Hari Raya Aidil Fitri 2010

How time flies . Its Aidil Fitri 1431H....a celebration for the muslims after fasting in the month of Ramadhan .. Upcoming festival is Deepavali in early November , followed by Christmas in December and Chinese New year in early February next year .

Six months of various festivals being celebrated . I hear ka....ching...the sound of the cash register at shopping malls as we Malaysians made ourselves busy preparing for the celebrations .

I was busy too getting things ready for our flight to Miri . Hauling out bags from the cupboard ....sorting out the necessary items to bring home . Home sweet home for Hari Raya Aidil Fitri .



I have never celebrated Hari Raya apart from my family . Now that I have my own family Hari Raya means celebrating this day in the kampong . Nothing beats home ...my children and I just love to be there because we don't know of any other place that means so much to us . Tiring it may be ...of packing heavy bags and unpacking again when we reached home ....it doesn't matter to us . We just want to be home .

Morning of Syawal is something that everybody looks forward to . Lots of photo takings too with family members . Ahhhhh.....that atmosphere of family togetherness ....nothing could beat that feeling of sheer happiness to see everyone making their way to my father's house . Whatever space there is in front of my father's yard is packed with cars . The doorway is littered with all kind of footwear , different sizes , colors and shapes . It doesn't matter ... as long as nobody trips over the shoes .

My brothers and their families plus my sis in law and her children and grandchildren came in droves . So much happiness early in the morning .and we were glad to see each other again ...happy that we had completed the one month of fasting too ...great to be able to spent time with each other again ..




Most of all we were happy to see our father's face when he was surrounded by his children , his grandchildren and his great grandchildren . I was happy to be with him too on syawal morning .



I just love to hug you again bapak ...




I just love to seek forgiveness from you again ....



I just love to be in your company again .....


I just love to say Selamat Hari Raya .....Maaf Dzahir Batin ....to you , Bapak .

My Headmaster ...My Teacher...

Teacher's Day ....this day did not exist at all back in 1968 ....that was the year I began to learn how to read , write and do arithmetic ...a term used then . Maybe there was such a day .....I just can't recall .

My old primary school is still there...at Jalan Merpati , Miri . Sayed Othman Primary School is the name ...one of the few primary schools in Miri Town .The headmaster then was Cikgu Wan Morshidi ...the grandson of the late Sayed Othman .Impressive ain't it ...to be able to head the school set up by your grandfather ,

What do I remember about Cikgu Wan Morshidi ? Well he had this habit of carrying a one and half foot long rattan in his hand though at times he would tucked it away under his armpit . I think most headmasters carried a rattan during those years . We scurried away like little mouse should we happened to meet him on his rounds . The rattan and him made a scary combination when you are just a little girl .

Generally a headmaster would always looked smart daily , 5 days a week . So it was with Cikgu Wan Morshidi .A short hair ...kind of like the way Barack Obama is sporting now , a short sleeve shirt and trousers and a pair of black or dark brown shoes . I think he used a tie too .He drove a car though I can't remember what the type was.......looked like a Batman's kind of car . ( Note : We were exposed to Batman and Robin's comics by our elder brothers in the early 1970s. )

School assemblies was once a week . All the pupils would stand in the school field , in rows according to the class they were in ...facing the school with the sun shining on our faces . It must be a straight line ...the teachers would ensure us that ...so we would put our hands on our friend's shoulder ...straighten our arms to make that arms length distance from your friend in front ....and nobody were to move .... stand at attention mode for all .

Cikgu Wan Morshidi would be in front observing us with keen eyes while the other teachers would be about 2 or 3 meters away from his side . The assembly began with all of us singing the country's anthem ' Negara Ku '. Then he would checked all the pupil's nails ...a short smack one would get on your knuckles if you were to show him your dirty or long nails . Now and then I would get a taste of that rattan medicine ....a pain in my memory of what that rattan can do to me .

That is why if I were to remember my teacher cum headmaster ..the picture that is etched in my memories would be Cikgu Wan Morshidi and his constant partner ' The Rattan '.

Whatever ....life at the primary school was full of memories . I didn't skipped school as I enjoyed going there . The rattan could be quite scary but I was brave enough to trudge along daily and happily because school was fun .

Oh ya ...Happy Teacher's Day to all . Cheers !

Treasures....

I will never forget the day I received this card . Thirty years ago we were roommates at campus .My first Mother's Day card I received from a friend . Sent all the way from USA and I have kept it ever since . Never felt so good before .



I was on the hospital bed , still feeling drowsy after my C-section when dear hubby came and passed a couple of letters to me . I recognized the handwriting on the mails . One was an invitation card for her wedding and a photo of her graduation . She looked good in that picture . Another was this Mother's Day card .



The year was 1994 . 25th May to be exact . The day I gave birth to my second son .



Wow.....receiving that card woke up all my drowsy cells in my body system . There was an immediate up surge in my adrenalin . Feelings of excitement , happiness and blessed too that a friend still had the time to say ' hi ' . That's what I call true friendship ...thousands of miles apart , separated by the vast oceans and yet I am still in her thoughts .

Thank you , Lek . May we be friends forever and ever .