Eid 2008

A meaningful raya indeed for me other than being heavily pregnant like previous four years, Aresha now understands wht's duit raya is all about,LOL! Coming from family who has now moved to the city, I just love celebrating at dear's kampung tho it's only 45 minutes drive away. The tradition of feasting with raya delicacies like ketupat, ala-ala,rendang kerang etc on the eve of raya is what everyone's looking fwd to. This year we even kacau dodol!

It's so much fun seeing Aresha running around the compound, freely and frankly we don't even have to keep an eye on her, she refuse to stay with us and kept herself busy going up and down the stairs playing with her little makciks and pakciks!
I guess living in the city has forbidden her to roam freely and this is the only time she could enjoy the real meaning of freedom!

My MIL has kindly sewn 2 cotton baju kurungs which she loves and so looking forward to wear for raya. And she even thought the baby would come on hari raya itself, haha! Not that early, darling!

I just love being surrounded by Faizal's family, they're so warm and fun to be with. My family is quite small and to spend raya with a huuuuuge family is just perfect!

we spent the first raya, well for the first time, the boys woke up late and barely made it in time for Eid prayers. Then the teary bermaafan session and of course visiting sessions to aunties and uncles houses. Stuffed ourselves silly with food, oh glorious food, kuih raya and gallons of carbonated drinks!

2nd day. mak's siblings came with their children and grandchildren and we all cook nasi ayam plus Makcik Shimi brought her famous laksa penang, yummm! Another food fest!
Some miscommunication lead us to only start beraya around 6pm and we managed to make it till Banting and arrived in Jeram midnight!

As for the 3rd day, went to Kalumpang to our favorite cousins home only to be greeted with Mak Utih's yummy cooking :)
I bet I must have gained kilos but who cares right? Despite hardly able to move around and swollen feet, I managed to celebrate this raya in style, lol!

Then off to Shah Alam where the family and my Cik Nab are waiting(not to forget mama's famous nasi beriyani) ooh la, la!
Though we only catch up fpr few hours this year we promised to visit her in Tapah and couldn't wait for next year to gather again.

Raya in kampung and town is like a world's apart. You can see every houses in kampung are filled with families and cars coming in and out, it feels so meriah, to see all those pelita lighting up, and they never failed to serve us with food, tonnes of it unlike open houses in the city where sometimes, food is not even enough!
It's ironic that kampung people are more generous than city dwellers eh?

I witness a scene of papa calling his friends asking whether they're home to visit but it's sad to hear that most aren't and we now have to make appointment to come for raya? Kids don't come to collect their duit raya in stranger's houses anymore and if there's no open house, nobody would come to your house, a normal scenario these days.

Enough of my ramblings, I'm ready to give birth anytime as I had fulfilled al my raya cravings! I'm just too heavy to walk around now, literally dragging my swollen feet ;)

In the meantime, enjoy our raya pics!