Hi! I AM BACK

20th September 2009

Early morning we all went to the nearest mosque for Eid Prayer. When we arrived the Imam was reading a special message from HRH The King... which in the beginning I thought it was part of the prayer. And I thought "Ooow are we late already?". After getting in the row and about to begin our "Solat Sunat Masjid", I was wondering why Di had stood there wondering. Guess what? Di was left with no "sarong"(long skirt) to wear for the prayer because Harith's Mama had borrowed it to cover Harith from the morning drizzle. She had only the "telekong" to wear above her head. Apparently we arrived in different cars and went in through separate entrance. I went ahead with the prayer and left her looking for her sarong. Before the Eid prayer began, she has spotted Harith and her mom and eventually got her sarong. Alhamdulillah syukur.

After the prayer, we visited my late mom's grave yard where my late brother, grandmother and grand aunties were all laid to rest there. We returned to my sister's house and had another "breakfast." This time more elaborate than the previous. Then started the long rigmarole of house visits and tucking ins of all sorts of food. We started with our mom's cousin's house who happened to be my pic. She celebrated this Eid in her brand new house built on a piece of land close to the soon-to-be-a newly-rebuilt Bukit Besar's Mosque. She has all children with her including grandchildren coming home from Doha, Qatar. After two more house visits, we returned home and retired.

21st September 2009

Early morning, I went to the wet market to buy some food stuff to cook. I spent too long chatting with the vegetable seller that I missed the most wanted item of the day - home-cooked-noodle which we called "laksa". It's made from flour and water and form into noodle strips which later to be boiled in a cauldron and once cooked, drained in colander. It's to be eaten fresh with white laksa sauce or curry-like laksa sauce together with all the fresh herbs, cucumbers, fresh sprouts and all else cut finely.

When I reached the laksa stall, only "laksam" was left, another form of kuey-teow-twin pasta. So, after counting how many mouths to feed, I bought and left. True as I had thought. I should have bought the laksa first then looking for the herbs. What I did was the other way round. After getting some fish, chicken and all else, home I went. Cleaning everything, putting the fish on the grill (for the sauce), prepared the rendang ingredients and there I was, standing in the kitchen again (?)... yes, the rendang was for my sister who would be arriving that night from Mecca. Half way through, when the chicken was already cooked but not yet well done, I left to join the others at my late mom's house which is only five minutes away, on foot..

After that we have more house visits.
I had four helpings of Nasi Dagang from different houses. Could anyone imagine... after a 30 days fasting... we managed to indulge in all these feast??? As I am editing this, I too wonder how had I managed.

That night when my elder sister arrived, we all flocked the airport too, to add to the congestion. Indeed the airport looked busy enough with us around. Later, we went for a different kind of meal from what we have had during the day... it was Crab in Black Sauce... a hot dish. We planned to drive into town to join Harith and family but it was impossible to do... the roads were swollen with vehicles jamming the lanes joining the heavy showers.

22nd September 2009

Today, we were not going anywhere. Just staying at home, to and fro between my late mom's house and my elders sis's. In betweens, we entertains guests who came to celebrate with us. Altogether, I have five sisters with me this time - four elder sisters and a younger sister.

This time we have Laksa Johor prepared by my elder sister who arrived home a day after the Eid. It was the best laksa sauce ever made by her. But I couldn't eat more.

23rd September

going home...

The journey took us almost (10:00a.m-7:00p.m) 9 hours to reach home sweet home.

I was not driving. So this time, I really enjoyed the scenery that I have missed for many years. Had I flew home I would not get to see all these nostalgic scenes that I used to grow up with. Nevertheless, memories lingered on and on, endlessly.

Some structural progress were evident from the new ruling party with the new leader.

Beaches remained clean in this part of the world, calm seas welcome the city dwellers who came home for this festive holiday, intermittent rains kept us cool on this humid and warm climate... but most of all, the delicious food cooked and served during this festive season were not to be missed and least forgotten.

What remained the same were the solid structures in the oil field that we nicknamed "Texas of Malaysia" in Kerteh. They stood there so industrious and strong-looking and wealth generating indeed, since the year 1984. The smoke from the gas were still faithfully, constantly, steadily being blown out of the the huge chimneys. Wasted over the years disappearing into the air...

To keep me occupied... I clicked away the cam that belonged to Tasha... the sky was my focus.

No more rains! The hot sun accompanied our journey all the way to Kemaman, a must stop-over for countless sentimental reasons... for me. The sun was so brightly shining that the car screen was hot. I kept looking at my watch. I wanted to visit the house that I once grew up in. ... my alma mater.


more posts are on my mind...