Short notes on Aidilfitri 2007..

Ketupat , rendang . lodeh ! What a food galore ! I kept eating.. and eating.. and eating... an extreme contrast of only one meal per day during ramadhan to 7-8 times per day on both first and second day of raya !! Express weight gain crash course !!! Hahahaha...
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The traffic was allright , Good flow and i enjoyed my drive. This year it was stress free ; to and fro! I dunno whether it was the three lane thingy on PLUS or somehow people stagger but it is definitely the better travel amongst the ones before.Should i thank Uncle Sam for stopping all the works on PLUS during raya ?

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The Muar house had a good make-over this year. Pak Pit certainly put a lot of effort to ensure that the Johor tradition of getting everything new for Syawal continued ! The curtains were changed to modern railings , toilets changed to the "hotel" look , plasters and chandalliers.. ( heks.. Pak Pit is a contractor you see.. ) and the 46 inch plasma TV was a plus ! haks.. The air conditioning was installed as well in the main living room.. haks.. Doesn't sound like any typical kampung anymore does it ?

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Every year after the aidifitri prayers , we would quickly move to Tok Cik's place for a short tahlil and morning feast. It was a tradition upheld since Tok Cik's father's days as Parit Setongkat's imam. It was continued by him and on giving his speech this time , he hoped that his children will continue the long-lived tradition. It was quite sad , as he was in tears while speaking to all of us ; him being ill at the moment.
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So you think you can marhaban ? Haks.. I embarrassed myself when i went off-key on few notes during the marhaban against the old-timers in Tok Cik's place! Hahahahah .. Don't "pray-pray" with the "otais" as eventhough they are in their 70's or 80's ; their recitation was as young as one could imagine ! I tell you , never compete against the Johor old timers as they can beat you flat !! And the Johor - marhaban.. has its twist and turns..here and there !!!
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Dzaeff was the happiest boy on earth during the festive period ! He certainly loved the kampung as he ran up and down.. to and fro and all over ! The flat structure of the house made him really really in freedom and it was as if he had no limitations to roam !! He kept laughing and smiling ; and the presence of his 2nd cousins really brought me fond memories of my younger days in during raya in Muar..

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We had a busy first day raya as the whle family completed the visit to all the extended relatives in one day.It was a hot day in Muar but it was nice to visit my grand uncles and aunties. There are not many left , and the number reduces each year. A question came into mind , if Mak Tok is not around next year ; MAybe that'll be the end of the family celebrating raya in Muar.. hmmm.. a sad thought..

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Nearly lost my wallet after visiting Tok Abah's tomb with Pak Pit and Pak Pai. We stopped at a nearby stall ( where I had no idea where it was in the morning ! ) and ate breakfast. Somehow , as I carried the plastic bag full of nasi lemak, i accidentally exchanged it and left it there. I did not realize it at all until 11am and I panicked like mad ! Went back to the stall and it was closed! My adrenaline rush was at its high thinking about the hassle i have to go through doing police reports etc.. Asked the kampung folks about the whereabouts of the stall owner and went to his crib. Miraculously , he was waiting for me and asked me in for raya ! Alhamdulillah he kept my wallet and was thinking of ways to pass it back to me as my add was in KL ! I was so thankful , and Its just nice to know how the kampung folks are as nice as how it should be ..