PAPAR: For a resident at Narcotic Addiction Rehabilitation Centre (Puspen) here, he has always craved his mother's cooking on the morning of the first day of Syawal.
"My mother's cooking is what I miss the most, especially when Hari Raya Aidilfitri arrives.
"Ayam masak kicap and cendol pulut ibu are our must-have menu if I was at home.
"If I asked for it, she would make my favourite food," said Halim (not his real name) from Tawau, 37, when met at the centre recently.
The third of six siblings also said he is missing the Ramadan and Aidilfitri days back at his hometown as he would usually do the decoration and cleaning.
"But, drugs have changed everything. My primary focus now is just to fully recover from addiction and not to repeat the same mistakes for the sake of my mother and family members," he said.
Halim said after his father died 20 years ago, he drew closer to his mother.
As his other siblings are married or working in the peninsula, he was also the only child who stayed with his mother.
"It's sad for not being able to take care of my mother this time and I hope my mother forgives me," he said.
