Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Tuesdays With Bapak

Celebrating Syawal - October 16 2007

As we get older, every Aidilfitri seems to hold a different meaning for us.
When I was a child, it was all about new dresses and shoes, fire crackers and 'duit raya'.
A little older, it was still about new clothes and shoes, fire crackers and "duit raya".
Later in life, new clothes still held some importance only because it was an excuse to splurge on "baju kurung" and "kebaya". The shoes were negotiable and I was no longer at the receiving end of duit raya.
A few years later, Eid became a spiritual victory at the end of a spiritual journey. Something like that.
I remember remarking with a sigh: "Aah....Aidilfitri is really for the children".
No more fire crackers? But what is Raya without fireworks? The ka-boom and sparkling "bunga api" have faithfully remained when other things have slowly dissipated.

Then came the time I joined Mak in resuming fasting on the second day of every Eid for the "puasa enam".
We would have our own celebration on the seventh day. It was fulfilling.
When I became a mother, Aidilfitri took on an entirely new perpective and dimension.
It was no longer about me.
When I lost my mother, it was to be the first time during Aidilfitri that I had to visit a grave -- hers.
I had never felt such a deep sense of loss, an aching loss, as I am sure, did my siblings.
But, I was comforted by the fact that Bapak was there for us all. I was thankful too that we (my siblings) had each other.
Then, we lost our eldest sister, Kak Piah. We were all devastated. Yes, life was really really short and we had to come to terms with that reality.
Two graves to visit every Eid.
This year, Kak Eda left us. Aidilfitri without her. Never imagined that could ever be.

Why had Ramadhan been so fleeting that I had not felt the tingling anticipation, the mental sensation, that usually preceded Aidilfitri?
I was surprised by my own nonchalance which threw me into a dizzying swirl of last minute chores, including shopping for my children's clothes and stuff.
"What is wrong with me that I could have lost track of time?", I had asked myself countless times.
Why was it all so fleeting?

The passing of time, I think, have rendered me somewhat oblivious to the overt celebration of Eid.
What had held signifcance before has ceased to do so now. I think other things have come into play.

For one, I see Bapak -- and this is a cliche - getting older. He is old. But he is getting older.
You know what I mean.

It has been a few years now that Bapak no longer performs prayers on the first of Syawal at the nearby Malik Al-Faisal Mosque. His physical condition has disallowed him to do so. He is less mobile now than he used to be.
This Aidilfitri, Bapak spends his time in his room, resting. Last year, he was able to join his visitors at the dining table. He'd have the customary 'lontong' with them. Then he'd go back to his room to rest. Another set of visitors, and he'd slowly make his way again to the dining or living room.
But not this year.

I can't help wondering...those years when we were young. How Bapak must have felt seeing us growing older every Aidilfitri?
Isn't it during Aidilfitri that we get hit with how fast our kids have grown?

Like it certainly did for me this Aidilfitri.
Take my daughter, Shaira. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was that little girl, wanting and needing her mummy to buy her her favourite Disney video tape or her Spice Girls cassette tape?
And I was able to cradle her.
Wasn't it just yesterday that we'd go shopping for her Baju Raya at the children's section of Metro Jaya?
Wasn't it yesterday that she told me that she would always be with her mummy and would take care of her forever and ever?
Yeah....that was yesterday.

Shaira turns 15 today. Sure, she does still need her mummy for many things.
But, I can't help thinking how grown-up she is now and soon, she will no longer need her mummy to do things for her.
Will I feel irrelevant and useless then?

I'll not think about that yet. Let me enjoy the moment.
So, yeah, Aidilfitri holds something different for me this year. As it had the past years...

Happy Birthday, Shaira. And Salam Aidilfitri to everyone...

45 comments:

wanshana said...

I know what you mean, K.Ena. Sigh...

Even for the kids, I feel the celebration and the excitement is not as meriah as when we were younger dulu.

Selamat Berpuasa Enam. Normally Ayah and I would spread our six days over 2 weeks, but this year we've decided to fast Sunday to Friday, and 'Raya' this Saturday. There'll be a few open houses this weekend for us to celebrate with a 'bang'! :D

And - Happy 15th Birthday, Shaira. God Bless.

Take care, K.Ena.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Shana,

and before you know it, you'd be "receiving" a menantu!
and then di gelar nenek....

that's it -- shana, the word is "meriah".
i really felt that something was missing. that I had gone from A to Z in ramadhan without feeling that glorious feeling of anticipation.
dah tua, kot?

you and ayah are so disciplined.
while, of course, puasa enam is ibadah, i also see it as a necessity during Syawal and to be done on the second day.
you know how it is during the first day --- makan makan makan like there is no tomorrow. Bukan apa, lepas layan tetamu2, kita pun ke kitchen dining table and makan...repeat over and over...
kalau tak puasa the next day, i think i'd be sick -- with all the ketupat, lemang, lodeh, sambal goreng, serunding, sambal tumis and rendang. not to mention the cookies and kek lapis, brownies...

besides, if i held on puasa enam for later, i think i langsung tak terbuat.

thank u shana for visiting..

i'll wish shaira for you.

God Bless you, Ayah and yr gorgeous children.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Shaira (via Nuraina).

Soon, you'd be the 'hottest' granma in Kuala Lumpur West!


Selamat Hari Raya. So, MRT next week?

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum Kak Ena,

Selamat Hari Raya.

Could it be that your heart is still so heavy in grieving Kak Eda's recent passing that the rest of the body tak sanggup nak bersuka ria...

Our family was thrilled to see so many new and young faces at this year's takbir. The presence of cucu-cucu Pak Samad really swelled the numbers. Met your handsome Adel - SPM coming up soon! - and the rest of your nephews (one of whom was surprised to see his cikgu discipline!)

Happy birthday to Shaira.

Take care

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

bigdog,

hahaaa..gramma?

i will kirim your wishes to Shaira.

Yes... MRT resumes next week

see u there!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anon@10:41am,

selamat hari raya!
now..let me see... i gather you live in section 16, a neighbour of ours?
Adel ada kirimkan someone's salam to me after the takbir. he was at a certain house and a certain lady kirim salam to me.
could you be that lady?

thank you for visiting.
you know, i was thinking that it could be kak eda's passing that has dampen my raya spirit, as ir were.
but then...perhaps not entirely.

let's see how next year goes.

Shaira is here and she says thank you.

and i just told adel what you said.
he is speechless. i guess that means thank you.

Take Care!

Bailey said...

i'm 25 this year and dah start working for almost two years. yes, just like u say, bila dah besar, raya is just raya. a time for us to celebrate our victory selepas sebln bpuasa. there's no more baju raya baru, kasut baru, firecrackers and duit raya. itu seems not important anymore.

selamat bpuasa enam kak ena. and happy 15th birthday to Shaira. smoga dimurahkan rezeki and panjang umur.

p/s Shaira sebaya dengan my youngest sister. =)

muststopthis said...

Kak Ena,
Looking fwd to next tuesday...
Same here...Christmas is for the children, as for me when it comes round, it seems to really wear me out. Hosting and helping, and cooking and all.....but seeing the joy in the children's faces? worth every minute of it.....

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

bailey,

i suppose life's like that, you know.
as we grow older, and face life's changes and life-changing moments, our perception and feelings about certain facets of (our) ife also change.
celebrating raya is one.

just like our household...on raya eve and first day of raya...we can see how the kids have grown.. adel and shaira used to be among the little ones, hanging on to their older cousins -- khairil, ina and shasha. now they are the big ones, taking care of the younger cousins.
and that is mortality, i suppose.
i see it when i go to singapore. i look at how my uncles and aunts have aged. i have some cousins who are a little younger than my dad and mum. i remember all of them when they were young -- the men, strapping young men and the women, youthful and vivacious.

i think about my own mortality as i grow older. especially after having lost my older sisters.

anyway, shaira says thank you. she terkejut i mentioned her birthday in my posting.

"alaaa.... mummy niii....", she said.
but i think, privately, she likes the idea of getting birthday wishes and greetings from a host of people she doesn't know..

aaah....that means your sister just finished her PMR.
Hope it was ok for her!

thanks for visiting. Take Care!

Rockybru said...

Dear Ena, I remember when Azmi and I would sometimes bump into "little" Shaira, at your place as well as your Bapak's. I used to carry her in one arm. Now look at her! And Adel your son is a 6-footer who is sure going to be at a loss of what he's supposed to do with a fan club. More headaches for you, no doubt.

You capture the essence of Hari Raya perfectly here. After mom died 10 years ago, Raya has never been the same again. Then dad joined her.

But as the kids grow up, they bring back the shine in Aidil Fitri. Their excitement and enthusiasm, their lack of concerns, their innocence.

That is why I love to spend Raya at Pak Samad's house. For years now I have visited him with my kids on the first night of Raya.

This year's the same. the kids enjoyed the firecrackers their Uncle Mack bought (Ahirul said he spent RM300 on those bunga api) and Abang Med's "solo concert" was something we'll remember.

But I didn't get to sit at the diner and talk to your dad like we used to.

Insyallah, his health would improve. I look forward to next year's Raya with Pak Samad.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

tony (muststopthis),

yeah... i guess, no one is spared changes in life.

anyway, yep... can;t wait for Tuesday! I hope Kak Ton still has her cookies!
I think I'll bring some.

see you there!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

rocky (ahirudin),

oh yes... those days when the kid were tots..
i remember carrying shaira out of the car whenever she had fallen asleep after visiting Bapak or a late night family function.
imagine, she was so light....until she was 7 or 8.
now she is taller than i am.

yep, i remember you carrying her with one hand.
now, you can even discuss The Beatles with her.
And you even got her to download some songs!

and i remember those days when Bapak would be up and about when you visited. He'd either be at the dining table or in the living room, talking while the kids were playing fire crackers and bunga api.

he didn't go to bed early then..
he'd be, i think, the last to go to bed.
these days, by about 9.30pm, he'd already be asleep.
when you came the first Raya night, he was already asleep, i think, although you came before 9pm.

Yes, Insyallah, next Raya, he'd be better...

Rockybru said...

And happy birthday little Shaira!

When I was 15, I was listening to the Beatles.

And you, you are listening to the Beatles, too!

That's amazing.

Ahirine is here and she says:

"Happy birthday kak shaira bila nak buat birthday party?'Ak shaira dah ada boyfriend ke belum? Kikiki.... Jangan marah tanya je..." Bye...

A Voice said...

Just got back late last night from the Raya thing ... tiring. Big family, and long list of compulsory visits (despite reduced by death and other factor). Interrupted sleep. Noisy and chaotic with all these nephews and nieces. Happy.

A day before Ramadan ... one cousin younger than me died. I have been shaken by the knowledge of this since.

One it is a mortality check. Being older than her, I could be the one and be gone tomorrow. We are really expendable, aren't we? Where is the significant of our presence in this world then?

Two, sad of the knowledge of the life she had led. For some reasons, she led a recluse life away from family for decades. She kept her life's suffering totally away from everyone else. We would have helped her but it could be her ways to refuse help and wanting to face it on her own.

She was living a life selling tidbits to school children outside school compounds to maintain five children, left by an irresponsible husband, and living in a mere shed. Throughout all this, she was coping with cancer. Lets look at those people selling tidbits differently now.

Her life history has been a history of betrayals and seems throught her life its been that of "ranjau sepanjang jalan". Only her death uncovered the life she had been living.

Thirdly, is the fact that someone so insignificant hides a big heart and determination. "Di hujung jalan dia telah membina harapan."

When we grew up, she lost out in school. Despite her hidden life of abject poverty, she got one daughter in University and two in top boarding schools. A commendable achievement for her.

A life so insignificant but yet her hope and determination for someone else made her life relevant and significant.

Care to offer a fatihah to this poor down trodden but great cousin of mine.

Anonymous said...

voice, alfatihah for your cousin.
we'll all be gone one tomorrow, bro. let's live life to the fullest. the story of your cousin which you have told us is a "pedoman" -- a guide. it is the answer to your own question about your singificance in this life.
i wouldn't know of a light in such darkness if you hadn't shared her story with me.
thank u.

to kak nuraina,
thank you for yr heartening stories. not just this one, but the many that u hv told us.

shaira,
happy birthday. i wish i am 15 again.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

dear uncle rocky,

i think it's because i grew up listening to my mother's music. i think i am the only 1 in my class who likes the beatles.
i also like james taylor, dusty springfield, aretha franklin, debbie harry, earth, wind and fire, carole king, janice ian, simon and garfunkle, hmmmmm... banyak lagi pilihan orang tua.

thank u for the b'day wishes

to ahirine; kak shaira tak de bofren lagi. kak shaira 2 young. mummy tak bagi.

bye2

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

voice,

aaah.... a typical Raya day, ya?
i can imagine how tiring it must have been.

How sad to know about your cousin. She raised her kids well despite a hard life...

AL Fatihah...

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

ismail Haron: thank you for visiting. i am heartened to know that the stories i've told have touched you.

from shaira: thank you for the birthday wishes. i wish i was 21.

zaitgha said...

Nuraina,

only yesterday my dad in law lamented that what is raya without mercun and bunga api...my mum passed away a year before i got married and followed by my oldest brother 2 months later...and Raya was never the same since then but life has to go on...after that we would be in Seremban from the malam raya until sembahyang then we make a dash to KL to be with my dad and siblings...as usual traffic to KL was a breeze but traffic to the south was horrendous...
but this year my dad passed on last April, we still went up to KL after sembahyang raya ...his seat was vacant, no one sat on his chair as though he would join us for the raya makan-makan....i longed for his laugh and his tears when he saw all his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren under one roof...i miss him very much...al fatihah to all who had left us....

zaitgha said...

ooopsss sorry....as for Shaira, Happy Birthday and pray that you have many more ahead of you...

Hatz said...

Salaam Kak Ena

I knew the similar feelings of loss and emptiness during this year Eid Fitr and the first time for me to visit her grave after Eid Fitr prayer. All the while I've been controlling my emotion but the 'Takbir' breaks my tears and made me 'lagi shahdu' with her passing. I just buried my Mom on the 12 Ramadan recently. Hari Raya was not the same without her and dad was feeling really lonely. We sibling even try attempting to cook her hari raya dishes to cheer dad up, but failed miserably (it just not the same). Maybe next year I will get the recipe right.

Now, dad asking me to stay with him and I think I will after sorting my affairs in KL.

Al-Fatihah for my Mom and 'a voice' cousin too.

And lastly, A Happy 15th Birthday to Shaira! May all your wishes come true, May Allāh s.w.t. watch over you and your family and may loads of other fun stuff cross your path!(provided with with Mom and Dad approval)

JazakAllahkhair!
Wasallam
Hatz

Anonymous said...

First and foremost, Happy 15th Birthday Shaira, dah besar nih ya.

Nuraina, although I don't have children of my own, I think I know how you feel about kids growing up and us growing old. My elder niece flew the coop not that long ago to work as a country doctor in rural Australia. I drove her car and her on the six-hour journey to her new "home" and took the train for my return journey. On the train on the way home, I tried really hard to come to terms with this little girl becoming an adult in the blink of an eye and without my noticing or permission.

You have got me feeling melancholy.

Selamat Berpuasa Enam.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

zai,

that sense of emptiness is surely felt with the loss of people we love.
yes. i know the feeling, rasa rindu, sedih... kadang2, pedih rasa did dlm.

i'm sorry for your loss. this is the cycle of life. you have your family, your kids need you and your husband,
you are to them what your parents were to you.
all we can do is to take care of our health so we can be strong when we should be for our kids.

do take care...
God Bless...

(Shaira says thank you....)

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Zai: Al Fatihah, Zai for your mum, dad, brother and all those who have goen before us.

Hatz,

How sad it must be to have lost your beloved mum just recently, But, she left you all on a holy day of a holy month. That is beautiful for her.
I know how your dad must be feeling now.
He is lucky to have wonderful, caring and thoughtful children.
oh...cooking like your mum...dear dear me. that is tough.
but my hats to you and your siblings for trying. Insyallah, you can perfect it.

My sister, Nina now lives with my dad and my stepmum.
Nina is married with 3 children,
Alhamdulillah that Nina, our youngest is there with my dad.
WE visit all visit him often -- we also go over to see our nieces and nephew...

Take care of yourself so that you cantake care of your beloved dad.

Salam Aidilfitri..

Shaira is so touched by your greetings. She says thank you ever so,

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Hatz,

AL Fatihah to your recently-departed mother.

May she rest in peace and in the blessed company of those loved by Allah SWT. Amin.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

sesat,

from shaira: thank you aunty sesat. ya-lah. shaira dah besar, and besar daripada mummy.

oh yes. how they grow up before our eyes, without us noticing and without our permission, too! if we had our way we'd not let them grow up until we say they could.
just like your niece -- one minute she was a little girl. and the next she is a doctor!! imagine that?

Rasa dah tua betul-lah, sesat. Happens every Aidilfitri since the past few years.

thanks for faithfully visiting TWB and Jalan Sudin, Sesat.
Hope we'll meet one day.
Remember when you are ever in these parts, i.e. KL.. do contact me or Kak Ton.
Take care adn God Bless.

Anonymous said...

I share so much your sentiments about Raya and growing older Nuraina!

Where indeed have all the years flown? Where indeed have all the young girls (that we once were) gone?

Yes - they're now recreated in our children and grandchildren and we thank Allah for this.

But to see a parent slowly ebbing into the sunset and horizon is so so painful! But deep inside you know they'll always be there for you!

THE MINUTE I HEARD MY FIRST LOVE STORY
I STARTED LOOKING FOR YOU, NOT KNOWING
HOW BLIND THAT WAS.
LOVERS DO NOT FINALLY MEET SOMEWHERE.
THEY'RE IN EACH OTHER ALL ALONG

And for girls their first real love
is always their father! Isn't this true Nuraina?

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

i'm no pious person, far from it. but this raya, i really felt the sadness to leave ramadhan behind us again especially towards the end of it.

ramadhan penghulu segala bulan and not syawal. i guess its true after all.

Zakhir's Zoo said...

Nuraina,

I did a posting on 'Mi Rebus Tuesday'; the Johor Bahru experience.

:)

http://zakhir.blogspot.com/2007/10/mi-rebus-tuesday.html

Yes,

Soon, you'd be the 'hottest granma' in Kuala Lumpur West!

Hehehhehehehehehehehehhehehehehehe

Anonymous said...

Sis Ena,
Shaira bercita cita nak jadi Investment Banker macam Abang Adel ke, atau nak jadi macam Zeti Aziz? Apa-apa pun, I'm sure she'll reach for the stars and be the best that she can be, and make you so proud of her. Am sure Mummy Dearest will see to it, kan?
Happy Birthday Shaira.
aMiR - the only one seems to be working today, he he.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

OFF,

salam aidilfitri to you and your family.

it must be true...and that can last a very long time so much so a girl tends to measure her boyfriends by her father's standards.

i suppose we have to accept the reality that our parents grow old and one day, they'll leave us.
i grieved for my mother for a very long time, for years.
she was not supposed to leave us so soon.
i was not prepared for her departure.
i had always imagined her to grow really old, like a real nenek and my kids could spend time with her.
and now, my father....well.. his health is good but sometimes i feel he is slowly slipping away.
Insyallah...he gets better.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

kerp: let's hope the next ramadhan will be real dahsyat, eh?
take care..

zakhir: well... johor is mee rebus country.
i've had some great mee rebus there.


aMiR: Shaira says "thank you" for the birthday wish.

shaira is very different from her abang adel.
right now, if you ask her, i think she has no idea what she wants to be.
a year ago she wanted to be an interior designer and then, a chef.
now....(i think the PMR must have muddled her brain a bit....)

thank you for visiting.

mob1900 said...

Your children will be your best legacy and that's part of you which will continue on just like you did for Bapak. As an old man he will struggle on for the rest of his days just like my dad but look at what Bapak and your mom had achieved: a long line of family history and grand children that will take part of you to a brave new world.
Selamat Hari Raya and Happy Birthday to mama's girl, Shaira.

Hi&Lo said...

Nuraina,

Don't worry. Melancholia is part of joy. From time to time, we have to go thru the valley to reach the mountaintop. If we deny this, we are denying life.

Anonymous said...

Forgot to say the quotation (in caps) is from Rumi. I think he was referring to the human quest for love of Allah but I'd like to think it applies to other loves as well.

Anonymous said...

Kaik Aina,

Selamat Hari Raya and a belated birthday wish to Shaira (My eldest son is about one and a half month older than Shaira).

I still remember visiting my mom's grave on the 1st raya after she died. I just got married and my mom-in-law followed us back to my hometown. I had to wear my sunglasses just not to let my m-i-l sees me crying at the grave. Until today, I still miss my mom especially during raya.

I hardly spent raya in my hometown when my mom was alive. We spent our raya in KL where she would be cooking for her 'adik2 angkat' their favourite dishes. Macam kenduri. Only after her sudden death while she was visiting our kampung, we started to celebrate our hari raya at my granny's place since my late dad would go back there. When my dad died, we brought back his body there to be buried next to my mom. So since then, hari raya will always be spent up north, not in KL any more. Orang kata, boleh "mati kutu" kalau raya kat KL agaknya. I have tried once and almost swear not to celebrate raya in KL any more.

All my three children love to celebrate raya in my kampung where they can really celebrate raya with a real "kampung" feel.

Where did Kak Eda's children celebrate their Raya? I wonder how they felt. Sedangkan I yang dah tua ni pun still missing my mom who died almost twenty years ago, ini kan pulak they all yang masih kecil tu.

Anyway, I hope to be able to visit your bapak very soon for hari raya. Kinda miss him too.

Anonymous said...

Salam Eidul Fitri my dearest Sisters KakEna and KakTon (ni psl takde contact no KakTon la ni kena tumpang lalu kat sini...ampunnn Kak!)

Meriah is indeed the right and correct word that is missing in the Raya celebration as we grow older...apatah lagi when it coincides with the lost of our beloved ones....Serupa juga di Syawal ini Arwah Mak Mahyar dah 90 hari meninggalkan kami...teringat masakan dia, betapa busynye dia menyiapkan juadah untuk anak-anak dan sedara mara...then this year nobody wants to go back home...so the house was empty as empty a our feelings....

Maaf Zahir batin to both my sweetest sisters! and to Shaira...Sweet 15 dear Happy Birthday!

Mat Salo said...

Wax nostalgia Kak Ena? I think you hit on the nail with us forty or fifty (yikes!) somethings that time indeed accelerates much faster as you get older. And why do the Karen Carpenter's angelic voice singing "Yesterday Once More" keep echoing in my head as I read your posts? I've never met Shaira nor Adel but I can imagine my 18 month-old Alesha is going to be but a distant memory when I can lift her with one hand... But on the hand, she'll be fifteen when I turn sixty. But in the meantime I will savor every moment...

I say, I missed Abang Med's "solo concert". Would love to join you next time around. Hmmm, betul ke Kamal ada all those incriminating photos of my bachelor days? I'm gonna get in touch real soon, take care...

Anonymous said...

Salam Nuraina & Eid Mubarak one more time. As always, I couldn't wait to read your TWP... and this time around, I do share your views on things with regards to Raya... its not the same as when we were young... and its even different when we were 30+ and 40+ and...++. In fact my family & I drove 1,300 km from Dhahran to Makkah for the umrah on 2nd day raya... thought of going to visit Madinah after that... alas, my body cannot take it anymore... kalau kat Malaysia my wife or eldest daughter could become co-driver, here in Saudi only man can drive, and the only man who can drive dah tak larat... so we came back after umrah without going to Madinah... sampai rumah ko after 14 hours of driving... you are right... we are no longer young and its good to know that, somehow?
Salam to Pak Samad.

Anonymous said...

Hey Nuraina

How time flies. I remember visiting you at home after you gave birth to your son. it seems like a few years ago, but apparently it has been 17 years.

I remember your daughter coming to the office when she was a toddler!

Now I look at my daughter and dread the day when she would be leaving home for college, etc.

Anyway, tell Shaira Happy Birthday. Now that Austin Chase is closed, it is unlikely that I would bump into you, and your kids, on the weekends.

selamat hari raya, maaf zahir batin. hope to see pak samad nanti.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mob: how right you are...
thanks for visiting. mewe rebus next tuesday! same place same time...

Hi$Lo: phew! am i glad i am ot alone.
thanks H&L...

mariani: beraya di kampung is something i have never experienced. with more and more people migrating to urban areas and towns, what hope is there for my grandkids to savour kampung life?
seronok nya baca cerita mariani.
do come over, mariani...
selamat hari raya and take care.

dalilah (raden galoh): memang ya tu. with every passing year, we feel a sense of loss as, one by one, they leave us.
but then we look at our kids... that's life and the living..
salam aidlifitri, dalilah. see you tuesday for mee rebus.

mat salo: hai mat. dah tua ni Kak ena pun tak tahu lah... asyik teringat kisah lama dan zaman silam.
and yes...I am so dying to see that incriminating photo of you!

dhahran: how are you? i hope by now the muscles are no longer aching.
i know exactly how that feel.
take care... and as you know...the spirit is always willing, yang buat pasal is the body...those ageing muscles.

zainul: you know something? i remember that day you, noorzita and manja (was it manja?) came over during lunch, i ahd tot tell you to buy your own lunh beause the lunh atnhome was for orang dalam pantang and you all didnt really fancy that.
how time flies. and then you now have zulaikha. clever little girl pulak tu.
hahaha....i can;t wait for stories of her adolescence. habis lah you.
and i know you'd be putty in her hand...
selamat hari raya....

Anonymous said...

A very touching post...

Thanks for sharing the experiences and feelings...

BaitiBadarudin said...

Happy 15th Birthday to your daughter. Don't worry, daughters will always be around for their mothers!
"Yesterday once more, once more"? No harm in reminiscising about the past since it gives pleasure to us readers as well.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the mind is willing but not the body, and that is one sure sign that one "is getting there". I'm ok now after a couple of days rest... you take care too. Salam to your family. Sebak baca cerita cousin the Voice... al fatihah to one gutsy lady...

Anonymous said...

SMQpVU Your blog is great. Articles is interesting!