Eid Celebrations, Family and a Greedy Little Pig - oink! oink!

Coming to the end of Ramadhan and the Eidul Fitri celebrations on 1st of Syawal to mark one month of fasting by the Muslims, it is common for us to receive festive greetings via snail mail, Facebook, sms-es and WhatsApp (well, for us Android users at least). I have been a bit busy yesterday as we had a drove of wonderful, bright-eyed, brilliant and good-looking relatives come visit us on the first day (well, I have to be complimentary if I want them to come again next year... Or am I spreading the butter too thick?).

So I am finally able to catch my breath today, and have been typing my late replies. If you did not receive my reply because you never sent me an Eid Mubarak greetings (And by the way, why didn't you? *sad*), well here is my best reply sent out today -

Salams sunshine,... If you but knew me a bit better perhaps you would not like me, but if I knew a bit more of you I am sure to grow fonder of you. So my Salam and prayer for us this Eid is for God and His Prophet to veil my wickedness and to unveil your goodness that I might continue to be blessed with your love and companionship... alhamdulillah, God be praised! Madad ya Saideena Muhammad, madadul Haqq!

For those who came yesterday, thank you kindly for your company and smiles... It was wonderful. A note of thanks for my brother, Zahurein, for cooking up a mouth-watering Mee Rebus (a local noodle dish in beef, oxtail, shrimp, chilli and sweet potato broth). I am ashamed to confess here that I, a greedy little pig, had 4 servings.

He was THE host, but he had 4 servings! Shameless...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Mikhail, his Baju Melayus and the Cunning Bait of Beauty - picture tell stories

Sometimes I write and choose the photos to accompany the piece. On some days however, I post the photos and let the pictures choose the words. Like today...

Mikhail is 8 years old. That lime green baju melayu johor (traditional Malay attire)
is almost exactly one year old and he is already having trouble getting out of it.
He is wearing it because he just had his weekly lesson with his young Ustaz (religious
scholar who teaches kids to read Arabic script and the Al-Quran). The Ustaz is a kind and
soft-spoken young man, unlike the fearsome fire-breathing old Ustazs in my days. 

As I was writing last night, Mika came up for a chat. He saw I was online and
asked to borrow the laptop. He said he wanted to chat with Aqheel, his cousin. He
took the laptop away and told me not to spy on him. 

Later he found an old cardboard box. And like all children he wanted to see
if he can fit in. And he did. "Look, Papa! I can get into the box!" But he found getting
out of the box a greater problem, and I had to help him out. I guess that's what
parents are for, to help our kids out of tight spots that they inevitably find themselves in.
But a Dad's job is also to take embarrassing photos of our kids and post them online,
so before I helped him out of  his box I took a couple of shots for prosperity.
He just smiled wanly and bleated, "Papaaaaa!!!" 

I think this picture is absolutely priceless. 

But you know, he does have some nice photos of himself. His mom, Gina, forked up some hard-earned money to purchase him new baju melayus for this coming Eidul Fitri celebrations (1st day of the month of Syawal, marking the end of Ramadhan and fasting) and I think in the picture below he looks like a heart-breaker. But I recall having a conversation once with Mikhail and he confessed to me, "Papa... I am not good-looking at all." And I think that is the most cunning bait of beauty, when the person does not even notice the beauty in himself/herself. And I like that. I hope such sentiments will accompany Mikhail all through his life...

Have a lovely day, sunshine. Work is knocking on my door now and I gotta attend to it.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Apakah Agama Tanpa Nabi? What is religion without the Prophet? - Our Hari Raya cards....

Our office is finalizing our Eidul Fitri greeting cards to be sent to our friends and clientele to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan and the 1st day of Syawal. Here in Malaysia such cards are commonly known as 'Hari Raya' cards, meaning 'Day of Festivities / Celebration' in Malay. Our girls have chosen the design and I was asked to do the inlay text, but this time in Malay. I initially had an idea and the first line of the prose to be printed in the greeting card went like this -

Apakah hidup tanpa mati?

(What is life without death?)

I emailed out the suggestion to Aeenzy, who is organizing the printing of the cards. Immediately I got a call from our latest (and youngest) addition to our office, who asked me earnestly, "TK? Are you SURE you want this in the Raya card?" I answered in the affirmative. Why not? After all, isn't death also an event worthy to be celebrated? When we are united with our Maker? But I guess it depends on how you die. He he he.

But sometimes there is no need to share ALL truths. And I think most people are less keen to be reminded of their mortality when they open a greeting card, especially a Hari Raya greeting card. So after some thought, I amended the prose, and the poem inside of our card will now read thus...

Apakah...?

Apakah jasad tanpa hati?

Apakah jantung tanpa nadi?

Apakah iman tanpa erti?

Apakah agama tanpa Nabi?

What is...?

What is a body without a heart?

What is a heart without a pulse?

What is faith without understanding?

What is religion with the Prophet?

..............

It sounds better in my native Malay, I guess. It rolls off the tongue quite well, don't you agree? But then again, I am biased. He he he.

I like bringing the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) into the picture. I think he is a one-Prophet-fit-for-all-occasion-kinda-divine-emissary. It is not protocol or spiritual etiquette. It just feels good. Like breathing.

I guess we all have our own way of breathing. But whatever creed you may be holding, may your own breath that you exhale glorify the Lord, and may the next breath that you inhale give thanks to His all-encompassing Mercy and Compassion.

Have a lovely night, sunshine. For it is night here and the fast is over for today.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Heart Breaker and Heart Broken - Man proposes but Love conspires better!

10. Heart Surgery II

We associate to mend hearts,

Not argue theology.

So let us not quibble on dogma

And leave such pastimes

To those bewitched with religion.

OUCH. Have your heart been broken? It doesn't feel like the slice of a sharp surgical knife, does it? No, it feels like a dum-dum bullet has been shot into your soul, blowing a hole and shattering your heart.

HEART BREAKER HEART BROKEN. I have been both a heart breaker and a broken heart. And neither feels good. For the longest time I was wandering the world carrying both burdens. Then I came across a couple of friends, associated as a Society for the Mending of Hearts (S.M.H.). No, they are not perfect. Far from it. But it feels so much better to know that we are not alone. The pain that I used to feel is deeply personal, and if God is anything at all, to me He is the One Most Personal. Once before I used to ask God, "Why do I suffer this...?" But now I assure God, "Oh, Lord. Be consoled. Sorry for letting You share in this sorrow that I feel. Forgive me for burdening You so... I will find a way out of the gloom. Come with me, my Lord."

ONE TRUE LOVE. I am wistful listening to Christina Perri's song, "Jar of Hearts". I am remembering my old sadness and how lonely it felt. I feel pity for the person I used to be. But I also look back with gratitude, because had I not felt alone and left out, I would not have started looking for...*stop*. I wanted to say, "...looking for the One True Love." But that simply isn't true. The truth is I didn't know what I was looking for. And I guess, the truth is Love found me. And Love didn't put me in a Jar. Love took me out of the cage of my own sorrow and hubris.

LOVE CONSPIRES. On another happy example of Love - a maiden received a visit from her beau's family during the Eid celebrations. They are actually both friends of mine. It was just a 'social visit' but 7 cars full arrived at her kampung house (village house) in the northern state of Perlis. I do not know what actually transpired, whether the parents and relatives of the boy was so taken by the gentle hospitality of her family, or perhaps she really did make an awfully good cup of coffee when the boy's father asked her to make one. Well, whatever happened, in a quiet moment, the father gestured and whispered to the mother, "I think you should merisik (pre-engagement proposal) her..." And so the visit ended with an engagement ceremony slotted for end of December this year. Man proposes, but wonderfully Love Conspires Better... Congratulations to Messrs FF and SK.

No. This isn't the Kampung house mentioned above. 
But it was also full of Love during Eid. Thank you, Ani, for the pic!

God bless all peace makers and heart menders.

Pax Taufiqa.

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.

Eidul Fitri Celebrations and my Spaghetti Bolognese

At 7pm, I began prepping the ingredients for the spaghetti bolognese
which is a traditional Malay dish for tomorrow's Eidul Fitri celebrations.
Just kidding. Wanted to be a bit different this year. I did not imagine
that I would actually end up using all that fresh tomatoes, tomato ketchup, tomato paste
and tomato puree. As it turned out, I did. Used about a kilo of minced meat.

I love my garlic and onion. I used two and a half whole cloves
of garlic. I suspect one of my relatives is a 'daywalker' vampire.
I hope to be proven wrong tomorrow.

Heche is my food taster, and she dropped by to test the spaghetti.
She said it was lovely and wondered if I actually had
Italian blood in my family. Okay, I made that last bit up.
Anyways, I am a firm believer in letting a sauce sit overnight.
So I am expecting the sauce to be even better tomorrow morning.
Keeping my fingers crossed!

While prepping the onions, garlic and capsicum, my brother and his family dropped by for some fireworks fun. Even my father came out bringing a packet of candles (which turned out to be aromatic candles!) and asked my brother to decorate our short driveway and gate with them. So right now, if you were to come by my house, it looks like a Hindu family's house celebrating Deepavali (The Festival of Light), which by the way, is also a national holiday here in Malaysia. And when you actually get out of your car, you can smell the strawberry infused candles, perfuming our small garden. I think it is hilarious. I am glad my dad is getting into the mood at his age of 77 years.

As I sent Heche back late tonight, I heard the takbir (The glorification and praise of God) in the night air, which is not familiar to me around midnight. I followed the takbir and it led me to a small mosque in the small suburbs of Sungei Penchala. I parked my car outside and listen. I was tired (and hungry), but contented. Soon after midnight, the congregation ended their takbir and I picked myself up from the pavement and drove home. This is how the takbir sounds like here in my hometown...

So here I am, sunshine. About to go to sleep on the 1st day of Syawal. I am hopeful tomorrow morning shall find you in good health and spirit. Wherever you are, however you are dressed, whatever holy books that you recite, I bid you, on behalf of God, the Prophet, His Companions, the Saints and all the Angels,  Eid Mubarak. And if you are anywhere near my house, drop in. The spaghetti will be awesome, I kid you not.

Pax Taufiqa.