Eid Mubaraq!

Good bye Ramadhan - let us hope and pray that we will be able to greet you again next year, God willing... With the end of the fasting month, it's a time for joy and celebrations - actually only for those who had succeeded the tests of Ramadhan (not many, I bet!).

Same as last year, there are only 3 of our immediate family celebrating the Eid-ul-fitr in Malaysia; the hubby, the daughter (Kak Lang) and I. The eldest son (Bang Long) and his family are in Adelaide, the second son (Bang Ngah), in Melbourne and the baby (Adik) in Cairo. Friends used to ask me whether I'll be sad with most of my children so far away, especially on this special day... to tell you the truth, watching the tearjerkers they usually air on tv during the Eid-ul-fitr weeks had me crying my heart out more! I supposed with the advance of the communication technologies, the world has become smaller, so to speak. The boys telephone (don't know why it's cheaper to call from Australia to Malaysia than vice-versa) most of the time apart from text-messaging and we have a family yahoo-group to keep up with what's everyone up to, not to mention facebooks and blogs... and to think I used to count the pennies just to make a long-distance call from UK to Malaysia as a student during the holiday seasons 30 years ago! There was only another means of communication at that time, and that was writing a letter. (I actually begin to question the point of teaching how to write an informal letter at school when people usually never bother to write or send one). The art of letter-writing is gone, extinct...(just like some of the vowels in the English alphabet, some say - if u knw wht i mn...)

A couple of pics taken at the hubby's family home in Bukit Mertajam:

The whole clan - well, probably missing a few nieces and nephews..

Hubby and daughter

Anyway, here's wishing my Muslim readers Eid Mubarak and may Allah bless us on this happy occasion! (tried to download a video-clip of eid nasheed a few times but...never mind, just don't ask..it seems I'm still stuggling with technology..*sigh*)

'Musafirs' in Ramadhan

Last friday we were back in Klang for the day just to check on the old house which we left about a month ago. The hubby's day off is just the Friday so the trip back home had to be planned carefully so that we didn't miss tarawih prayers and still managed to have the energy to drive the 500 or so kilometres from KT to Klang and back again.. We left KT about 6 pm on Thursday and around Dungun we broke fast in the car. We didn't stop for maghrib prayers because as 'musafirs' (traveler), we could do the prayer with isyak. In perfect timing (Alhamdulillah) we arrived at a mosque somewhere in Kemaman (Masjid Geliga) in time for isyak and tarawih. After the usual 8 rakaah and a simple meal we continued our journey south. I took the wheel as we entered the highway from Kuantan to KL as the hubby was already squirming about in his seat trying to fight off his drowsiness. Since I had napped during part of the trip, I felt quite refreshed and after drinking some coffee, I was ready to drive, I thought, until Genting Sempah and then the hubby would take over. Anyway, the traffic wasn't heavy and with the coffee taking its effect, I asked the hubby if I could continue driving after GS and he said 'ok' (sleepily, I think!). And that was when I realised I got more than I bargained for... I don't think I've driven that part of the highway before, not in night-time anyway... Those who are used to it are ok I guess but I was having my heart in my mouth as I maneuvered the treacherous bends and at the same time handling the very steep inclines and what with the blinking arrows (you know, the arrows that make sure you don't fall off the cliff or something; they do blink..) trying to distract you and all the while the hubby slept like a baby... what a trusting man! We did arrive safely though, around 2 am Friday morning, greeted by a very dusty home and an almost overgrown garden...(Home, sweet home!) We started back on our return journey after tarawih prayers on Friday night and in perfect timing again (Alhamdulillah) we reached Masjid Geliga (yeah, the same mosque) about half hour before the dawn prayer... and arrived at our 'homestay' at about 9 am (because we stopped many times - I was too sleepy to drive) Saturday morning. What a tiring 'weekend'...*sigh*...

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler long I stood

And look down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay,

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

'Choice is inevitable but you will never know what your choice will mean until you lived it...'