel like we were having our reunion dinner, except it was not dinner. What we had was a late lunch. 

The new stage in life? We are expecting something huge to kickoff this year, insha'Allah. Something that we have been praying for. Something that we have been yearning for. Something that would insha'Allah bring significant changes to our lives. 

No. It is not a baby. 

Or maybe it is. Figuratively.

Excited, yet nervous. 

Off to hunt for a mandarin orange.

9.37am, Malaysia Time

.: Selamat Datang :.

Alhamdulillah!

We finally got the letter from Putrajaya Immigration! After months of waiting and feeling down in the dumps, we finally got the letter to bring my in-laws over. Am I ecstatic? Definitely! 

There are no words to describe what K and I are feeling at this very moment. Absolutely no words. We are just more than thankful that our application got through. 

What's next?

Chaotic last minute arrangements to bring my in-laws over. There is a lot to prepare. There is the visa collection, booking the plane tickets, right down to the nitty-gritty. Then there is also the need to oversee our ever hectic schedule. Loads to do, with little time to spare. 

But what matters most is... my in-laws could finally come and stay with us in Malaysia for a few months!

Counting the days till that happen.

11.59am, Malaysia Time

.: Far Ahead :.

The saga continues.

Almost a month has passed since I submitted my documents to the immigration in Putrajaya. Until now, I have not received an update regarding the status of my application. And I have grown tired of calling and trying to get updates.

I am at my wits' end. I had wanted to bring my in-laws over to spend time with us. We have not met them for more than 2 years, plus the winter there can be horribly miserable. Year after year, the winter season does more damage to their fragile health and they suffer from ailments because of it. Perhaps I was too naive to think I would be allowed to bring them to spend the entire winter season here.

At least I have tried. And Alhamdulillah, my in-laws understand the complexities. 

Yet, I still have that nagging feeling that I could and should have done more. 

Each time I express this to K, he tells me I should not be too hard on myself. Some things are just beyond our control and we should just accept it. Perhaps it is not the right time. Or perhaps, there is a better reason why it takes like forever each time we have to deal with the immigration. Take it as a trial, our trial.

Yes; this is not Jannah. Until the last breath is drawn, we will always be tested. The one thing I keep telling myself each time I feel disappointed with something.

There is still a lot to be learned.

12.48noon, Malaysia Time

.: Meet My In-Laws :.

Not exactly.

We had gone over to Putrajaya to apply visas for my in-laws. Not sure of the outcome yet as they are still in the midst of processing the application. Plus I still need to provide them another document, which is pending on my employer's side. Other than that, I really hope the application goes through as it had been more than two years since my husband and I last met them.

I have to admit, I had the jitters prior to submitting the application. I was worried whether I had all the right documents and whether I would qualify as a sponsor. 

Alhamdulillah, things went far better than expected. We managed to get most of our documents ready in JB. When we went to Putrajaya, both the immigration and Wisma Putra officers were extremely helpful and our application was accepted that very morning. And I was assured that my combined income, from my employer and my writing gigs, would be sufficient to qualify me as a sponsor. 

I was elated. I am still elated. Never had I ever imagined things could go this smooth.

Now I just hope and pray that my employer sends the document soon so I can forward it to the immigration. 

Counting stars.

5.21pm, Malaysia Time

.: Buy Nothing :.

Does that make sense?

Earlier this year I came across a group on Facebook called the "Beli Nothing Project (Klang Valley)". Here's an excerpt from the group:

Buy Nothing. Give freely. Share what you might not need anymore.  

Post anything you would like to give away, lend or share among neighbors & friends or even a future friend here.  

Ask for anything you would like to receive for free or borrow. Keep it legal & civil. No buying or selling, no trade or bartering as we are a gift community.  

Kindly arrange the logistics among yourselves... It may be a good idea to just give or take from someone nearby. 😁  

Let's start small & see where it takes us.

To be honest, I find the concept remarkably intriguing. I have quite a number of things that are still in good condition and here is a platform that would allow me to give it all away, for a good cause. 

Lo and behold, my new mantra: Goodbye things, hello minimalism!

In reality, my imaginary minimalist dream was a far cry from the idealistic reality I was pinning for. The fact that the group mainly consists of members from you guessed it, Klang Valley, made it quite impossible for me to part with any of my things.

I, am in Johor Bahru.

And I would rather not go through the hassle of posting the items over because the postage fees for some of the items could cost a bomb and I prefer to give the items to people within my locality. 

Weeks, months went by and after I did a bit of occasional digging around, I eventually found.... a local chapter!

There is a Beli Nothing Project (Johor Bahru)!

Plus I found a similar group - the Johor Swap Shop

I reckon both groups could potentially be my happy place. 

Goodbye things, hello minimalism!

4.31pm, Malaysia Time

.: Jazz Festival :.

Not exactly.

Planned to attend the Jazz Festival at Puteri Harbour. Too bad things didn't turned out as planned because both Mr Husband and I were still feeling slightly under the weather.

Even so, we did go over to the venue earlier in the day. The festival was supposed to start at 5pm, though by 2pm, they were already in the middle of the preparations. Seats were well-arranged and we managed to watch a bit of the rehearsals. 

We went back around 4pm. Could have stayed for another hour but I was already feeling weary from all the walking. 

Later at night, a friend of ours shared some photos and videos of the festival. Everything looked and sounded amazing. 

Next time, maybe?

PS: Decided to do away with the font size. 

12.34 noon, Malaysia Time