Just a very short posting today, as we are nearing Aidilfitri.
Gosh! Just four or five days more.
I still remeber Kak Ton telling us just before Ramadhan that our Mee Rebus Tuesday would resume after Hari Raya.
And now, we're talking about when to start buying the ingredients for our Raya fare.
I know the days are passing by so quickly. But I know too well that the last two days before Syawal, will be very very slow.
You can feel, nay, hear, the seconds ticking away.
And the fasting really gets to you.
It's always like that.
And I am so missing Adel, wondering how he will be celebrating Raya.
Alone.
He has started classes, so in a way, he will not be pre-occupied with thinking about lontong, ketupat, lodeh, sambal goreng, serunding, ayam goreng pedas.....
He did not know anyone there when he arrived. It's not like when I was in Boston. My friend, Hawa, Salleh and Yunos were already there, waiting for me at the airport.
When Abang Med arrived in Canberra, (arwah) Kak Piah and Abang Zul were at the airport.
Abang Zul was doing his Masters at the Australian National University.
Kak Ton met familiar faces when she arrived in Athens, Ohio.
And, well...Kak Olin knew so many people in London when she first arrived there years ago.
I think anyone would know a lot of people in London.
Canada is so far away.
Sure, sure...we have real-time communication now. That, of course, eases the ache and the pain.
It's the thought of his physical being in an unfamilar environment to celebrate a festive day he's known all his life.
But I worry too much.
Perhaps, it is better that he doesn't know any familiar faces in that unfamiliar land.
It is after all a new adventure and a new journey for him. A whole new experience. He will overcome. And he will savour the newness. (But not too much, eh, Adel!)
Adel, like most people, would instinctively adjust.
Besides, Adel, as with most McDonald generation (Malaysian) kids, does not crave for nasi and sambal belacan, the way we did when we were overseas those days when the world was not so borderless.
He's so fine with pasta, BigMac and Burger King. And halal restaurants abound in foreign lands now.
Heck, by next Raya, he'd probably be regaling me about how fantastic his Canadian Eid celebration is....
I should be happy about that.
Anyway, until next Tuesday, here's wishing everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf Zahir dan Batin!
20 comments:
Selamat Hari Raya Eidulfitri
Maaf Zahir & Batin
Aunty Nuraina,
You sound so melancholic. Anyway, since you have adopted me...sort of...le's celebrate together. Australia is nearer than Canada, right. So, you have your rendang ketupat and what not on the dining table while I have my Fancy Feast Royalenon my table, then we eat at the same time...how's that? We luv u...mwah mwah...meow meow
Kak,
do not worry too much. i believe he could manage. btw, he is a young man. surely he can adjust the new life independently. moreover, nowadays modern and new communication is very cheap and effective. not as what we had during our days.
i had similar experience during the late 80's in the states too. i learnt to cook. i adjusted to the new life. such experiences and moments mature us and very priceless.
so, don't worry too much! :)-
rgds,
saleh abd latif
of http://gilocatur.blogspot.com/
Salam Nuraina,
Dropping by to wish you Selamat Hari Raya :)
Don't worry, he'll be fine. To me the spirit of Ramadan and Eid is not tight to specific dishes either...tapi kalau ada, kira bonuslah kan! :D
baiti: thank you! have a good Raya!
cat: you are so cute...ok..we eat at the same time. luv u too! And have a wonderful Eid...don;t go wandering about in the night, ok!
Naz: thank you, naz. Wishing you and your family a glorious Eid!
GiLoCatur: first and foremost...woww..you have so many blogs. and you a terror chess player.
thank you for visiting and offering comforting words.
actually, i just realized that i am talking as though Adel is 9 years old. Goodness me!
yes.. of course you are so right. Adel is a young man. What am I blabbering about? as though he needs his mummy to get around and do things...
aduhai...Adel anak bujang!
as Adel would remind me: "when datuk (my dad) was my age, he was already working and fighting for independence, and about to get married..."
funny thing, i told him that. and he remembered.
thank you, folks.
Kak Ena,
Wishing you Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin.
Kalau tersesat kat Perak, datanglah beraya kat rumah I...
Salam Puan Ena,
Your young man will do fine, insyaallah. It is time for him to face his first Aidilfitri alone. He'll feel a bit homesick, no doubt about that, but he'll get over it soon enough.
When he calls you pada pagi raya nanti, don't cry too much okay :-)
Salam Aidilfitri kepada Puan Ena sekeluarga.
Very good piece. Keep us posted every Tuesday. A joy to see a mother's love for her child.
Thanks Ina for the Tag. I have responded.
BTW, I have not wish you yet: SELAMAT BERPUASA and SELAMAT MENYAMBUT HARI RAYA IDILFITRI.
MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN.
Dear Kak Ena,
By and by the pain will be lesser.
A big hug & Salam Aidilfitri to you. Maaf Zahir Batin. *hugs & kisses*
Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri & maaf zahir batin. Terima kasih untuk kisah Tuesday anda!
Orang bujang at 19years old, he will be allright!
He will miss Eid tapi kejap aje tuu. Nanti bila dia start merayau all over city dan dapat new frens, hilang lah rindu dia. Lagi pun, dorang suka makan pastas, Burgers, etc, just like my kids too.
Kita kalau tak jumpa nasi, mau pitam. Kalau kat London, kena pegi Msian High Comm makan sampai kenyang giler untuk tahan couple of days. My fav Eid dish will be masak lodeh, lontong & kari ayam/daging....yum yum
Salam Aidil Fitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin.
pi bani: thank you. and wishing you a selamat hari raya, maaf zahir batin.
sudah tentu kalau tersesat di perak, i'll go look for your place!
old stock: i know...adel dah big boy...
i'll try not to sob sob sob malam dan pagi raya!
nstman: thank you...will do.
maverick: thank you!
retrogina: sigh...i hope so.
salam aidilfitri to you!
basree: terima kasih... salam aidilfitri buat saudara sekeluarga.
namza: memang betul tu. kita ke mana saja di luar negeri...mesti cari nasi. tapi dah tua-tua ni...kurang pulak cari nasi sebab jaga kesihatan.
thank you and regards. salam aidlfitr to you!
Salam Nuraina,
The lontong, ketupat ,lodeh, sambal goreng and seruding are all S'porean Hari Raya food which where I'll be spending this fitri in Yishun.
Ahh! about the young man in Canada , he'll get by and adapt faster than the cat can wink its eye,I am sure.
Ok,maybe when I were in the UK in the mid 70s, I have friends with me, 12 of them as a matter of fact, so I don't feel that lonely.
Wishing you " Selamat Hari Raya Adilfitri" Maaf Zahir Batin.
bru99,
yes-lah...all singaporean dishes...have a good raya.
this eyar, we're not sure about balik kampun to singapore. a bi spooked by the H1N1..
I hope Adel will be ok. big or small boy, homesickness doesn't discriminate.
most people are lucky if they study in london...kan situ kampung melayu..
anyway...have a good raya.
Mam,
The young man will be ok...tak ingat lak i which side of Canada hes in ...but Uncle Lee is quite near kot he he....
Selamat Hari Raya and maaf zahir batin....
Hi Nuraina,
My son, Hariz is leaving tonight for Liverpool. I'm sad for 2 reasons. One, he will be far away in UK and second, this will be our first raya without him. We had our Raya celebration last Saturday - I cooked the "Raya" dishes and my family came over to wish him and we had doa selamat. I didn't want him to say that he missed the Raya dishes !
Last week, he told me that he is the only first year Msian medical student so he has to make friends quickly. Yesterday, I saw him chatting over Facebook with some 1st yr medic students he found through Facebook - wonders of the internet! Hariz promised that he will update his Facebook often and upload photos. Someone joked about him having Mat Salleh girlfriend and me finding out in Facebook! By the way, I am still in denial about Hariz having a girlfriend and getting married - it's too much !
When I'm feeling melancholy, I turn to my youngest daughter Yasmin (now in Form 1) and say "what if you go to Uni later and leave me too?". Yasmin patiently replies everytime, "By the time I go to university, you would have retired so you can follow me and cook for me!" - she makes it so logical. She also reminded me to open my own Facebook account so that I do not have to go through hers when I check out Hariz's Facebook.
Hari Raya will be tinged with some sadness and yes, I'll think of Hariz. I hope that when my relatives ask about Hariz, I wouldn't break down and cry.... It's just as well we'll be home in Taman Tun rather than go back to JB. Well meaning relatives can make you miserable ! Happy Hari Raya Nuraina, whenever you miss your son remember that I miss mine too! Misery loves company ;)
For those of you who have children studying overseas...
Don't ever, ever ask them to come back for good. Unless you run your own business or can ensure that your son or daughter can get a good, good job, please don't ask them to come back after graduation.
At least let them work overseas for 10 years. Kalau rindu sangat, let them come back for raya or you guys go there.
I made the mistake of coming back after graduation 10 years ago. Unfortunately, I had to look for my own job. What hell I've been through! Peanut salary and slave-like working environment!
Sometimes I knock myself on the head for coming back but it's too late for me. So, I implore you, parents, to think before asking your son or daughter back.
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