We had just completed our Ramadhan on the 27th.July. Eid Mubarak everybody! Don't over eat. You might gain a few kilos within just a few days compared to what you had shed during one month fasting time.
It's true. I had lost a couple of kilos during Ramadhan month and like magic, I gained a kilo on the first day of Eid. What a waste!
This year we celebrate Eid in our new home. I don't know what my actual feeling is. Partly sad and at the same time happy. Sad because I am away from my former home, back north in Langkawi Island. Happy because my current home is within Malay community. And when in Malay community, we can expect the full scale of celebration even before the Eid. The Quran reading, the Tarawih prayer and the community itself. It all bring back my childhood memories.
I did't hold any open house for this year Eid celebration. Reason being, the house is a tad too small to accommodate friends and relative and I don't have many friends and acquaintances just yet from around here.
Still, as family we had great time. Everyone was at home except for Soffian. He's got to work on the Eid itself. Ariff flew down here and Sara got a week holiday from her college.I felt incomplete since one of us is missing.
As usual I was the busiest person ever.
The traditional food during this festive season is ketupat and beef rendang. Ketupat is a delicacy made from sticky rice or glutinous rice, cooked with coconut milk. The process of weaving this delicacy is intricate and can be time consuming. But I believe that's what added up to the festive mood. It had to be steamed or boiled for about an hour. This delicacy best eaten with beef rendang. Anybody who never tasted rendang in their life, don't know what they are missing! It's heaven. Ask Anthony Boudain. He can verify that to you.
Believe it or not, Sophie and Sara were much a better artist than I am when it comes to weaving the ketupat. But then again, I was never a total woman. This is ladies job whereas I am not.
I cooked some briyani rice, tomato rice,yellow noodle with sweet potato sauce, some Eid cookies (homemade mind you!), ketupat (sticky rice wrapped in a fan palm leaf),white noodle with fish gravy (laksa), beef rendang, chicken in tomato sauce and a few other side dishes for the first three days. I was totally exhausted.
I loved it down here since it is easily accessible to anywhere within the country compared to the island. My beloved sister came by on the first day. So did my friends and Sophie's friends.
A few days before the Eid, Sara came home and the three of us went for last minute shopping. I got them a pair of traditional dress each and they both looked pretty in their baju kurungs. It's wasn't the shopping itself that we wanted to do, it's just we wanted to be apart of the last minute crowd in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, since we never got the chance of doing so while we were in Langkawi.
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| Sophie & Sara in their traditional dress |
How do I feel about it? Well, I didn't enjoy the trip at all. I could say I got claustrophobic with people moving around me separated with only a few inch from my body.
A week after that, without planning ahead, we somehow managed a little family gathering at my elder sister's house. My other sister from Penang came down here to attend her in-law's daughter's wedding. Then we thought why not call our two cousins who lived not too far away from us ( about an hour's drive). They agreed to come. It just happened.
The food was plentiful. My sister cooked almost everything by herself, with the help from her daughter, Nadya. We agreed to have a little B.B.Q at her front porch since the sky looked threatening. The boys helped with grilling while we sat around and chat. (the boys dare not complain since the cooking was done by the ladies)
I made some desserts and brought over to her house. It was great. There were about 20 of us at the same time. Everyone was busy catching up with current news about each other's family.
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| Sitting behind from left is my cousin, Jasmin, my sister Mariam, my other sister Norida, my cousin Liza. I am the one sitting alone in front. |
We left my sister's house well after seven p.m. My back was hurting but it was all worth it. I loved the simplicity of our gatherings and hopefully we could arrange it again next year with more cousins and families.
Oh, I just thought of sharing our family portrait with you guys out there. There should be six of us but Soffian couldn't make it. So there was only five of us.
Hope you people enjoy reading this entry. Until then, have a great day everybody!
Rose
14th.Aug '15
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