A Sinner's Log for Eidul Fitri, Day 1.

Sinner's Log for Eidul Fitri, 30th August 2011.

1. Woke up at 2.30am. Couldn't fall back to sleep so wrote a posting. Then laid in bed and contemplated the ceiling fan, "That ceiling fan sounds ominously creaky. What if it suddenly drops?"
2. At 7am finally dragged myself half-asleep out of bed. Woke Mika up and said that he should follow me to the Mosque to pay the religious tithe (must be done before the Eidul Fitri supererogatory prayers which normally starts about 8am). Mika whines. I said why should I take him to the shopping mall if he doesn't want to follow me to the mosque? He leapt of the bed and quickly showered. Good.
3. Successfully paid the tithe at one of the four tables laid out at the mosque entrance. Took pictures of Mika at the mosque - "That way, Mika, if anyone asks, you can say that Papa brought you to the mosque on Eidul Fitri morning." Didn't plan to pray actually, and we were driving home when suddenly...
4. 7.30am - Mika asks whether we are going to the shopping mall now. I said, "Mika, I didn't say we were going to the shopping mall right after the mosque. Anyway, what shopping mall is open at 7.30am??" Mika complained, "Papa, you tricked me. This is unfair!" I shared with my son my views on fatherhood - "Mika, the father-son relationship is not based on fairness and democracy. It is feudal and autocratic. Live with it." That quietened him down. Hehehe.
5. 8am - Had breakfast with my dad and Mika. Dad didn't even try the spaghetti which I made last night. Disappointed.
6. 9am - My friend Longhair arrived from the mosque, resplendent in his flowing white robe and wizard's hat. He didn't even look at my spaghetti and had the nasi lemak dish instead (rice cooked in coconut milk, served with fried peanuts, anchovies, cucumber, boiled egg and a spicy red sauce). Double disappointed. 
7. 9.30am - When my late mother was alive, the neighbourhood garbage men would all come to our house in the early morning of Eidul Fitri, and they did not disappoint us. Today, 8 of them arrived and they received their 'ang pows' (packets of money). 
8. 10pm - My relatives started to appear, mostly my cousins and their children. Finally some of them took notice of the spaghetti and had some. One even packed my celebrated spaghetti to have more later at home. Very happy now.
9. 10.45am -  My eldest bro arrived and Mika is happy because his closest cousin, Aqheel has come. They spent most of the morning in front of the laptop, fighting Greek and Norse gods and demigods. 
10. 11pm - My friend King finally arrived with his family. My dad and his dad, Raja Zainal Abidin traded old stories about their days as students in University Malaya, Singapore. My dad (who was a medical student) said that his room was the best, because it overlooked the nursing college hostel. Hmm. He never told me that before. Later my other brother Saiful came back with Adam and Imran, my two other nephews.
11. 11pm-2pm - I was mildly but continuously interrogated about my marriage plans - or in the view of my elderly cousins, my lack of marriage plans. Some queries came by way of proxy from my aunties who were not able to visit my house today. "You promised us you will get married this year!" one particularly aggressive cousin accused me. I didn't, I remember simply telling them last year , "Maybe next year." The idea of a marriage plan beyond one year is incomprehensible to them. So I just told them what they wanted to hear. Hehehe. 
12. 2pm - Mika wants to follow his cousin, Aqheel and my brother's family to visit more houses. My brother asked if it is okay. I said "Please, be my guest!" My brother just laughed, so I warned him, "I am not kidding, Abang Ein (that is what I call my eldest brother, Zahurein), Mikhail doesn't ever stop talking!" Again, he just laughed at my warning. Oh well. C'est la vie.
13. 2.30pm - 4pm - My father's friend Lily, visited us with her family, which breathtakingly consists of 7 sisters, although only 4 managed to be here this year. 
14. 4.30pm - No one around but us mice. I saw my dad take a plate of my spaghetti and I went to sit next to him. He said, "Nice.. nice". I thought he may be just trying to spare my feelings, but as I was going to my room, I saw him visit the buffet table for another helping. Not disappointed anymore. Alhamdulillah!

 I hope you enjoyed my brief summary of the day, sunshine. I am about to fall asleep very, very soon. While I am unconscious and my soul takes leave of my body, I pray that wherever you are, and whatever you may be doing, may your Family, Love, Faith, Friends and Rock & Roll be your constant abiding company this Eidul Fitri.Oh no, wait, stop the press! Longhair just facebook-ed me. He is coming over again to try some of my spaghetti. Hehehe. My cup of joy runneth over...

wa min Allah at-taufiq.