1 SYAWAL 1428

Alhamdulillah, Aidil Fitri was celebrated in a fun and joyful but non-expensive way! All my siblings and their families gathered at our Mak's home on the eve of Eid.

After coming back from work at 1.15pm on 12th Oct. (we got early release at 12.15pm), cleaning up my own home, packing things up including the food we prepared, we pushed off to Klang, convoying with my youngest aunt & her 10 year old daughter, at 4.00pm, arriving at 5.00pm.

The table was spread at 6.30pm and come the final Iftar moment, we started feasting on ketupat (rice cake cooked in coconut leaves), lodeh (vegetables cooked in coconut milk), sambal kacang & sotong (crushed peanut & soaked dried squid in sweet chilli sauce), fried chicken... all prepared at Mak's house and then from our house (courtesy of Mak Yah - my aunt cum mother), pulut palas (glutenous rice cooked in coconut milk wrapped in palm leaves), chicken rendang (chicken slowly-cooked in thick curry gravy) and serunding udang/ikan (dry fried grated coconut with shredded fish & prawn) and as if that is not enough, my elder sister also prepared rendang paru (thinly sliced cow's lungs in thick curry gravy). For drinks, we had orange juice.

After isya' prayer, the boys lead by my Hubby chanted the Takbir & Tahmid. I ironed our festive clothes, including Bibik's. More chatting, more takbirs, more eating (heheheh!!) and finishing up the kids clothes, I slept at 2.00am while my sisters slept at 4.00am. My brother earlier left for his mother-in-law's place at 1.30am.

Morning of Eid, we got up for Subuh prayers and around 7.30 Haakem and Hubby got ready after eating some ketupat. hubby, Haakem, Mak yah and my youngest sister Angel's 2 boys age 6 and 2) left for the mosque at 8.15am while my brother in law (Din), his 2 boys age 15 and 13), his girl age 10 and Mak left at 8.30am. Prayer started at 9.00am. We, the sisters, Bibik and Angel's helper (Sundari) tidied up the house and prepared for the brunch and got dressed in our festive clothes. The people came back from the mosque at 10.30am and again the table was spread with about the same dishes as last night but with an addition of beef rendang which was so delicious!!

After eating we started with our photo session and later, the mintak ampun & maaf (apologising & forgiving) and duit raya (money in small pockets) sessions, which always hilarious!! Haakem was really happy and so were the rest. Even Bibik made quite a collection! Particularly so after her massaging my Mak and aunt.

Hubby and Haakem left after Zuhr prayer, stopping at our house in KL to collect their clothes and some food to be taken back for my in-laws, before pushing off to Kelantan shortly after, arriving at around 11.00pm.

My aunt who just arrived from Makkah a day earlier, came with her husband, youngest son, eldest daughter's family and eldest son's family at 5.30pm. After they left, we busied ourselves preparing dinner. This time, everyone asked for something with no cocnut milk in it, so asam pedas ikan tenggiri (mackerel in hot & sour gravy) with brinjals, blanched kangkung, fried fish and sambal belacan. After dinner, Mak Yah, Bibik, Millie and I pushed off to KL with my youngest aunt's car, arriving home at 10.00pm. After unpacking and putting the dirty clothes in the washing machine, Millie and I went to bed at around 12.00.