Open House on 1st Day Raya

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What is Hari Raya without open house? Even the meaning of Raya is to visit families and friends celebrating the winning of a month fasting and humbling towards all beings and then asking for forgiveness for any incident that never meant to happen whether physically or mentally, verbal or action. And so as humans (especially in Malaysia) we also celebrate it with food to fill up those stomach that has been growling and for people like me with too much food made my jeans too tight that I couldn't wait to open up the buttons of my jeans coz it won't fit me anymore.

As a ritual made for years, my Uncle & Aunt who stays on home ground will always make a point to having an open house specifically for their family members. All must come early about after Isyak prayers or calls will be made wondering what happened or which co-ordinate in this country one is (we should add GPS trackker among families on their mobile - this would make it easier he he). This is due to the ammount of food and satay... (yes satay!!) that never fail to be placed on the table (oh its also because they are still hot so before they turn cold everyone must jump into it).

With more cucus coming (more in the upcoming years I hope - *hint*hint*), most house including this has try to make it child proof but how much can be done. Thus hoping and praying that the weather will calm down (Penang got flooded the day before Raya due to too much rain), kids would wonder around the garden or playing the swing - but unfortunately the laughter of the adults make them running and showing off their skills inside... heh heh.

With more guests coming, tables and chairs are usually never enough so guests would have to be creative either having their food the old fashion way or just standing but at anyway, gossips, catching up and old stories always comes alive. The veterans will talk about business and old friends they met along the way. The cousins will tell tales of their year and also what they have been downloading/uploading on the net. Then at points, old frames/photo albums will be opened up to remind us of how we were years behind. With the digital camera being more and more affordable, the tales now lay either on portable hard drives, cd/dvd and even blogs like this (and other methods alike which also includes bluetooth thru mobile phones). (This photo albums memory really reminded me how my wife had her joy when everyone was very happy to show her the picture of me when I was that mischevious kid. They even played it on film slides just to show her what she was getting her a** into! Don't worry everyone in TD Clan family will be treated the same way and everyone will roll on the ground laughing their gutts out - I have passed my misery hours and now with a weapon in hand I will be there in the hour for the rest of the clan ha ha ha - go go Uncle Wee keep the slides fresh ya, when there's a new crew we will go to Bayshore for this moment!).

Back to my Uncle and Aunt's open house... My wife and kids were the 1st guests to arrive this year (how amazing knowing me that will be among the last to arrive through the years ha ha ha). Well it was quite good though as I managed to catch up with my Aunt's mother (who has this great recipe for laksa with shreded fish head in the kuah and bowls will always tend to be added more). The old lady is also someone nice to talk too, even though her memory is not as it used to, but by lifting out my name she surely remembered me and how I used to be thus looking at my two boys she will always say "Anak sapa tu... Bapak depa sapa" - it always brings laughter (I like to talk to old ladies, their tales are always a laughter to me as they always remember the days that I didn't even knew I did that). At her age, she still can make jokes out of our conversation - the thing I could not forget this year was the fact that I introduced her my wife as my maid and she asked her "Berapa dia bayaq?" buahahahahahahahahahahahaha... This old taichi master really have her ways, too bad I missed when she posed as a kung fu master - I think it due to all the rendang in my stomach that slowed down my instinct for the shutter.

Going on, when other family members came by (and wifey always catch that) they always remember me (by the name) as anak Arwah Yeob (my late Father was the person someone would love to invite in a party because with him around a party will always be even more colorful). This was also because of how I was that little rascal that didn't know how to keep quiet, running to-n-fro thus genetically giving it to my 2 boys where I think Danial is having most of that gene coz he is more than a hero comparing to his brother who's more loving. But Danial in the other hand has his eyes on the ladies, especially the cun cute dara(s) and also baby/toddler girls. He wouldn't really salam them but instead giving them a kiss on the cheeck or on the mouth - very playa this boy is and out from the CSI we found out that this DNA was passed to him from my late Dad (Danial's Father *ehem* is a 1 woman man - yeah right - but always have eyes everywhere! haha - I'm sure to get a different look tonite). Hey... it's my blog so I reserve the right to masuk bakul and angkat sendiri he he he but then that's what really happen.

Raya is a well known holiday among Malaysians and when holiday is, sleep also is. So having open house on the 1st day will make some hard working cousins fall asleep on occasion and this year we have the winners! Ha ha ha... jangan marah, not everytime can we catch this moment.

That was for the day? No... not in my TD Clan. More to come before we get out eyes shut for the day...

Reaching to the ron-de-vu point (Grandma's hostel - stuffed with families here and there making everywhere their beds to lay their head even the main hall doesn't get emptied [I used to see my late Grandfather when I slept there - he looks at me smiling and when I gave salam he just smiled at me so I kept sleeping and when I actually wake up I get the chills coz he's not suppose to be there]), time for some nice hot coffee/milo. This is also because of the fact no nice food stalls are in service yet as they are cleaning up their long-not-washed bowls of curry (that make it taste best - some fact also tells me that they also claim Penang water tastes better than other states making their food only served best in Penang) so no one is out for the day (penat also lah). But knowing my TD Clan, its not yet time to sleep... no it isn't... its also not time for gossips or old grandma stories noooo... it's time for some games!!! Yeah... its TABOO this year!! The game that from the box tell its from 'Down Under' and amazingly not only the cousins were into it but also the aunts and uncles. With too much of reality tv and tv game shows watched, this game was either more exciting or more stressing. Rules on the games were never a 100% for my clan - no games or situation were either ha ha. They always have ways to create their own ways, with some giving 3 words only as clue, some giving body actions, some saying its close and not forgetting those asking for the 1st letter. People in the house are used to the noise level reaching 135dB (the minimum dB level required for the low bass for any IASCA competition - that's another story) at 1am during raya. All having their ear plugs or some other sound proofing materials stucked in their ears. Wifey didn't miss this chance too. She also wanted to get in the way and after she drugged the kids with her tits and nice hot chocolate milk, she got in I must say - ha ha...

Ending the day at 3 plus am, I went out to setup my tripod in the garden and held the shutter on my weapon for about nearly 3 minutes to get a night time view of the new-cracked (thanks to the new senseless neighbour) renovated house. This also gave me the chance to dry up from the sweat that developed during the game (stress in giving questions really boils the body) before I went off to bed.

So there goes my 1st day of Raya, what about yours?

Owh... sorry for my Uncle. Due to the fact that I could not breathe correctly coz my jeans were constricting my stomach I seem to have lost that picture... he he.

-R-