Salam Eidul Ad'ha

I bite my tongue on this one.

I've always been adamantly opposed to prejudice, racism or any form of bigotry. Don't even get me started on women's rights (although that implies a certain amount of bias, ironically). What i never realized was the inherent prejudice I'd been carrying with me for longer than I care to admit. I would love to point the finger at some element as being the root of my bias - upbringing, education system, religion, etc. - but at the end of the day, it's up to me to form my own principles.

At the Eidi Adha gathering we had last night, I encountered some individuals whom I casually dismissed as those whose company I don't really favor i.e. 'not my type'. Due to the usual mingling principle of mingling at a party, I ended up sitting next to said individuals and found myself pressed to initiate a conversation, which I promptly did (I've discovered from experience that the longer you let the initial awkwardness linger, the harder it is to start chatting, thus the more awkward it gets). After the first few exchanges I inwardly admitted that these individuals weren't too bad. As the conversation progressed, I found them to be quite engaging and we ended up talking for quite a while.

The final straw that won me over was the discovery that not only did we share the same passion for reading, but that we've also read the great literary works I labeled as my all-time-favorites. Rarely do I find people I can easily talk to about my book-dependency, even rarer do I find people who've read the books I have.

The night ended with the exchange of hugs and contacts and promises to keep in touch. Sounds a bit corny but I think we were all under the sweet ephemeral effect of new alliances so cut me some slack, please. I'm sure the effect will run off in a few days. In the mean time, I'm enjoying the absence of ludicrous stares when I mentioned 'Beloved' with my eyes wide as golf balls. That and I'm biting my tongue still, of course.

Toronto Day 1

Yup, the weather's sufficiently cold.

Jetlag's wearing off.

Raya's here.

All's well.

P.Ramlee says : Selamat, selamat Hari Raya...

Eid Mubarak

I saw the Lake House. Profound. That's it, I'm giving up reading reviews.

The two 'gembala kerbau' chirped at my window at precisely 7.30am today. They usually save me from oversleeping but today I turned around and gave them a grin thinking, "Ha!I beat you guys today!"

I'm rereading Beloved and I'm still spellbound by the language. Guess I found my in-flight literature. That, the load of mp3s and in-flight movies should keep me occupied for the next 24 hours in the air. I hope.

I was tempted to get something new for raya. Of course, I changed my mind the moment I saw the throngs of people flooding the Kompleks PKNS hungry for baju raya, kuih raya, everything-raya. Imagine squeezing between clothing racks standing shoulder-to-shoulder and sales girls and other customers trying to pass through dragging hoards of meandering offsprings. How anyone is expected to make wise purchasing decisions is wonder to me. I hate raya shopping. Happens every year.

The last time I spoke to Hakim on the phone his voice sounded different. I hope he hasn't made the transition into manhood yet. I'd like to enjoy my little Kimi for a bit more before that happens.

I'm praying to God (seriously, not literally, not metaphorically) that all my luggage go through customes smoothly. The way my mom ordered food from home made it seem like they were starving over there in Toronto. Turns out they really are Baba's and Alagappa-dependant after all.

Eid Mubarak to all (yes, yes, all two of you reading this). And to further reinstate an overused but still meaningful phrase, I have to say....Maaf zahir dan batin. :D

Raya Blues

Raya Blues

End of the first day of Eid at home. Almost got off to a bad start with Mama ringing her alarm a little too early in the morning. But things got off just fine after that.
The ketupat was a bit of a disappointment, the kuah kacang was spectacular, the nasi tomato and ayam masak merah rendered me speechless.
I have to admit, the only thing significant today was the change in food. We didn't see the need to extravagantly do up the house, just some extensive cleaning. While we watched TV and waited for the menfolk to return from Raya prayers, I sensed an air of sterility in the living room. Thanks to Kak Nani's polishing and scrubbing. The delicious smell of food is accredited to me!
We pushed off to Mak Chak's house. All of Feizal's siblings were there except for Bai Ali. Kak Syikin surprised me by asking about my plans to study in Australia. I've only met her once before, when she was pregnant with Tasya. We went on to a very nice conversation, one that regrettably ended due to too many people in too small a space. I still regret not talking to her more. Her little girl Tasya is an absolute doll. I was also quite happy to see Bai Fadzil, I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it was his jubah and nondescript white kopiah that made him appear humble, more approachable for a conversation, although I didn't quite like his somewhat detached wife.
We moved on to auntie Jah's house, where another overwhelming welcome awaits us. How and why my parents came to be such close friends with her and Uncle Hashim is still a little foggy to me. But I can see that auntie Jah adores my mum like a sister. Sadly, I do not think that the ties bonded now will continue to live between her children and my siblings. While our parents are tight, Kak Nani and I hardly know auntie Jah's grown children. There is promise of a remedy for this, provided I enlist the help of auntie Jah's son, Hatta, when I go to Brisbane next year.
I'm still fervently praying for that to come true this time.
Some of auntie Jah's relatives arrived while we were there. I was touched to see how she persuaded my parents to stay longer, even then. These are precious friends, indeed. Suddenly, I feel urged to continue the ties for my parents' sake.
We finally drove home at four pm, with everyone asleep pretty much all the way home.
It's been a simple and quiet Raya this year, today.