Kisah baju raya 2014

Just like any other typical Malay family, there will always be a theme color set for every raya, without fail! 

We had light green for our first raya celebration, brownish during the second, orangy on the third and this year we settled for grey. Izwan yang pilih nak color grey, alasannya sebab dia tak pernah ada  baju melayu yang berwarna grey. So, grey it is!

Memandangkan tahun ini merupakan tahun kemalasan dan tidak sempat untuk menghantar baju ke tailor, maka bermulalah acara mencari baju raya secara online. I bought a few. Mana taknya, with just one click, semuanya settled! 

I got my baju raya during the first week of Ramadan while Izwan's, macam biasa dibeli di BAK Tailor berdekatan. Masalah datang bila sampai nak dekat raya tapi baju Iman masih belum jumpa. Was searching high and low over a grey baju kurung tak can fit Iman. Unfortunately, there weren't any. Sampailah ke Parkson KLCC meredah, lalu terjumpa. However, the design wasn't up to my liking. 

Dengan ke-creative-an yang ada di dalam diri, I decided to alter the baju kurung and put up a nicer beading design on Iman's baju kurung.

It took me 2 days to complete the task. Not bad at all!

Dan inilah hasilnya apabila si pemakai menyarungkan baju kurung hasil buatan ibunya.

I must say that I am honestly proud with my own workmanship. Siapa nak puji diri sendiri kalau bukan diri sendiri, ye dak?! Hidden talent namanya.

Maybe I should put some serious thought on this hidden talent of mine. Mana tahu untung-untung boleh buka business, insya Allah!

Syawal 1435H: Kedah

Alhamdulillah, we were given another opportunity to celebrate Aidilfitri together as husband and wife. This year marks the fourth year for us celebrating Aidilfitri and Alhamdulillah, so far we have not encountered any difficulties (read: gaduh) in celebrating raya - which side should we celebrate first. Sebab setiap tahun pun memang akan celebrate with both sides. It's a matter of which side we will be celebrating the 1st day of Raya.

This year it's Kedah time! 

We (Iman and I. Don't ask why Izwan didn't follow us) took Saturday flight to Penang (sebab flight pergi Alor Star semua dah fully booked) and Izwan picked us up at the airport and we spent half of our day there as my mother and sister in law wanted to get themselves a new pair of shoes for raya. Pendek kata, shopping raya. 

I have not been to Penang for the longest time and from the short visit I made, Penang has changed a lot! New nice housing areas were built around the island and membuatkan raya macam nak duduk sana pulak. Maybe I should accept USM offer *cough*cough*

So kembali ke cerita raya.

Our raya involved Kodiang - Jitra - Alor Star. Hari-hari pon Kodiang - Jitra - Alor Star. Sedikit lain rasa beraya di kampung. Keadaan agak sebok unlike Raya di KL. KL sangat lengang sampai boleh bergolek di atas jalan raya. Rasa seronoknya berbeza-beza. Nak merasa beraya dengan udara segar pulak sekali-sekala.

Our family photo on the first day of Aidilfitri. Complete satu set!

And on the 3rd day of Raya, we hosted a so called open house to welcome our new family member. My BIL got married few months ago and didn't get the chance to introduce his new wife to the family. Therefore, the open house is meant to introduce his wife to the family.

This is just half of the clan. Yang lagi half dah balik rumah.

All in all, we had a wonderful Raya time in Kedah. It's good to see that everyone is back to celebrate raya. Orang melayu kata, buang yang keruh ambik yang jernih. 

Syawal 1435H

One for the album

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir & batin from Izwan, Ajlaa and Iman Alexandria

Baju raya theme: Shades of Grey

Ajlaa: Kurung Moden Bahija from Fashionvalet; tudung from thepoplook

Izwan: BAK Tailor

Iman: Parkson; re-altered and beading by yours truly

Well, Hello! Selamat Hari Raya.

It's been a while since my last post. Dah nak dekat 3 bulan, masya Allah. A lot has happened and I don't know where to start. 

Mulanya, meng-delay blogging sebab busy with work and study. Then came Ramadan, busy with work and masa. Alhamdulillah, in between work and Ramadan, I received my 4th semester's results. Walaupun mengharapkan straight A's tetapi dengan kadar kemalasan yang melampau sampai skip classes yang terlampau banyak, I am grateful with the results - A- (1), B+ (1). 

That leads me to my final semester - Thesis! Officially agreed to be under one of my preferred lecturer as my final thesis supervisor. Semester belum start lagi, she has already warned me to prepare the proposal which is due before cuti Raya tapi sampai sekarang tak submit lagi. Kena berusah dengan lebih keras lagi.

Work wise - busy as always!

Was assigned to few new accounts which I'm happy and not happy at the same time. Happy because I get to learn more things, take control on the account, experiencing new environment (category) but the unhappy factor is that - work is piling up high I lost control of them! Not complaining, bersyukur sebab masih bekerja dan boleh menyara Iman dan keluarga.

Ohh, I've summarized on what had happened over the past 3 months. Basically, busy bee is my middle name. 

I miss blogging but I just don't have time to blog. I miss rambling on this blog of mine! I miss posting crappy stuff. I miss syok sendiri di blog sendiri. Everytime I try posting something, mesti tersekat di tengah jalan. 

Terlupa - the biggest event that happened over the past 3 months of hiatus - I turned 29!! Shall post about it! Mesti! 

But before I forget, would like to wish Selamat Hari Raya to all of you my loyal readers (blog perasan syok sendiri saya ini, kalau ada!). Mohon maaf jika ada terkasar bahasa, terguris hati secara sengaja atau tidak sengaja. Semoga raya kita diberkati. And together we pray to all our brothers and sisters who are facing difficult time in war (Palestinian) and in sorrow (family and friends of those on board of flight MH17 & MH370). Semoga Allah lindungi mereka, amin.

An open letter to the airlines

Dear MAS, Firefly, Air Asia and Malindo Air,

For all the promos that you are currently having - having special airfare deals specially for this coming festive Raya season, it is very disappointing to see that none of your deals are offered during the critical week towards Hari Raya which is the final week before Hari Raya (20 July - 27 July 2014). 

Strategically, as a customer - and yes, I am a frequent flyer of all of your services, I believe this is a wrong way to do as most of us - the last minute travellers will need to purchase our tickets balik kampung at a very last minute. And I can assure you, these last minute travellers are the majority flyers. 

For your information, unlike others, I do not have the privilege to do an early online ticket purchase. You may think that I was "stupid" for not purchasing the ticket earlier like most of your customers did during your many many special deals. We, my husband and I, don't have the privilege to plan our holidays in advance due to our nature of work. Hence why, we always purchase our tickets balik kampung for raya when it is closer to the date.

I have been consistently checking on the fares to Alor Star for the past few days but sadly, it costs more than flying to Krabi or any other Southeast Asia countries.

I hope you will re-evaluate your fares especially during the peak week of the festive season allowing people like me to get the change to purchase our tickets balik kampung. It is ridiculously expenses for the return fares to Alor Star amounting RM1K++ for an adult with a child.

Thank you so much for your understanding. I hope to see a good news coming out from either one of you in this coming weeks.

Salam and Regards,

A concern flyer.

Syawal 1434H

This year was rather sederhana. Had our 1st day at my kampung as usual. Headed back to Kedah on the 2nd day of Raya. We didn't even have family photo this year. Blame it all on the husband for being to busy with his phones and motor baru. Siap boleh pergi tempah sticker bagai. Hai, keciwi big time!

One for the album

Presenting you the ladies of the house.

I had a fun time balik Kodiang. Really rasa macam balik kampung. Sangat tenang and sejuk.

My MIL's house is exactly next to the sawah bendang yang terbentang luas. We, again didn't take group photos during our stay at Kodiang as we were busy preparing for my BIL's wedding reception which again, we didn't have a family photo for that. 

Maxis line was very terrible here. I was 3G-less whole of my 4 days stay which was actually a good thing else I will be busy fiddling with my phone all the time. 

Had a not-so-short visit to Padang Besar (Takde gambar juga). Had the whole KL gang as Busu wanted to visit the place. Drove all the way through the biggest ladang tebu in Malaysia. Glad that we went through that route. The boys were very happy to see the ladang tebu and the sawah bendang.

Sedih betul tak ade gambar. Tak ade rezeki. I'll shall be in Kodiang soon. This time, I'll promise to post more picture of the nice view of Kodiang, In Shaa Allah.

Cerita Baju Raya

Being a wife is not an easy job. Apart from the usual-looking-after-the-family duty, a wife's duty is to determine the color scheme for her family especially when it comes to Hari Raya. Dan saya tidak terkecuali daripada memikul tanggungjawab itu.

Every year, it is my duty to pick the theme color for our Hari Raya. This is not because I am the wife, it is simply because I have a lot of different color clothes that I can wear for Raya. And to avoid miscommunication between the husband and I, he, the husband allows me to be the person in-charge of our Raya theme color. 

The 1st year of our raya together, we picked green as our theme color. It was because I was 5 months pregnant and the only baju that can fit my body then was the green kebaya I had donkey years ago. The kebaya was tailored made to a bigger size hence why it was left in the wardrobe untouched. So, with the growing tummy in 2011, I can finally fit the kebaya and the husband have to look for a green baju melayu. Nasib baik jumpa. Sekali pakai lepas basuh terus hancus. And the baju melayu is nowhere to be seen now.

Our 2nd year, I was busy getting myself used to the new environment - a working-breastfeeding-mom. I did not get the chance to do raya shopping so my sister did it for me. My parents and kakak went to Kelantan for a cousin's wedding. They bought me a chocolatey-pink batik material for raya. And since it was our first raya with lil Iman, preparation was all on her. Luckily, the husband already have a chocolate baju melayu, he did not need to get a new one. Settle baju raya in 2012. I made a simple baju kurung that is definitely fit for a breastfeeding mom. Senang nak selak-menyelak. 

The time has finally here to prepare for this year's baju raya. Well, my priority is still on lil Iman. Untung si kecil itu. And since last year I made a lot of baju baru for friend's wedding, I decided to recycle them and be my baju raya. It was one of my bestie's baju dulang. The only thing that I need to do is to get the baju beaded. Sent it to the trusted cousin and voila! Cantik dengan gayanya. 

And this year's theme is shades of orange

Bought both husband's and lil Iman's at BAK tailor. Nasib baik they open a new branch here at Boulevard Ukay Perdana and it is very near to my house. Bought them last week tak sampai setengah jam and very convenience as I don't need to drag myself to Jalan TAR and berebut with other thousands of people preparing themselves for raya. Cepat dan mudah.

There's a story behind their baju raya which I don't feel like writing it in here. Buat malu je sampai kena pergi kedai tu dua kali. Nasib baik dekat tak payah susah-susah. Little that I know, this color is this year's favourite color. Punyalah susah nak get the matching color but Alhamdulillah segalanya sudah selesai.

All I need now is to practice cara-cara memakai tudung dengan sesuainya yang mungkin.

I will also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir dan Batin. I would like to seek forgiveness if I have ever hurt your feelings intentionally or unintentionally. I hope that this Syawal brings the best out of us dan bersama-samalah kita bermaaf-maafan. Buang yang keruh. ambil yang jernih.

And to those who balik kampung, have a safe journey. We will be heading up Kedah on the 2nd day of Raya, In shaa Allah.

Selamat Hari Raya.

Lagu Raya! Lagu Raya! Lagu Raya!

My initial plan was to write about the post that went viral yesterday on the story of non-Muslim primary students having their lunch break at the school's toilet room. I've collected my source, pictures and stories but decided to let it down because I think, I will not write it properly. 

Just to note some points:-

1. Don't always jump to conclusion. This is to the mother who posted this article. Do not just rely on 1 source and 1 source only. Instead of believing what the school bus driver said, you might as well go to the school and clarify yourself. There are teachers who I believe can assist you on your concerns. Toilet room and changing room are two different things.
2. Low self awareness. This is to the citizen of Malaysia. This is a good example of how we Malaysians see things. Often that we judge people without really searching for the truth. Paling tepat, what we see is not what we tell. There's always penambah garam, gula untuk penyedap cerita. 
3. Racism. This is also a good example of how racist we are. Baru tengok sikit gambar and the first thing that come to our mind is racism. This is really a serious matter.
4. Orang Malaysia cepat melatah. Period!

Then, I decided to post the most talk of the town story of Princess Kate Middleton who just gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. 

But then again, I believe there are thousands of people out there who will be writing about how glowy her post-natal appearance. For godsake, she's a Britain Royal Princess. For all you know, she has an army of people who will help her with her appearance. So yea, no story of the royal princess.

Note: If she was not married to Prince William, she will exactly look like most of us who just gave birth to a baby - having our hair tied up high and wearing kain batik. Ok, maybe not kain batik!

Then finally, I decided to post on my most favourite raya song. Yes, just like a kid I am, I am so looking forward to raya.

And yes of course, I am very sad the Ramadan is so close in waving its hand but I don't tell that to the world. I try my best to perform during this holy month. Every thing that I do is between me and for Allah to judge and not for the world to know. Sad that some people is so sarcastic in giving their comments. But then again, the intention is to remind hence I will take it with an open arms. Thank you for the reminder and Salam Ramadan to you. No hard feelings :)

With that, let me present to you Black Dog Bone with Cahaya Aidilfitri

Salam Ramadan.

Raya resolution

Every end of the year, most people will set themselves with resolutions - nak jadi lebih kaya, jadi lebih rajin, nak jadi seorang yang lebih baik, you get the jinx right?! While I, on the other hand, have never set any resolutions in my life for all I know, I will never follow.

This year is somehow different. I decided to have 1 resolution, and 1 resolution only. Funny thing is, I want to achieve this goal by Raya, in shaa Allah. It sounds a bit cocky (I think!) but this resolution is something that I have been working on throughout this year. Very challenging one, I tell you!

My goal is by raya, I should be able to forgive and forget.

But why raya?

It is because Raya is where you actually seek for forgiveness from your family and friends. If I am unable to forgive them, I am actually faking all my "forgiveness" and I don't want to do that. Being the stubborn me, I have no problem in forgiving, but my biggest issue is to forget. I tend to keep things in me to the extend that I become depressed over things that I shouldn't be and that is what I want to improve as much as I can.

There are people that I really want to forgive for things that they have done to my family. Due to that, I have been keeping my distance from them from all occasions. I know it is not right to judge. But what they did really hurts and it is not my call to judge them, I know that! But like I said, being the stubborn me, I tend to take things seriously and yea.... keeping distance is what I did. I just want to ..... forgive and forget!

In-conjunction with this coming Hari Raya, Watson is also doing a Raya resolution campaign. Wow, lucky me! I got to put my resolution and hope to meet Faizal Tahir.

Check this out!

Here's to how to submit your resolution,

Step 1 - Visit Watson's facebook fan page and click their Azam Raya apps.

Step 2 - Click "Mula Sekarang" button and key-in you resolution and  then, click "hantar" button

Step 3 - Check your email as you'll receive your e-voucher. This is my 2nd submission. Before checking your email, you will need to fill in your details first.

Step 4 - you will be able to share your resolution in your Facebook page. The highest vote will stand a chance to win a prize.

Step 5 - check your email now.

So, what are you waiting for? Submit your azam now to win a chance of having Faizal Tahir come to your house during Hari Raya. It's once in a life time opportunity y'oulls!

Submit now!

Syawal 1433H, Aildilfitri 2012

My lil family

Family potrait

Nenek & atok with lil Iman

Cerita basi but who cares!

We had our first day of Aidilfitri here in Kuala Lumpur. Rotation is essential for our marriage ye! So this year is my year. Well, our definition of raya rotation means where we celebrate our 1st day of raya. Like last year, we celebrated our 1st day of raya at Izwan's hometown so for this year we celebrate here. By that, it doesn't mean that we don't go back to Alor Star (gila! nak kena pancung) we went back on the 2nd day of Aidilfitri and shared an equal fun of raya.

What makes it so special? Isn't it obvious already? Of courselah Iman my lil munchkin. She was the centre of attraction. In fact, she was the centre of everything during our raya celebration. We had to scout for her 1st raya kurung (coz I am super excited to get her one) few days before raya. Mom had her kurung too but unfortunately, the tailor couldn't made it for raya. See, how fortunate this lil girl is sampaikan nenek pergi hantar tailor to make her kurung. Even when we balik kampung Izwan pon, Iman was the centre of attraction. Biasalah, cucu pertama on both sides. Begitulah layannya.

Apart from beraya-ing, my brother-in-law had his engagement on the 3rd day of raya. We weren't just balik kampung for raya, we balik to menghantar orang bertunang. Helped my mother-in-law with the preparation the night before and hell man, it was tiring. Surpisingly, I still have my hidden talent in creative design as I helped my MIL in decorating the hantarans *duduk bakul angkat sendiri*

I had a fun raya. Alhamdulillah.

Though Syawal has passed, I would like to seek forgiveness for all my wrongdoings. Maaf zahir & batin.

September 2012

I have so many things to write but I just couldn't find the time to post it.

1. Raya post - Raya pon dah habis.
2. Iman's first experience having solids - Iman pon dah nak dekat 9 months old, 3 months on solids.
3. Bff wedding celebration which is now close to 3 weeks overdue.
4. My first week experience of becoming a student again - exciting, exhausting, interesting, inspiring, mixed feelings. This is just the first week. I have hundreds of weeks to go.

I promise myself to write again. These 4 posts listed above as a start BUT not today. I will try to squeeze some time between lunch hour (before 2.30pm) to write at least a post a day. Well, not that I write a good article just that I need to polish my writing skills coz sure is I'm gonna need it anytime soon.

And the fact that I can only update during working days because I only have access to the internet at the office. This is not because I don't have internet connection at home, just that the husband and the sister are fighting over MY laptop to do their stuff - work, social networking and whatevernots. Limited source to access the internet. Big sigh!

On the other hand, I'm still actively breastfeed my baby Iman. Big accomplishment as I was struggling during Ramadan *clap hands*. Syukur, Alhamdulillah. My hard work never stops. 

Happy day peeps!

1 Syawal 1432H

The Clan.

With Tok & Irfan nakal

Mr & Mrs Izwan on hari raya. Baju sedondong y'oulls. Jangan marah!

With Sister-in-Law

With Mother-in-Law

Ladies of the house

After all the scrumptious food I had during Syawal, I have now grown number of pimples scattered all over my face. Those oily yummylicious food and sweet taste drinks were the course of the unwanted growth. Sigh!

Nevertheless, I had a fun first, second and third day of Syawal in Kedah; just like how I wanted it to be. Alhamdulillah.

And I am now back to the city. To make it worst, I am now back in the office enjoying my day doing nothing. How's everyone's raya doing? Hope you had a fun one too!

Balik Kampung, Ohh! Balik Kampung

Web checked-in to only find out that our seats are on separate. Tak delah jauh mana, just separated by the walking aisle tuh je but still on the same row just that we are not sitting next to each other which is a big deal for me as I am a pregnant lady and I want my husband to sit next to me. Diva much?! Yes, I am. Tapi, nak buat macam mana, dah tak mahu pay extra to get side by side seats, nasib kau lah kan Ajlaa.

Oh, I am so looking forward to balik kampung. To even announce "balik kampung" pun dah put a smile on my face. Excuse the jakun-ness.

For the very first time in my life that I have to salam both my parents a day before Aidil Fitri. Mak was on her senget-benget baju kelawar while bapak was on his short pants and over-sized old shirt as he was in the toilet washing his clothes (oh, my dad washes his own clothes) and I, I was on my working attire getting myself ready for work. Terhiba sedikit perasaan but I managed to take control of my feelings. I thought I would be crying buckets but surprise, surprise, I was laughing while salam-ing them. I guess, I've been a good daughter this year. Alhamdulillah! I will be leaving to the airport straight from work and won't be able to meet them before I leave as they will be at grandma's house to prepare rendang and I don't want to salam them after like 3 days of raya (upon arriving from Kedah). It just don't feel right that way. We were laughing looking at the clothes we put on while bersalaman. We are all good. Syukur!

I managed to make a visit to meet my grandparents yesterday. It feels good to be able to meet them again this Ramadhan. Oh, how I miss them so much. Semoga roh mereka dicucuri rahmat dan ditempatkan di dalam golongan orang-orang yang beriman. Amin.

I am actually killing time here in the office. Cepatlah jam 5pm!


/edit

My GM just released me to go back at 3 pm. Woohooo!

Setahun sekali

Three more days till Ramadhan waves its' hand saying goodbye and how have our ibadah looking so far? I must say that my Ramadhan is on its' minimal. Sadly, I have not being able to perform terawikh this time around. And looking through the condition, I don't think I will be able to do so for the remaining days. But Alhamdulillah, I'm able to fast (with the exceptional of 4 days) with no complications and all and I must say that this Ramadhan has brought so much life to me than before. Syukur for I have been given the rahmah, Syukur for the rezeki and Syukur for the love to be able to embrace the beauty of Ramadhan.

And the best part of all is welcoming Syawal that's opening its' door soon. I am pretty much excited for this raya not because it is RAYA but this raya will be the first raya for me to experience balik kampung for raya like a real balik kampung. I've always been raya-ing here in the city and this year, I will be heading to Kedah for raya. It will also be my first raya as a wife and a soon to be mom. Ahh, excited! It's the first to everything that's new in my life and that is the reason for my excitement. Bags are packed and we are ready to move.

The part where I still have to go to work on Monday and come back to KL on Thursday to resume back to work the next day is not going to ruin my raya spirit. Raya tetap raya!

For those who will be leaving to their hometown soon, Selamat ke destinasi. Drive carefully and please, please stop at the nearest R&R if you feel tired or need some rest. Don't drive with your eyes half open. Everyone wants to go back to their hometown to celebrate raya with their loved ones peacefully. Be considerate while on the road. Safety is what comes first.

And with this opportunity, I would like to wish all muslims, family and friends Selamat Aidil Fitri. Sorry body and soul for all my wrongdoings. Semoga Syawal kali ini memberi seribu kerahmatan kepada kita semua, Amin. And to the non-muslims, Happy Holiday! Don't drink and drive.

"Minta Mak Kueh Sepotong, Saya Mahu Makan Kenyang Perut Kosong"

Pejam celik sudah 15 hari Ramadhan, how's Ramadhan so far?! Mine, Alhamdulillah, sudah 4 hari lompang. Can't help it. Been vomitting due to empty stomach and fever I had during the first week of Ramdhan and prior to that, 3 hari harus dilompangkan to make sure that Ibu and baby is all OK! Well, the extra one day tu terpaksa di buka half day because paginya terlajak sahur. I was shivering, shaking & feeling so weak last Saturday I thought it was just the pregnancy symptom that I normally have tapi tiba-tiba teringat ceramah TV ustaz apa ntah cakap kalau bimbangkan kesihatan ibu dan bayi di dalam kandungan diharuskan berbuka. I went straight to the kitchen, made myself a large glass of Anmum milk and toasted 2 slices of bread sapu butter dan ngap! I was still shivering and shaking but after few hours of resting, saya kembali bertenaga sampai boleh redah Bazaar Dato' Keramat dalam hujan lebat mengalahkan orang yang berpuasa. Kesian Izwan jadi mangsa keadaan kami. Takpelah setahun sekali, bukan selalu!

Oh lupa, parents are back. Yey! Itu sahaja.

Oh, cerita tak masuk post title pula. Begini ceritanya. Normally, after 15th day of Ramadhan, most local radio stations will be playing raya songs but unfortunately, this morning on my way to the office, all that I heard were the edited and newly composed songs yang tak ada bunyi lagu raya langsung. I was hoping for the all time favourite raya songs, the ones you hear every year yang enak itu but sadly, they weren't playing it. Hibo hati den! And since I'm all in raya mood today, I spent first half and hour of my morning downloading raya songs and I'm all stuffed with raya songs that's on loop kasi meleleh tahi telinga dengar.

I know we shouldn't be too excited over raya since we are still in the midst of Ramadhan. Our ibadah that counts but sekadar untuk halwa telinga meyambut Syawal, apa salahnya tak? Yes, No? But yeah, I'm all about raya song today.

Jadi, selamat mendengar lagu raya kawan-kawan. Ibadah jangan dilupakan.

Oh footnote tertinggal: I got my kasut raya. Kasut ibu mengandung Izwan dengan baik hati belanja yesterday. It was the first time I'm out to shopping mall since pregnant. I have this stupid allergy with shopping malls during the first trimester. We went to KLCC yesterday dan kasi tawaf the whole building. Kasut down, handbag to go.

Cerita Malam Raya

Sudah menjadi kelaziman dan perkara yang paling wajibul-ngunnah untuk dilakukan oleh kami sekeluarga yang berdarah minang (yes people, I am a proud Minangites) untuk memasak rendang daging. Bukan rendang ayam ye tetapi rendang daging. Maka bergegaslah si Busu (panggilan untuk makcik yang paling bongsu sekali) untuk memasak rendang untuk kakak-kakaknya sekalian; iaitu ibunda saya dan Maklong tersayang.

Memandangkan busu sekarang ini telah menjadi pengusaha Rendang Minang yang baru sahaja beroperasi semenjak bulan Ramadan dan menjadi tonggak utama dalam mewarisi masakan rendang minang ini selepas arwah nenda saya meninggal dunia, maka menjadi heroin lah beliau dalam "berdendang" bersama kayu api dah kawah besar.

Resepi utama dalam menghasilkan rendang minang bukanlah terletak pada santannya mahupun kelembutan daging itu tetapi terletak pada kayu api yang menjadi punca utama kesedapan rendang tersebut. Maka terjadilah ia seperti gambar di bawah.

Gambar ini di tangkap sewaktu api sedang membara dan keadaan rendang yang sedang menggelegak panas di dalam kawah. Hanya bergantung kepada kekuasaan voltan kayu api itu sahaja bisa menghasilkan rendang yang begitu lazat sehingga menjilat jari.

Ini adalah contoh bagaimana rendang sedang "didendangkan". Jangan keliru, wajah di dalam gambar itu bukanlah Busu. Busu merupakan seorang wanita yang comel dan berbadan genpal sedikit dan tidak lupa juga ibu kepada 3 orang hero-heronya yang super nakal. Figura di dalam gambar itu merupakan pembeli yang rendangnya sedang dihasilkan di dalam kawah untuk di bawa pulang ke kampung halaman di Kedah. Cuba perhatikan longgokan kayu api sebagai backdrop gambar itu. Itulah longgokan kayu api yang digunakan bagi menjayakan rendang minang.

Memandang di saat-saat akhir penghasilan rendang seberat 6Kg terdapat bakian sebanyak sekilo setengah kilogram, maka saya telah mengambil keputusan untuk "open table" dan menjualnya secara suka rela tanpa perlu di paksa di hadapan rumah nenek saya dan memulakan operasi penjualan jam 5 petang. Sungguhlah tidak logik tetapi dek kerana suka-suka, maka terhidanglah 13 pack rendang seberat seratus gram di atas meja itu. Oleh kerana waktu penjualan yang sungguh tidak logik maka dengan sukacitanya dimaklumkan bahawa tiada sebarang jualan yang berlaku hanya pencucian mata saja yang dapat dihidangkan. Oh, pada hari kejadian, sungguh banyak pemandu-pemandu yang berwajah kacak lalu lalang di jalan raya. Saya sungguh suka sekali!

Beginilah ceritera rendang minang di malam hari raya. Oh, untuk promosi tambahan, Busu saya menjual rendang minang enak sedap sehingga menjilat jari dengan harga RM50 sekilo. Tempahan boleh dibuat melalui saya dan jika berminat, bolehlah mengisi borang "Comment" di bawah.

How was your Raya? Mine was as expected. I'm enjoying every bits of it. It's my last raya as a single lady Insyaallah and I'm looking forward for next year's already. Everyone is showing off their beautiful and colorful raya dress. Mine, well it was halfway done. Didn't get the tailor to do the beading but Alhamdulillah, I still got the chance to celebrate Eid Fitr' with my loved ones. That's more important than the dress' beading. Still in the mood of rendang and lemang.

Till then, see ya when I see ya!

Have a bless raya!

1431 Hijrah

Ramadan has come to an end and Syawal has finally opening its' door. Semoga Ramadan yang bakal berlalu ini telah menjadi Ramadan yang dilimpahi dengan penuh kerahmatan dan barakah-Nya dan telah menjadi Ramadan penuh bermakna kepada kita semua. Hope we benefited the rahmah and taqwa that He gave us through out this holly month of Ramadan. Semoga kita bertemu lagi di tahun Hijrah yang akan datang.

I don't have any fancy card to show but I would like to wish all Muslim friends and readers Selamat Hari Raya. Sorry body and soul for all my wrongdoings or I have offended you with my silly posts or hurt anyone with an inappropriate statements intentionally or unintentionally. Semoga Syawal ini merupakan Syawal yang penuh bermakna kepada kita semua. Have a safe journey balik kampung and take care! Have a bless Hari Raya!

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI

Ikhlas dari,
Saya, Ajlaa Azam