The raya that was...

1st Syawal came and went...Somehow this year it was like a non-event (at least for me that is!)

We had our last berbuka puasa and spent malam raya at Mommy and Abah's in KD. However, after Isya', Ayah had to go back to PJ with Hasya and Hilman to play host as the surau people would be going to Mak's place for Takbir. Hanna and I stayed on in KD to help Mommy and Abah around the house.

Mommy does not have any maids, and what with her health condition nowadays, we do not let her do anything around the house. But, Mommy being Mommy, if nobody's around or if nobody's looking, she would be doing whatever chores she could think of just to make sure the house is spick and span for Raya! So, I stayed on to make sure that she didn't lift a finger that night. To be able to have done that, that meant I had to lift all of my ten fingers and ten toes tidying up the house with my Sis Y. Adoiiii....it didn't help that I, myself didn't/don't have a bibik!! Alhamdulillah, by 10:00pm, the house was as how Mommy wanted it - ready for Raya.

This year, my Brother E went back to Kelantan to my sis-in-law's kampong for raya, while my Brother J only arrived from Taiping on Raya Eve after Isya'. Both he and his wife, N, went straight to the kitchen as soon as they arrived and started cooking the rendang for Mommy. It is understood - the rendang for raya is always under their wardship :). My Sis L who was in KD with her whole clan in the afternoon had to go back to her MIL's in Keramat for berbuka. Our eldest Brother I - sigh .... long story....

It rained cats and dogs that night and Ayah was reluctant to let me drive back to PJ alone with Hanna. So, we stayed on until he came to fetch us around 12:00 a.m. By that time, I was already like a "kain buruk"... It has been a practice that we would sleep at Mak's house in PJ on malam raya. Thank God I had ironed all the baju raya a few days earlier. If not, I would be spending the whole night burning all the bajus in between all my "senggok sessions"!

Pagi raya - the usual hustle and bustle, getting everybody ready, bersalam-salaman session with Ayah's side of the family. And of course - the mandatory photography sessions! As our camera was jammed (hmmmmm...I wonder whose fault it was?!), we had to rely on Mak's camera. And as (bad) luck has it, when my SIL went beraya with her friends the next day, an Einstein of a friend of hers accidentally deleted ALL the photos!! Aaaarrrgggghhhh!!! That explains why I have not posted any pics this time. Will have to ask my other SIL to download the pics from her camera one of these days.

Anyway, the plan was to go to back to KD around 12:30 p.m, but all the cousins and aunties and uncles from the "Kachar" clan came swarming Mak's house non-stop until about 4:00 p.m! My kids were getting restless and impatient as they were worried their cousins on my side would have left their Jaddi and Jaddati's house by the time we were to reach KD. So, right after the last cousin left Mak's house, we went straight to KD. Much to the kids' delight, everybody was there (safe for my Brother E and family who were in Kelantan, and my Brother I and family - who were there earlier and had left).

Mak came to beraya at KD later that night and later together we went to visit Ayah's Mak Long in Dato' Keramat. It was nearly mid night when we left Mak Long's house. Went back to SD and have been here since - melingkar, doing nothing (apart from mopping the house and doing the laundry, and ironing, okay?! The story of my life...)

Ayah and I decided to Puasa Enam straight from Sunday until this Friday, and insya Allah can beraya sakan this weekend going to all the open houses! It's our fourth day of Puasa Enam today, and as yours truly is too lazy to cook, we will go back to Mak's house for berbuka... Hehehehe! Smart, eh?

But before that, Ayah will have to send me back to KD to get my car which has been left there since malam raya. The kids have their piano lesson from 6:15 p.m until 7:30 p.m, and yours truly will have to send and fetch them as Ayah who has his clinic to go to from 5:00 p.m until 9:00 p.m (hopefully earlier!) will not be able to be the 'supir' tonight.

And that's another thing! Ayah who is supposed to be on leave until this weekend, has been going to the hospital for 2-7 hours (depending) everyday without fail (even on 1st Syawal, okay?!) to check on his patients. Hmmmmm...serupa tak cuti! Well, that's what you get for marrying a doctor who is (annoyingly? Hehehe....no laaah) too dedicated and too committed sometimes - but, I still love you to bits, okay, Ayah... :)

And oh yes, did I tell you guys that my office room is flooded? Yup! Apparently the downpour on 1st Syawal led to a major leakage on the ceiling of the Seminar Room opposite my office, and the water somehow managed to find its way to my room, and my carpet is now drenched. There are still puddles of water in my room. I just couldn't be bothered to go and check. Ayah had been going to my office to see if it has gotten worse over the last couple of days - what with continuous afternoon downpours we have been having and all. Apparently, according to Ayah, my office stinks big time... Well, nothing much I can do this week. Most of UM's "Pejabat Harta Benda" people are on leave until Sunday anyway. Hmmm...could this be a good excuse for me not to go back to work next week? Hehehe...

So, that was basically it - our raya this year.

Anyway, I look forward to completing my Puasa Enam this Friday, and celebrating another round of Raya this weekend, insya Allah.

That, and, oh yes - RUGBY WORLD CUP 2007 FINAL!

GO ENGLAND!!!!!!!!