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WELCOMEEEEEEEEEE! Hey Hi Hello. Our name is Ili Humeira(09), Khairiyah Sabina(12), Nurhazirah(16), Siti Khatijah(25) and Sri Nurul Shahirah(27)! And we are the teen tit tit hippies! *Shakes hand* Alalalalala shakalalala boom boom. Vroom vroom wheewhoowhuu. *Does the Kallang Wave* Uhhhhhhhhhhhh okay we don't know what to say anymore so... Welcome to our literature blog! *Inserts five models of stickman waving*
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Section B .
6:53 AM
There are some similarities and differences between my experiences and Jess's . During Christmas , Jess was given a lot of gifts from his family and friends while I received green packets from my relatives .Both Jess and I wore new clothes when celebrating . We celebrated both of these festive day with our own family . On the other hand , Jess and his family went to the church while I went visiting . Jess had to do chores even when celebrating Christmas but fortunately for me , I did not do any chores .Done by : Ili Humeira.(09) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Section C.
6:14 AM
Hari Raya Puasa is a special time for the Muslim people. In the language of the Malays, “Hari Raya” means “grand day for rejoicing” and signifies the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. The Arabic version of the festival is “Id al Fitr”. “Fitr” literally means “breaking of fast”. The Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle, and each month starts with a new moon. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.Non-Muslims must be saying, “What?! Give up food from sunrise to sunset?! Is this the ultimate diet plan?” For Muslims, this month of prayers and thanksgiving to God for sustaining them throughout their fast purifies their heart and soul. To further emphasize the purifying aspect, it is said Muslim are to abstain from drinking, smoking and having sex during the fasting period and throughout the month. Children are not required to fast, but they are often trained from young to increase their endurance. They start by skipping one meal a day during the fasting month. Another reason for fasting is for everyone, especially the wealthy, to understand the difficult conditions a poor person or a destitute goes through. At the end of Ramadan, special efforts are made to contribute alms to the poor. To sustain them throughout the day, Muslims would have a light simple meal (sahur) before sunrise. After the meal, they would either head to the mosque or perform the morning prayer (solat subuh). After sunset, fasting ends with a meal (iftar). Iftar is marked by the call to prayer and you will know from listening to the radio or the nearest mosque announcing it. There is no need to constantly stick your head out of the window to see if the sun has set. Muslims often break their fast by eating a date, as Prophet Muhammad was said to have done so. During Ramadan, many dates are on sale. (We’re not talking about desperate singles here!) Special congregational prayers are performed during Ramadan nights. Muslims can perform them in the mosque and even void decks of flats for those who live too far from the mosque. All that fasting pays off when Hari Raya Puasa rolls in. How to tell it's Hari Raya time? For the astronomical buffs, it is on the first day of the “Syawal” – the tenth month in the Islamic calendar or after 30 days of fasting, act like a werewolf and look out for the new moon. On the last few days of Ramadan, you'll find families doing a serious bout of spring cleaning and baking. On Hari Raya Puasa, Muslims don their best clothes, have breakfast and perform special prayers. After that, they embark on a continuous flow of visiting the homes of friends and families. Usually the younger generation of the family visits the older generation. Without fail, every household would have a continuous flow of food and snacks so after all that weight lost during fasting is easily replaced.
Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Section A.
5:47 AM
"Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!"The term "Hari Raya" literally means "Day of Celebration". Another greeting is "Maaf Zahir dan Batin" which translates loosely to "I seek forgiveness (from you) physically and spiritually", for Hari Raya is a time to reconcile and renew relationships with others. On the eve of Hari Raya, my father and brothers will recite the takbir which is held in the mosque. The other family members, as well as me, will watch various programs in conjunction with Hari Raya on television. After the show, we will be busy arranging the various delicacies inside the containers, which will be served the next day. My mum's delicacies such as ketupat and a meat cuisine called rendang are among the most delicious cuisines (that are served during Hari Raya) among my family. When my father and brothers get home, they will help in other chores such as decorating and cleaning up the house. This is for the purpose of family-bonding. We would somehow get close together and bonded. And this gives me a feeling as if we were the world's happiest family ever. I feel so happy and I wish this would not just happen during Hari Raya eve, but I want us to be like that every single day of our lives. On Hari Raya itself, my father and brothers will perform their prayers in the morning at the mosque. Once the prayer is done, they will get back home and my whole family will then visit the grave of our loved ones. During this visit, we will clean the grave, perform the recital of the Yasin — a chapter (surah) from the Qur'an and also the tahlil or prayers for the deceased. All these are done in hope that our loved ones are blessed by God and they are spared from the punishment in the grave. This is not something to feel happy about. I would be so deeply saddened and I would cry, remembering the times I had with the passed. The rest of the day is spent visiting relatives or serving visitors. Hari Raya is a very joyous day for children for this is the day where adults are extra generous. Children will be given token sums of money, the green packets, also known as 'duit raya' from their parents and elders. Eventhough I am a preteen and no more a child, I still get 'duit raya'! The is the best part whereby I could get to meet and greet with my relatives whom I won't get to meet everyday. Not that we live so far away, but due to our own busy schedule, we won't get to meet very often. At night, celebrations with sparklers and firecrackers will be held whereby my younger cousins, nephews, nieces and I will light the firecrackers. Sometimes, I would play catching or hide-and-seek with them. I would shout and sing Hari Raya songs, and I feel like I was still a little girl. Well, I can't deny that there will still be a kid in everyone's soul, no matter how old we are! Done By (WITH LOVE UH!) : Siti Khatijah. (25) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Section C Part 2.
8:13 AM
Racial Harmony Day is a festival that Singaporeans, regardless of race, language or religion, celebrate on every 21st July of the year. This festival is a special reminder to all of us. Although we are of different races, religions and speak different languages, we are still Singaporeans and we should be proud of that and continue to stand strong no matter what. This proves that we don't have to result to racism. Instead, we should join our hearts as one and stand as one united nation.There are a lot of various customs each of our races or religions practice. All of us get to benefit from this special day and make it of good use. For example, schools will be organizing various events such as Racial Harmony concert and workshop in which students get a chance to try something new. Apart from that, some schools even allow their students to dress up to resemble an ethnic group. We get to share our opinions and learn a lot from each other. Besides that , different kinds of traditional games will be held for us to play. Eventually, the games in which we are not familiar with and find it difficult will soon be very easy. Not to forget, traditional delicacies are also included during this festival. We get to try various types of food from different races and learn more about them. Moreover, we will especially benefit about other races and religion by getting familiar with their diversity of culture and heritage. Thus, we must not have the mindset that Racial Harmony Day is a day where we commemorate just because we are being asked to. Singapore is a multi-racial country, so we must adapt to the presence of people who are not of the same race as us in the same country. Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Section C Part 1.
6:40 AM
Hari Raya Aidiladha or in short, Hari Raya Haji falls on 10 Zulhijjah, 10th day of the 12th month of the Muslim calendar. During this event, the Muslims worldwide sacrificed sheep, cows or camels for the sake of religion and community. They also did it in the remembrance of the sacrifice undertaken by Prophet Ibrahim, who was ready to sacrifice his son Ismail, but a ram appeared in his place at last moment. Hari Raya Haji marks the end of the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and performing haj is the 5th pillar of Islam.The Haj is a pilgrimage to the holy places in and around the holy city of Mecca, which is the birthplace of Islam in Saudi Arabia, where pilgrims will perform certain rituals and prayers. This duty must be done by Muslims as it is written in the Quran. Muslims who are financially and physically able must perform the pilgrimage to the holy place of Mecca at least once. Prophet Ibrahim inspired the pilgrims to show examples of obedience to God. Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Section B.
6:38 AM
Jess's Christmas Day Celebration differs alot from average kids out there like me. He does not celebrate Christmas with his family to the fullest. Because of financial crisis, Jess's family experiences problem in getting presents and gifts for each other. Usually, parents will buy presents and gifts for their children and place them under a christmas tree. This christmas tree is usually a product of teamwork amongst the family as they tend to decorate it together using attractive items such as bright lightbulbs and stars. But Jess's family did not go through this process.During christmas, I usually go out and have fun with my family. We will have family dinner and enjoy the lightings in town. This is a usual practice for us as we love the outdoors and prefer to go out rather than rot at home. Jess does not go out on christmas as his family is a little disorganised and are usually not in good terms with each other. This defeats the purpose of having chrismas because christmas is for the family to be around each other and have a family bonding time. Done by: Khairiyah Sabina. (12) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Section B
6:11 AM
The difference on how Jess and my family celebrate Christmas really differs a lot . First of all , Jess celebrates Christmas with his family while my family does not celebrate it at all because my family believes that Christmas is a day for Christians , since the word "Christ" is in "Christmas" .Secondly , in Bridge to Terabithia , Jess did not go out to celebrate Christmas with his family. For me , there was once when I went out with my aunt and cousins during Christmas . We went to Orchard to admire the lights that were being lighted up all around Orchard . We also went window shopping . Another difference is that Jess gives and receives presents to and from his family while I do not give presents , but literally receive presents . What I meant is that I receive presents in the form of a wonderful experience around Orchard with my aunt and cousins that brought smiles on my face . One other difference is that Jess gives presents to his friend , Leslie . He gave her a puppy , which made her exclaim in delight . I neither receive nor give presents to friends because my friends are busy celebrating Christmas with their own family . The differences between Jess and me differ a lot because we are both of different races ; he is a Christian while I am a Muslim . Thus , the festivals we celebrate will obviously be different from each other . Done By: Sri Nurul Shahirah (27) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Section B
5:50 AM
Being a family with financial problems, Jess and his family are not able to celebrate Christmas like other countries. They have difficulties finding presents for each other and their friends. Jess even gets a free puppy for Leslie as a Christmas present as he could not afford to buy one decent present. Also they did not seem to be very close like my family. They did not celebrate Christmas togeher as a family. Unlike Jess and his family, I celebrate Hari Raya Puasa together with my family. They did not spend much time together. However, my family and I spend the whole day together. This shows that Jess's family is not closely bonded as compared to my family. Therefore, I am considered fortunate to have a close family bond with my family members.Done by: Nurhazirah (16) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Section A.
5:11 AM
We celebrate Hari Raya Aidil Fitri or in other words, Hari Raya Puasa each year. This is the festival which all Muslims celebrate. It is a time for families to gather together and keep updated of each other. This festival lasts about one month and it is the most favoured by children as they will get green packets from adults.For my family, we did not bake any cookie or pastry as we do not have an oven but we made some cakes that does not require the use of oven. Besides that, my relatives will normally give us some of the cookies that they had made. For the preparations , it was done during the fasting month. Like buying new baju kurung, cushion covers and many more, it was done during the early part of fasting month while as for cleaning the house and all , it will be done towards the end of fasting month. My mother will usually start cleaning three to four days before fasting ends. Duirng the first day of Hari Raya, the men will go for their prayers at the mosque while my mother will prepare breakfast with dishes like rendang, lontong and ketupat. After prayers , we set off to the cemetry to offer prayers to our ancestors and from there we start our visits to our grandparents' houses. There, we meet our other relatives and continued round two of our food indulgence. All our relatives congregate at my grandparent's house and thereafter, we will shake hands and ask for forgiveness for our past sins. We continued our celebration by visiting other relatives as well as friends. At every visit, as a young child, I will get ' zakat ' money, which is placed in green packets, something which is similar to Chinese hong bao. In Singapore, Hari Raya is not only celebrated by the Malay/Muslim community, it is in fact celebrated by all irregardless of race and religion. This has been the norm of the society here because everybody takes the opportunity of public holidays. In other words, festivals like this has created a kind of bonding and camaraderie among all races. Done by: Ili Humeira (09) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Section A.
4:09 AM
After fasting for 30 days during the month of Ramadhan , Muslims get celebrate a festival known as Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Aidilfitri . It is to celebrate the end of the 30 days of fasting , and it usually lasts for about a month . Our purpose of fasting is to put ourselves in the shoes of the starving people who are less fortunate in other countries . In a modern country like Singapore , Muslims get the idea that they fast because they want to lose weight . In my opinion , I don't think we'll be able to lose a lot of weight as we eat a lot of food during break fast after one whole day of fasting , as well as during Hari Raya Puasa when there is a wide range of food available for us to feast on .During the midst of the fasting month , my mother will start to prepare pastries like cookies and traditional kuehs such as pineapple tarts and popiah . Sometimes , if I have nothing to do , I will help her to do them too . Besides making pastries and traditional kuehs , the whole family will do spring cleaning . My father will vacuum the whole house while my brother and I will clean windows , fans and other parts of the house . Not only that , we will also help my mother to put up new curtains made by her . On the eve of Hari Raya , after breaking fast , my mother will start cooking the dishes for the next day . The dishes include sambal goreng pengantin , sambal sotong and lontong . If she doesn't have enough time to finish cooking those dishes , she will wake up as early as five in the morning the next day to continue cooking . She will then wake the whole family up at about six because we're going to perform the Hari Raya prayer . It is optional for ladies and a must for men to perform the prayer . Next up , all my relatives on my mother's side will visit my eldest uncle's house to have lunch . Even though it will be a little chaotic , I was glad to be able to meet up with my relatives and bond together with them . When the time has come to leave my uncle's place , we kids will receive what we yearn for - green packets ! It was always such fun to be able to collect green packets ! My mother would then take my Hari Raya money and deposit them into the bank to prevent me from spending it . This way , I would be able to save money easily ! I really love Hari Raya and am very proud to be a Muslim . I hope to be able to collect lots of money this year ! Done By: Sri Nurul Shahirah (27) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Thursday, February 19, 2009
Section A.
4:33 AM
Every year, we celebrate Hari Raya Puasa. Hari Raya Puasa is also known as Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. It is a festival celebrated among Muslims all over the world. Hari Raya Puasa is the most important Muslim festival of the year and lasts about one month.Usually, my family will not bake cakes, biscuits and pies by ourselves. My mother, together with my aunties, will make the titbits together. They usually prepare the titbits beforehand, during the fasting month. Most of our Hari Raya preparations will be done during the fasting month. We clean the house, change the curtains and cushion covers and most importantly, buy new clothes. My mother, aunties and grandmother will always be the ones weaving the ketupat. I do not join them as I did not know how to weave the ketupat. They will usually prepare the dishes to be cooked on the first day of Hari Raya together. On the first day of Hari Raya, my father and brother will go to the mosque and perform the prayers while my mother and I will do our last touch of cleaning the house. Lunch will be the joyous part as my family and relatives will all gather at my grandmother's house to eat together. Dishes prepared will usually be ketupat, rendang, chicken curry and lots more delicious foods. Then, the younger members of the family will kneel before the elders, kiss their hands and ask for forgiveness for all the wrongs they had committed the previous year. Next is the best part of Hari Raya. Getting green packets! I usually get green packets from my parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents and my working relatives. We will then leave my grandmother's house to visit homes together. It is fun spending time together with my family ang relatives in preparing for the festival and during the festival itself. Not only is there joy, we can further strengthen our family relationship. Celebrating Hari Raya with my family surely is a lifetime memory. Done by: Nurhazirah (16) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! Monday, February 16, 2009
Section A.
11:15 PM
 Every year, muslims get to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Puasa for short. Basically, this ocassion emphasises on family bonding and interaction whereby all our family members get a chance to meet up and catch up with each other. Evidently, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is more favourtised by the children because they gain the most profit out of it, if you get what I mean.The picture above is my family photo taken during last year's Hari Raya Aidilfitri. We showed up in dark blue and like any other Hari Raya morning, we started off with traditional meals for breakfast, which was cooked by my father who should've came back from Hari Raya Prayers by then. It consists of the main food, ketupat. Some say ketupat is easy to weave but I think not. I would like to learn how to weave a ketupat. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be sitting around the house, weaving ketupat for Hari Raya? Unfortunately, none of my family members know this skill. Besides ketupat, there are alot more variations such as rendang, lontong, ayam masak merah, sambal goreng and many more. Although these foods are fattening, they satisfy in terms of flavour. Its not everyday that I get to eat such food so I'll dismiss my healthy diet for this special day. Usually, we would sit around the living room and take turns to apologise for our misdeeds and set off to my late great grandmom's home whereby all my relatives would be there. I think Hari Raya is a great way to keep in touch with my relatives. Eventhough some of us are not close, rarely meet and lives far away, we still have a strong relationship if we continue to try to attend family outings like this as much as possible. No matter what, relatives and family remains permanent and we can gain alot from family gatherings. I'm looking forward to this year's Hari Raya Aidilfitri! Done By: Sabina. (12) Blogged by TEEN TIT TIT HIPPIES! |
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