Our first daughter, Nur Syadiyah @Angah never failed to remind us of “D-day” weeks before, any chance to mention the number 22, she will opportune..such sense of humor..hope she gets it from the mom….he..he…



She went to bed much earlier on the strike before midnight. We presume she is busy sms”ing” her friends..Our wish is one of them, we hope it has brought a smile to the first second being a 16th….(btw..she see this is the age of freedom cause she can now get motocycle licence)

My husband and I split the work to get the prep done. He’s on cards from all, me on cake and gifts from Hakim and Nurul. I have to pick up Nurul at home and off to “hunt”. Hakim misses the boat so he owes the sister big time…(mmm..he still owes me too…his excuse..what to get a mom that has all..mmm..)

As always, friction over cake flavor..chocolate is out (not my husband’s fav)..Nurul got her way..Pandan from Cholate-Nice Cake House in Subang Perdana. I am eyeing the Blueberry Cheese but not willing to match it to Nurul’s frown..he..he…Next time around….



With Angah purposely staying in her room, we set the “DO”….she came down all smiles…..

Sadly Along couldn’t get off from work earlier but he’s prepared this time..A Gift already stash in his cupboard

Tapi Adik ade..



All seated, started with DOA by my hubby for all the best wishes to our daughter,



Notice, our new kitten, Gebu also doa...



CARDs are opened and read, accompanied with laughter by all.



GIFTs are unwrapped but none from mommy yet…as birthday girl commented..Mommy punya lambat sikit tak pe…yg mahal punya…disambut dgn gelak yg OVER…..





Time to potong the cake..





Adik kasi bantal peluk Winnie the POOH



Along kasi Swinging Dolphin



Babah kasi paling funny..Tabung Hippo dgn hidung sangat besar…..cam hidung….. Hakim..ha..ha…



Hakim kasi “promises”…

Sedap gak kek Pandan ni..adik..



SELAMAT HARIJADI KE16 BUAT ANAK KAMI, SEMOGA MURAH REZEKI, TERANG HATI DLM PELAJARAN DAN BERJAYA DAN JGN SELALU MARAH MARAH NANTI KENA JUAL…..

Like every year Kak Lang Leha will have kenduri tahlil before puasa. This year it falls on Saturday 16 Aug 2008. Kenduri Kak Lang must never be missed with her being a renowned cook in the family, the food will be to die for….

THE MENU:
Nasi putih
Kari ayam kampong berempah special Kak Lang
Gulai Tempoyak Daun org Melaka (ngan udang n petai)
Gulai Cili Padi Ikan Sembilang
Ikan Masin
Kuih Lapis
Tembikai
Air Sirap Limau special Abg

THE VENUE:
Rumah kampong Kak Lang,
Kg Ramuan Cina Besar, Masjid Tanah, Melaka

THE TIME:
Before Zohor

THE STRENGTH:
50 pax of orang kampong

We left Subang on Friday night, to catch Saturday morning trip to wet market. We arrived closed to midnight with quick stop for Dinner at R&R for Satay Kajang..my husband just love the satay RUSA

Saturday morning started with breakfast of Lontong at Restoran Che Mat in Masjid Tanad. Nothing to cry about but we met few of my husband’s old friends including his band drummer now turn owner of entertainment organizer. I have to say, my husband still“maintain” his physique..ha..ha..He has 4 kids..express…

We went to Pasar Tani and stunned by fresh living prawn priced at RM16 per kg..Even took video of them…



We brought santan and sponsor tembikai for the kenduri

We reached home few hours later, family already busy cutting, chopping and eating. I help up with slicing pucuk pucuk for the gulai tempoyak.

Kak Salmah cooks the gulai sembilang cili padi





Kak Lang cooks the ayam kampong





Kak Mala cooks the gulai tempoyak



I goreng ikan masin..(yg paling junior le katakan) and potong buah





Aju potong kuih



Ade gak yg tak buat ape-ape….lihat je le..







Later, Along Fauzi and Abg batching up sirap limau





In kampong, gotong royong is the kenduri style, just look at us “menghidang”



Just take a look at the spread



That’s my hubby caught making amens to makcik Bibah for terlepas cakap on kampong political scene..he..he..



These are the kampong folks feasting after the tahlil and doa



Then our turn the “orang pangkal” to yum yum..direct from the periuk…





The hardest part will be the “washing” but the males volunteer but it took twice the time and they are not even chatting..ish..ish..



All was cleared by late afternoon…thank you for the good homecooking…for the next 4 days we feasted on nasi panas with gulai tempoyak and ikan masin…

Sometime in late July, Biah comented that it has been a while since we had “makan-makan” and that started it….It took nearly 3 weeks of planning for below. Concept of gathering, More East than West Potluck BBQ

1.Date and time
2.Venue
3.Menu

No 1 took a huge chunk of the planning being that fasting month is around the corner, too many weekends are book for kenduri and tahlil.

With democracy in action, 10th August garnered the most votes. Yes, a Sunday but to start early so we can have little bit of room to prep for work the next day. Time: 4pm to 8pm

Invitees are:

1.Fadzy n family
2.Nadia n hubby
3.Biah
4.Yuzrina n family
5.Kamarul n hubby
6.Anida n family
7.Kay, hubby and baby Amber Rizqin
8.Feeza n family
9.Zulhilmi n family
10.Roslan n family
11.Aya
12.Rasidah n family
13.Noraniza
14.Eila n family

With humungous regrets from Eila (travel), Kamarul (fever) and Noraniza (mom hospitalized), Aya (MIA..ha..ha..)

Venue:
Rasidah’s house. Roadside Garden



Originally we planned to have the DO by pool side at Fadzy’s sister’s condo in Glenview Villa, Cheras Baru. But some moron accepted bribery and we lost the booking
Then we suggested The Woods in Ulu Yam and Rasidah’s house and I won the vote. I am so touch by some of the “adik” symphatizing with Kak Shidah nanti penat nak kemas rumah, esok nak kerja..mmm..the singles…what happen to the moms…mmm…mmm…So to that, Biah and Noraniza “volunteered” to clean up and spend the nite in my house….

Organising committee:
Rasidah
Fadzy
Biah

Camerawoman:
Biah



Yummy..the menu and sponsors (thank you beribu lemon):
Entree:
Green Salad by Anida



Main:
Nasi lemak by Rasidah
Laksa Johor byk ikan by Fadzy

BBQ:
Prawns by Zul



Sotong by Nadia



Ikan (Kerapu/Gerut/Terubok) by Kay



Kambing by Rasidah



Pari by Rasidah

Otak Otak by Biah



Ayam by Feeza



Keledek unggu by Rasidah

Air assam by Fadzy
Kicap lada by Rasidah



Bumbu BBQ by Rasidah



Buah:
Tembikai/Epal/Limau by Anida



Drinks:
Sirap Bandung by Rasidah

Dessert:
Karipap/Talam by Yuzrina



Jelly Kelapa by Rasidah (homemade tau!!!)

Pinggan/Mangkuk/Cawan/Cutley by Roslan

BBQ apparatus:
Set by Rasidah/Biah/Zul (rasmi set ni..)



Arang by Rasidah/Biah/Zul)

I had Saturday to do marketing and BBQ prep. Kambing from Giant bought on Friday and marinated in 2 sauces: Life Black Pepper and Knorr Tradisional BBQ sauce

Saturday marketing accompanied by my “patience” husband started with wet market for fishes, smaller shops for hard to find sotong, kedai plastic for jelly mini containers, warung kelapa for kelapa muda, econsave for more fishes n dry stuff..tq econsave for the sotong and big prawns (Standby..just in case)

I received sms from Aniza, she cannot come. She’s on the way to Kuantan. Her mother has been hopitalised. We hope all goes well for her mom.

Once got home, made bumbu for the BBQ and house cleaning..I was flat out from standing over 12 hours…but around 9 at nite, still has some strength to make jelly kelapa…..nasib baikle my fridge tu bolih isi semua..i would recommend to get LG fridge where the one of the compartment can interchange between being a refrigerator and freezer..come so handy kalu kenduri

Sunday started with me “angin” cause the house in a MESS..all kena halau keluar to have breakfast..I was alone comtemplating…Around noon, Biah came to help out with kicap lada..she potong lada till nangis…

Around 3 plus, my husband came home limping..straight into kitchen to mix sirap bandung..he explained he accident motor, oil spill caused his bike to hit onto another bike that slipped earlier. He has bruises and cut and the bike front damage. He insisted to carry on and he can tahan..sob..sob..

?????

Second to arrive was Kay with hubby Lufti and new baby. Baby not in so good mood..sleepy

Yuz lost her way…this is the XX time coming to my house..but then they were at night, daytime all looks different..ha..ha…

By 4.30 all has arrived except for Kamarul (down with fever). Party starts with the weather so sunny and hot. Biah volunteered to man the BBQuing, later joined and taken over by Fadzy’s boys, Baby and Debab and Zul. This time my husband took back stage, I guess the pain on the legs was stopping him..

In summary, the food was fantastic, the company was great. First timers joining our regular gathering is Roslan n family, Anida n Family, Zul n family and Kay n family.

We still had plenty food left for tapau..that’s the idea..tak payah susah nak prepare dinner..

First to leave was the person paling dekat kat rumah….Roslan..ha..ha…last to leave Biah (tak jadi sleepover..tak nak bangun pagi..)

Special thanks to Nadia and Hairy for doing the dishes tapi terlupa lak nak basuh satu baldi lagi kat belakang..ish..ish..
Also to Fadzy’s boys for helping Uncle Ishak clean up the area.

Mcm Biah cakap, ni makan-makan yg paling best so far..tengok areng le..

The aftermath….got to see the bruises on my husband and took EL the next day to take him to the clinic…Abang, thank you for standing by me the whole BBQ time, though in pain……..

We balik kampong in Melaka this weekend in response to our auntie’s call to makan durian..who could resist…



Our family has always have abundance of fruits trees around the compound and when they bore fruits, we just cannot handle the amount. We used to brings friends home..This time around we called on our adik angkat in Selayang but they cannot make it..We also called on our other friends but none could make it..I guess the fuel hike has gotten to all..We in other hands are succumbed to the 1-2 month once trip balik kampong to see the family…..

Fruits this season…durian..durian..durian..5 basketful of them awaits us when we reach my auntie’s house at midnight. We had a few then my hubby and the boys went to “pungut durian”. They came back with about 5 biji durian..fresh from the tree….they are rambutan but who’s vieing them when the king of fruit is around….

Tgk husband tgh makan durian…



Next morning, it rained and rained and rained till way after noon. Nurul pushing for mangoesteen but the trees will be too slippery to climb. We resorted to using galah and got one basketful…too Nurul’s sheer joy…



Then over to the rambutan..Around my mothers’house alone there are about 10 trees of different type. About 3 of them are rambutan kuning, the rest are yg merah but still different types. We plucked one box full of the red ones yg rendah sahaja..too penat already….







They are still too much to finish so like previous years…leave to the birds…..



Lupalak nak mention other fruit like Cempedak and Nangka...Cempedak bila goreng..walla...







Rest of the days spent eating durian, rambutan and mangosteens……

Sunday was sunny and hot, my husband managed to climb one of the 9 trees. We must not let the fruits hit the ground, else it will be “stoned” or keras or “ba ke” (kata org Melaka). While he was up on the tress, my mom sighted buah rambai (hakim and nurul’s fav) and langsat..We seldom depletes the langsat for the trees are too high up and cannot be reach by galah..Chop them down?????

Balik kampong during fruit season is no holiday time..fruit after fruit to bring down and packed home and soooo tiring but sheer joy and contentment….Just look at what we need to packed….not including nangka, rambai, langsat, kelapa muda and other kampong goods (cili padi, giant size limau kasturi……..) Ni yg mewah duduk kampong….Miss the time…it is now too costly to “balik kampong” often….

My big day fall on Monday this year...I am over the 40 line thus no more question on have I chosen what I want in life...it is more of compromising and adjusting. But this year is more emotional, must have to do with my last medical checks..but I do live my days much to fast...I need lower my light speed for the rest to catch up..ha..ha..

2 cakes? one from office friends and one from family....





First..hugs for friends who remembers, lights off and cut cake...Secret Recipe Macadamia Nut Cream Cake..this is our second try so it must be palatable..



Below are the hubby and children...The celebration is always simple for this simple woamn..in fact I was cooking till 10pm that night. We gathered for DOA, cake cutting and cards…This year my wish is..for my children to not miss prayers..my eyes watered when the words blurted out..to the wish my children responded with..Dgn izinNya..so ni yang emosional sikit tahun ni….



Other part that I look forward to is..what they wrote..like this one from Hakim..and by the way he still owe me a gift but I have to take him to the mall….he said he had one year to prepare...it need to be special..



Nurul pula dgn dua kad..one hand made tapi tak se nice yg made for Abah…tak cukup masa and material..excusenya…what touches me was…as I was watching tv, she came to wish good night and she said..”I have a gift for you”…”Ape dia?”, I balas…She kissed me…hhhhhhh…..tu pun dah cukup..so I bisik..”Adik jgn lupa sembahyang, doakan mama sihat”…..a promised is sealed…..



BTW Cinonit aka Taucho, adopted cat..Mahang is the older and seasoned family cat...

Husband pun came with 2 cards..one to share out with the kids, one tucked on my pillow..muahh…..tq for the message…yg tu tak bolih share…yg bawah ni bolih…



What I got?…...and an hour and a half of head to toe massage, de-stressing therapy....jgn jealous...

A new niece Faresha Nur bte Zulkamal for us...she was born on 23.05.2008. We missed the labor but not this. She's the third child and second daughter.



The "Marhaban Ladies" reciting Quranic verses and doa for the princess



She was good all the way....



For cukur jambul, these are needed..something sweet tasting (honey) and sweet smelling(air mawar), the coconut juice to keep the hair cuttings and scissor...all these are family hopes of a "sugar n spice" daughter now and forever.... I remember my late mother in law had sugar and a rub of gold in our first daughter's mouth...



Ni le cukur jambul...renjis air mawar all over, then snip off some fine hair and keep inside the coconut then spoon some honey in baby's mouth...



Once full cycle of snipping completed, the Marhaban is wrapped up and off for early lunch. Food was not to be missed and such spread and variety, homecooked by family and close friends...I made the sambal udang...

We had ikan masin gulai nenas, ayam masak merah, kari daging, hati goreng lada and sambal udang. For dessert we had variety of kuih, karipap,koci, lepat labu, tapai pulut, mini muffins (marble/chocolate/butter), apam "love", dadih chocolate/jagung and bubur kacang. But most of all I love the fruit cocktail..strawberry milk loaded with lychees and mix fruits...yummy....Tengok je spread kat bawah ni...









Yang berkerja keras...makcik and nenek, adik Lin and the daddy, Zul..



Yang turut sama membantu...my family





We also celebrate the other siblings birthday..Fareeza Nur and Haziq..and not forgetting Makcik..HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY...

Sunday started late for me on the account of coming back from Bagan Lalang at 2 am and got my shut eye around 3am…The father of the day was fast asleep, undisturbed.

Now it’s the kids turn to show the yearly appreciation..ha..ha..not on my account.

This is the DAD they are showing appreciation to..ha..ha



We thought of going for a swim later in the afternoon but Hakim reminded us of how tired we have been, plan cancelled. So I work on Father’s Day lunch and got all the kids to help out.

Menu:
1.Siakap Steam
2.Kerabu mangga
3.Veg

Tukang hiris – Hakim and Nurul
Tukang settle kan kacang goreng-Angah

Lunch was scrumptious, the kerabu was a hit and goes so well will steam fish. Dah kenyang, I got my 2 hour nap before the kids started to convince me that I need to take them out to get things for the father.

We drove out leaving my husband. The kids got him Mashimaro soft toy and greeting cards, one each.

We got home 2 hours later, drop by 7-Eleven on the way. We grab him ice-cream to sweet tooth him. We did not expect we were greatly missed. The moment we pulled in front of the house, my husband came out and greet us with by the gate…”Lamanya pergi, rindu ….”. The kids we grinning selfishly and scurried upstairs to get the card ready.

These are the kids wishes







My husband and I sat in the garden, hirup udara malam dan borak borak cam biasa. One hour later, the surprised the father who’s after accepting the bag of goodies, say out…”TQ..next time tak payah..ni bukan budaya kita…” The kids immediately, amongst the laughter, blame the mother. Then Hakim suggests that next time we call it “Hari Menghargai Bapa” to which my husband showed 100% concencus….

He enjoyed the icecream the most, commenting that kalau dah kasi soft toy to peluk, nanti sape nak peluk mami…ha..ha..ha…



Next time, get him a book…if can, on motorbike..his recent adoration…

Guess who Mashimaro sleeping with...

We lost 2 good friends this month, Yuz, ABSS programmer and our HR Manager, Kamarul. This time we decided to have it on weekends and with family...we are a lot more than just friends at work and we would like to keep it that way......so some of are willing to drove over 100 km to the coast for the get together....

That is Kamarul, our Ex-HR Manager



That is Yuzrina



Theme: Lavish Seafood
Venue: Senandung Malam, Bagan Lalang
Date: 14 June 2008 8 pm



Close friends invited, 25 all
1. Kamarul n husband
2. Yuz and mother
3. Me and family
4. Fadzy and family, including Ina the new bride
5. Feeza and family
6. Biah and mother
7. Nadia and husband Hairy
8. Noraniza came alone..ish..ish...

Yuz and mother



Nadia and husband Hairy



Biah and mother



Angah and Biah mother



Feeza's Family and Kamarul and husband Othman



Fadzy and new bride sis Ina





But sob..sob..Eila and family cannot make the trip this time..so we have to cancel her Birthday celeb on the same day...

Organising comittee, Fadzy, Feeza, Biah and I with Biah arranging the final touch..the food. She is entrusted to order goods good within budget..ha..ha...

Why we choose this way out place…so far we only know of only this place serving a special seafood call pepahat..org Melaka panggil sepahat, the pari is so juicy, most of the seafood is fresh and reasonably price (compare to Muara in Pelabuhan Klang)

Menu for the nite:

1. Ikan serkut sweet sour
2. Pais cencaru for Fadzy -
3. Pepahat masak serai
4. Pari bakar
5. Sotong goreng tepung
6. Ketam masak cili
7. Ketam goreng kunyit
8. Sup sayur
9. Nasi putih/Nasi lemak
10. Air sirap, sirap limau dan the “O”







Budget:
400-500…

I decided to go early to see the sun down, we have always gotten there after dark. My husband packed his fishing gear, biaselah kaki pancing ni bukan bolih jumpa air…. Along the way after Sepang town, we saw banyaknye org tanam and jual Dragon fruit..durian pun baru nak start season kot….

Di Bagan Lalang ade pasar yg suppose to jual ikan fresh tapi few times dah try, not worth the price..We bought ikan siakap bela for 700 gm..tak silap 20 ringgol..double the price…if pepahat is sold, bolih beli, not easy to get….but that night, no supply…

While my husband pancing, I got to meet Biah’s mother for the first time, recently dating dari Alor Setar, nak lawat anak anak. I found her “educated” le, bekas guru besaq le katakana tapi tak sempat nak borak lebih lebih..Biah lepas tension pasai kerja..ha..ha..

One by one the friend arrived, dinner at 8 pm and dishes by dishes arrived. Since ramai yg skip lunch, no speech, terus doa and ngap….Suma juicy and fresh….Pepahat hit the top notch, second order for 3 more serving were made…

Piles and piles of remnants on table, we buka cerita pula while the kids went off to play on the beach…of course our favourite topic…other “so called friends at work”…I think mak Biah and Yuz pening dgn political scenes at work ni….

All good time also have to come to an end especially when tukang cerita Fadzy kena beransur cause esok nak berniaga..one by one started to get up, peluk peluk, salam salam, ambik gambar..as usual Kamarul still a celebrity among the younger kids.. Tengok saje photo bawah ni





Most of us left around 11pm….





We ??, NO…husband I ajak jalan jalan ke Kuala Lukut tgk laut..another 16 km towards PD. Right thru kampong and there we arrived at Mod Kelong. Ramai juga kaki pancing di sane. The kids asleep in the car, husband and I turun ke jetty. Memang breezy and tenang but byk nyamuk..ye..lah..dtg tak prepare…..

We hirup embun pagi for about one hour then made a move home around 1 am……...

[quote]We had so much trouble to find the contact no for this place, none in Yellow pages or internet..all only talk of how good the food is..thus below is the bill with the contact no, plus a guide of what worth ordering for the price per kg...

My husband turns 42 today. As every year, birthday celebration is a quiet occasion at home but without fail, the cake, the gifts, the cards and the DOA. No candles, just thankfulness to YG ESA for his blessings to us all for lending him to us another year….

Cake is a difficult choice, he doesn’t like chocolate. His favourite is Vanila Fair Lady and only selling in one solely owned bakery in SS2, a drive out of my way…

I took the afternoon off and gave “Chocolate Nice” bakery in Subang Perdana a try. Try my luck on 1 kg of Japanese Cheesecake (heavily laden with decorations). Maybe that’s what make it Japanese..ha..ha.. This will be the second time I try this bakery, tested over their tasty YAM cake..

That’s the cake…



I did not think that finding suitable cards was even worse..Subang Perdana are housed with phase of shop lots but none carry “ Happy Birthday, Dad” card. Ended up getting few generic birthday cards..now its our turn to exercise creativity on the messages…..

Once I got home, managed to sneak in the cake and suppressed Nurul excitement from peeping…..all the kids were home..My husband upstairs and we were busy setting up the surprise…

He came down and grins ear to ear of what we have in store for him…btw, our cat Mahang was unable to slot in this event in it’s busy male cat schedule of terrorizing the other kuchirats….our latest cat addition Taucho was present..



Words of thank you exchanged, we sat for moments of DOA



Cake cutting and ape lagi..makanle..all love the cheesecake..seconds were taken..





Open the cards..except for mine..” Ni tak bolih baca depan u all….dari Mami”….Later he read and I guess I am getting even more of his attention now…ha..ha..

Nurul buat kad utk Babah







We all still owe him gifts...it will take him sometime to decide what he need..but it is simple for Nurul.....she got a BIG MUG for Babah for night TEA with a dollop of honey.....

At last he made up his mind on what he want

A kapcai to replace his classic HARIMAU...and temporary till a DUCATI becomes a reality..he..he.




And conveniently, I chip in cologne..no longer POLO..too pricey nowadays...



SELAMAT HARIJADI BUAT SUAMI TERCINTA...