Hari Raya 2008 - Day 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahhhhhh... The long awaited hour. Wifey who is still being cultural shock/shy since its her first celebration with my havoc part of the family. She was even schocked that I actually woke up at 6.30am and dragged her for breakfast!! (Actually my Aunt knocked the room door coz the human to toilet ratio just couldn't handle the fact - ha ha ha) Little did she know it was the breakfast one will not try to miss.

Yesss, its the famous Mak Tua's Roti Jala with Meat Curry. With a month of fasting having this as breakfast really adds up those calories (but bad things are usually the ones that tastes bests - he he - just ask nasi beratoq kapitan keling).

Every Auntie there is will be very busy on Raya morning. This is because they have to prepare food for all. Prepare people's clothes. Prepare the kuih muih. And lastly battle their way into the toilet to rush to the masjid and then go to our late head of the clan's grave. Fuh!! The list is like can be counted for but let me tell you, time flies and 20 minutes will feel like 5 and the bathroom scene is to die for (though this part is something I know when to keep my cam down :P - actually the sleepiness of my eyes could bare the fact of holding the camera he he)

Choosing the masjid to pray for the Sunat Aidilfitri is also another scene. Some will want to pray at Brown Garden coz it's faster, some at Penang's Capitol Masjid, some at USM and some who want to make a short course to the grave will tend to pray at the Masjid there. So those with car keys will have the advantage of where they want to go - and this year I wanted to go the masjid where it starts fast and ends fast. But no matter how you plan it, it will always be changed the very last minute (this is known around my family - don't ask me why - venue won't change, methods do - pening).

After coming back from masjid/grave those who did not engrave breakfast will start to pickup the pieces and those who have 8 stomachs (a little larger than me) will go for other rounds. Those who missed their toilet rounds or for seconds (we call it the Trilogy) will also enjoy this moment.

Then about afternoon when my uncle arrive, the real raya will begin with everyone asking for forgiveness, young to old and so on. Those with the green ang pows will have the previllage to sit on the sofa (this year I'm not one of them). All jokes will burst in this moment. Someone will surely make jokes when asking for fogiveness and someone will suprise the moment by giving out angpows when they have not yet done so. What ever the situation is, it's surely something to capture.

And then (well I'm not sure of other years - coz I wasn't there) there's this potrait picture contest (I think I'll call it that) but having the fact that this year there's me with tripod so I have the previlage to do so. Luckily the rain kinda stop for the moment and dried up the land for a while for this moment. Kinda nice being the director of photography - though ain't no 100% he he. We had this potrait at the same place about a millenia ago (the garden with nearly the same people around). My cousin and I burst out the picture in 8r to be framed (adding more junk) into the house he he.

By about 2 or 3pm everyone will dizzy and majority will spend their time on couches, toto-s and even beds. Since majority doze off, the minorities will find something to make them be awake and enjoy the moment and this year it Taboo a board game that made the players in pressure of giving questions and guessing the answers. Wife didn't let go of this chance and she even told me that on that nite she wants to go on it again and being a great vs with me heh heh... she's hooked on Penang Raya - go go TD Clan!!!

That's about what happened when the sun was still rising, how was yours?

-R-