Selamat Hari Raya

And how time flies. It is already the 4th day of Syawal. I didnt have the window for any blog update at all between here and the previous post. Seriously. But thankfully the company enforced mandatory leave all week this week (yeay..) and I am taking things slow. Very slow in fact.

And how's your last ten of Ramadhan and raya? Blissful. Peaceful. Fruitful. And joyful I hope. We went back to my mum's place this raya. She insisted on having raya at her own home this time. We had celebrated the last couple of raya with her in KL. This time we did all we can so that she can have a raya the same like those she had always prepared for us, nothing less. Biar lah mak rasa seronok raya kat rumah sendiri - berapa kali sangat pun nak beraya dengan mak lagi kat kampung..

I have here some raya photos that I love..

Our home-made ketupat (next raya I can make these myself too); cute Kinah & Safiyyah, nieces; Scrooge! aka Syazwan, nephew; an unbelievable bright red lily in bloom from my mum's garden.

Raya feast in the best wares (Mum: bawak keluar semua pyrex tu - nanti kat akhirat pinggan tu kata dok simpan dalam almari je.. Me: Ye mak!); ayah cu and family; mum (she was seriously tired tapi masih berkeras tak nak baring. She said, hampa semua balik mak pulak nak pergi tido!); bangsal at the back of our house (it looks so kampung. Love it).

We made the rendang in the kawah (I wondered how folks cook on this fire with all the smoke going on in the long ago days.. actually the thought that came to mind was how my mother and late father went through all the rayas cooking everything from lemang, rendang, dodol, wajik on this fire.. kasih nya mak-ayah); Kak Zah and Syadah, sis-in-law & niece; Umar, cucu yang amat comel; and woo-hoo! the gorgeous vehicle on my mum's lawn - to die for!).

If I had the time, I'd love to read in the shades of this bamboo tree in mum's backyard; unlike any previous raya, this year we wore the same color although in diffrent tones (malu le nanti orang kata beli kain sepapan bawak balik buat baju.. I had a HORRENDOUS time looking for material in all the different shades of purple though); Kinah & Syuhaib, niece & nephew; juadah raya sepanjang nye meja..(Mum: kueh raya dah bubuh dalam botol? Kek mana? Wajik dah ada? Sirap dah buat? Tambah lagi lauk2 yang dah habis tu. Letak cawan2 semua nanti orang nak minum senang.. Me: Ye mak! Bila lagi nak melayan mak? (actually these are the questions she asked / her instructions every raya; but not as many this time. Dah tak larat. But old habits die hard, we did what had always been done every raya. She looked and nodded).


This gambar is one of the many I seriously love. Three generations (I wanted to get a photo like this for quite some time..) I was pleased to see mum wore the baju I bought for her (actually I bought that like two years ago - ? - masa nak kenduri Ina / Aing or some other cucu when she said she wanted to wear something new. She was hospitalised instead; langsung tak buat pun baju tu then)

And of course I love this too. I think five is a good number.

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