J'adore le Ladurée

Someone whom I got to know recently surprised me with this trinket yesterday! The giftbox in lovely shade of purple (a favourite colour - how did you guess?) contains eight sublime, scrumptious macaroons from Ladurée in London!

She who must have remembered my obsession with macaroons from the countless ravings I'd written on this space.

The bite-size macaroons burst with fantastic flavours that evoke an ineffable sense of joy.

To that special and thoughtful someone, thank you so much for making my day. Thanks for the wonderful spot of tea as well. It somewhat alleviated my coughing fit.

Paul's on me next time! :)

Raya Recap 2

We barely made it to the taxi which arrived promptly at 11 a.m., what with my penchant to engage in last-minute clothes-washing, and dishes-cleaning. Also not to be left out, choosing the clothes to bring along for the four-day trip. Should we bring more casual clothes and throw out the traditional ones?

But luckily the taxi waited for us even though he had arrived much earlier than the appointed time. Bless him to be working on the second day of Raya.

His driving on the other hand left a lot to be desired, zigzagging on the open road despite a relatively empty highway. As long as it didn't disturb a sleeping Sadia, we had no reason to complain.

A quick check-in later, we scuttled towards the security checkpoints. After buying some goodies at the duty free kiosks located at the main entrance of the domestic Departure Gates, we wolfed down some Whoppers for lunch at Burger King.

The flight which lasted for 1 hour and 45 minutes seemed longer largely thanks to Sadia who was excited to bits. She kept standing on either one of our laps to play Peekaboo with the two Malay kids sitting infront. Luckily, those tweens didn't mind entertaining her.

Excitement later turned to restlessness as she grew bored of the narrow space and wanted out! Armed with my oft-reliable lactating secret weapon, it soon put matters to right.

My MIL, younger SIL and older SIL's daughter, Zeti picked us up at the airport. MIL was so eager to meet her latest grandkid that she quipped she wouldn't mind if we sent Sadia back first to Kuching after we got back from Delft. The last time she saw Sadia was roughly a year ago when we 'accidentally' came home for Raya.

As wont, the apprehensive Sadia takes some time to warm up to new people. However, when my MIL flashed the pair of shiny bead bracelets worn on her left wrist, she was transfixed and hooked on them until one of the bracelet's strings came undone. All the beads popped out and strewn all over the backseat and the car floor!

Such is a sacrifice to get into Sadia's good books. :)

As soon as we landed at PIL's place, hubby distributed the gifts while I settled the rest of luggage upstairs. When I came down, Sadia already went over to the house next door with MIL where hubby's (late*) grandfather resided with the family of MIL's eldest sister. Somehow, Sadia had warmed up to MIL! That was quick. Probably she remembers MIL's face and the area we were in.

In the course of four days, Sadia was having the time of her life - chasing a rabbit named Snowy, cats and kittens outside the house, running practically non-stop around the coffee tables which rendered MIL and some others speechless, bathing in a big shallow basin and playing (or rather bullying to play) toys with anxious cousins. On the downside however, whenever she immersed herself in all these activities, she rarely ate. She's like a cat on catnip!

At one relative's house, Sadia was in her element again, helping herself to some toys on a corner and encircling the spacious living room. A range of glassware - some of which were Delft Blue - in numerous cabinet displays and a flight of steps leading from the toy area to the living room caused us some concern, but Sadia heeded most of our (and MIL's) command during the short Raya visit.

Since this Kuching trip marks the first time we spent the second day of Raya in Kuching, I have to say that I'd prefer to be in KL instead from the second day onwards. My feeling has nothing to do with the in-laws' treatment of me - far from it, they have always been a bunch of exemplary hosts.

It is just that after the second day, Raya (at least in hubby's family circle) celebration simply died down, without any warning to the uninitiated. And with the second Raya day being spent travelling to Kuching and thereon stuffing our face at my PIL's, we lost a day of congenial house-visiting. The only time we ventured outdoors that day was to buy essential provisions.

So when we went visiting relatives on the third day, people served mostly the ubiquitious Raya cookies and no longer wore their Raya fineries. After the umpteenth house, I couldn't bring myself to see anymore cookies in different flavours, shapes and sizes. Luckily, one cousin bucked the trend at her Open House and served delicious Nasi Beriyani and several lauks, along with Laksa Penang.

On hindsight, it is probably too presumptuous to generalise that festivities tapered out for the whole clan. After all, if it were not for my grandma's Open House on the third day of Raya, we wouldn't be going out anywhere save for hopping to the neighbourhood mall! My husband too confirmed and concurred with my observation of Raya celebration in Kuching. Due to this circumstance, we came to an important agreement that Raya eve and first day of Raya should always be spent in Kuching. On the other hand, we can always fly back to Kuching on the night of first Raya day and spend the second day of Raya thereon. But, we reckon it'd be too exhausting for the little one. :)

Moreover, another reason contributing to the sombre note on which we savoured the Eid holidays was due to the deteriorating health of hubby's grandfather aka MIL's father. The second night we were in Kuching must be the longest for my MIL and her surviving siblings when grandfather took a turn for the worse during which most people thought that was IT. Fortunately, it proved to be a false alarm, albeit a brief one. *Grandfather aka Nenek (In Sarawak, Nenek is used for both male and female grandparents) passed away a week later on Tuesday, October 23rd while we were in PD for a short vacation. We plan to go back next year for the 100-day Kenduri Arwah, God willing.

On a separate macabre note, one incident that would haunt us for some time involved hubby's accidental killing of one of the kittens! We were already in my SIL's car to go to the mall (what else!), and my husband put the car in reverse and suddenly heard the most agonising of sounds. Ekk! was the last squeak from the thin kitten. As the car continued backing up, we dreaded what was waiting for us to see. Then there it was, with its head plonked down around a splat of blood. Hubby was too distraught to take a closer look that we resumed driving away. Poor kitty, Sadia had only played with it a few hours before. Thanks to my FIL for burying the kitten.

On coming back to KL, I experienced a personal sort of calamity which bogged me down for a few woeful days. Oh well, que sera sera. Things happen for a reason.

Soon after that, the beach getaway to Port Dickson ('PD') recharged my battery and so did the Ikan Bakar ('Grilled Fish') and other seafood we bought at Pengkalan Pernu/Umbai in Malacca. And a heap of thank-yous go to Rizal for filling up our tummies shortly before we departed for PD at the conjoined Open House held at his parents' in Ampang. I especially love your Death By Chocolate cake! Do you take orders? :)

On top of other Open Houses we went and the small one that we mustered, Raya 2007 was rather quiet on the whole. A sense of listlessness that pervaded the air seems to describe my inner state, struggling to keep apace with a new kind of life, a more mature role to fill and familiar/familial territories to tread on.

Raya Recap 1

Five days have passed since the month of Syawal left us. In any event, it has been a subdued Eid for this household. I should take that back. Probably it has not been one for Sadia who had been dragged here and there by her harried and dazed parents.

Poor Sadia. Whose sleeping schedule turned haywire because of the Raya house-hopping we yielded to. Whose appetite waned throughout the rushing and bustling.

Yet, amazingly Sadia thoroughly enjoyed herself during this festive time, playing with cousins and her young aunties/uncles, as well as chasing cats around the house compound! (this one took place in Kuching)

Our Raya eve was spent at my parents in Kota Damansara ('KD'), where we came bringing satay, peanut gravy and other accompaniments that were served for both Iftar and Eid the next morning. All the siblings save for my eldest sister were around for the final Iftar get-together. We also helped in some last-minute cleaning before retiring around midnight.

The excited Sadia couldn't bring herself to sleep in the new environment and kept waking up now and then. Unfortunately, she also rose up early in the morning when my brother knocked loudly on the door to rouse us from our sleeping state.

After taking turns showering, hubby left for Eid prayer whilst I tended to Sadia's whims and fancies. She busied herself circling the living room all the while refusing any attempt to feed her and ended up nibbling on some cookie.

My husband returned home from the prayer earlier than the other men in the household - my dad and brother - since he went to the communal surau in the vicinity of Mutiara Damansara enclave, as opposed to the overcrowded neighbourhood surau nearby the KD's house where cars triple-parked and inadvertently caused a spillover jam to the immediate surroundings.

As we waited for the other siblings' - twin sister and younger sister - entourage to arrive from their respective homes also located in KD, we then took turns to eat the delicious Raya spread. By this time however, Sadia had grown tired due to lack of sleep and cried in protest when we donned her with a baju kurung top. She didn't like the material at all. We proceeded to the bedroom to put her down for a nap, and shamelessly fell asleep as well!

One-and-half hour had past by the time we stirred from our beauty sleep, overhearing the clamoring of kids and the familiar sisterly voices. We quickly dressed up in our traditional garbs of baju kebaya and baju melayu respectively, and opted for a non-sleeve top and lounging pants for Sadia. No use arguing with a tyke.

The bersalam-salaman session started thereafter and followed by exchanging the kids' Duit Raya with my siblings. In record time, the house was emptied as we made our way to my grandma's in Kampung Bharu. While my sisters and company went straight to the aforesaid destination, my parents and us took our own little detours.

Every year, my mom would send Raya goodies to the Muslim nurses on duty at her dialysis centre in Subang Jaya. And again this year, she didn't want to disappoint them. Since they couldn't go back or get leave for Raya, that's the least she could offer them.

We, on the other hand, parked our car in KLCC to buy diapers and Sadia's lunch! Yes, KLCC on the first day of Raya. In our respledent, traditional clothes! It reminded me of the (singleton) time when I would come to KLCC with my yet-to-be-married sisters and female cousins for our coffee fixs (or chocolate in the case of caffeine-averse young cousins) on the first day of Raya following an almost complete withdrawal from Starbucks and its ilk. (We usually do this in late afternoon after our respective parents customarily resorted to sleeping all over the floors and beds at my grandma's following a hearty chow-down)

Due to our long detour, by the time we arrived in Kampung Bharu, my parents had already sat eating on the dining table. Also, both my uncle's family and auntie's family had also left for their in-laws and relative's in Seremban and Kajang respectively. :)

After savouring the delectable feast at my grandma's consisting of all the food from her children, hers and then some, we decided to take a breather back in Ampang. Most of the people had already either assumed the reclining position or entertained their tummy somersaults due to a shock to the system following a month of fasting. Hehe.

Coupled with sleep deprivation, Sadia was getting edgier with the cramped space that we took it as a signal to go home. In true fashion, we also joined her in the late afternoon kip and the ensuing heavy rain relieved us from the hitherto blistering heat. We woke up later than expected but turned out, everyone else were more or less late for the next venue owing to the pouring rain.

Some people already detained in Kampung Bharu due to the pelting rain had skipped the next open house on the agenda - my late grandauntie's place in Kampung Pandan - in order to help moving some furniture in case the rain flooded the first floor of the house.

Auntie Mi's specialty was Laksa Penang which was downed with gusto by all. I, for one, love her specially marinated fried chicken. (I'm a sucker for chicken dishes!) A foolish ghoulish Malay movie was playing, much to the delight of the young, anxious children present. Rain continued unabated by the time we left for the next house.

The rest of the people who couldn't make it to Kampung Pandan rendezvoused with us in Kajang, the late granduncle's place and the last house of the day at which we congregated for Maghrib prayers and dined on the Kajang household's specialties, one of which is the Satay Goreng.

Before adjourning en masse for our respective homes, the married adults distributed angpows with one another. Many thanks go to my enterprising aunt who willingly asked for a head count of children for each household that we visited!

In Ampang that night, we postponed packing for our Kuching-bound flight for the cosy bed had beckoned us to lie on it instead. We were beyond bushed. After all, with the flight at 2 p.m. surely there would be ample time to pack in the morning. Alas, we always forget the lessons of last-minute packing....

Deepavalli (Dis)Gorge

Addendum: This post is by no means an attempt to question a person's innate ability to handle a child. The lack of courtesy and politeness was more glaring than anything else.

Late afternoon on Deepavalli day, we were at my grandma's to celebrate three birthday of my young cousins - Nani who turned 18, Mimah 14 and Ameir 15. By the by, I forgot if I'd ever divulged that I ever that I, together with my twin and eldest sis, are the oldest cousins on the maternal side? For this teatime gathering, my two uncles invited their cousins, some of whom came all the way from Johor Bahru!

Two nights before that, we were in Isetan KLCC shopping for their birthday gifts during which my husband experienced a strange encounter in the toy section of Isetan.

While he handled Sadia there, I walked about scouring for suitable tops for my spring chicken-like, teenage cousins. Sadia was fiddling with the colourful, vibrant and interactive toys, when another boy came by with two able-bodied adults, who were enrapt in their conversation and left the boy to his own devices. Suddenly, the boy complained that he wasn't feeling so good and wanted to throw up. The two people continued confabulating and ignored the boy's repeated pleas for intervention.

And hurl he did! In copious amount close to where Sadia and hubby stood! Before hubby whisked Sadia away lest she would follow suit in regurgitating, he passed a small case of babywipes to the lady.

The lady responded in the oddest manner: "No, no, I am not the mother." The tone was emphatic. And no word of thanks was offered in turn.

What the heck??? Was she trying to reassure the man whom was present hat the boy was not hers? What gives?!

That was not the kind of reply you would expect after handing over your treasured ration of wet tissues to a total stranger. What does an unconditional gesture to help a sick boy has anything to do with her being a mother? It looks like either one of them was in charge of the boy at that point in time. So be responsible and clean up the mess! If you don't want to be accountable for the boy, don't be a temporary guardian in the first place! She was seen frantically calling someone up on the phone shortly thereafter.

My husband recounted the story after I joined them at the kiddies section. As we walked out of Isetan, I saw the lady again with her extended family (I'm sure they had come to the rescue) and she shot me a surly look.

"You're welcome" came to my lips but I don't think she speak human.

Candle-blowing and singing session

Mom with her cousin, Auntie Mi

Singing Re-take

Carrot Cake for Ameir & Chocolate Cake for Mimah and Nani

Shy niece, Piya with fiesty niece, Alya

Alya with affable brother Zaris

The one who always like to dress up ANY time of day, Elisa