Review: Mamma Mia!

Mammia Mia! is a movie about Mia's mom, i.e my wife Linda get it? Ha ha that's lame, I know. Mamma Mia! The Movie is a 2008 stage-to-film adaptation of the 1999 West End musical of the same name, based on the songs of successful 70s pop group ABBA. The movie is about a girl named Sophie who's about to get married and she would like to have her father walks her down the aisle. The only problem is, she has got 3 possible fathers since her hippie 'flower power' mom screws around with two many guys at once. Anyway she sent out letters to her 3 possible dads and poof, they all came running to the Greek island where she and her mother lives right now, just like that.

Nevertheless, Sophie and her mom Donna still doesn't have any idea who's her real father is but in the end they decided it's probably Sam (Pierce Brosnan) anyway since he's the least ugly of them all (what do you expect? He's James Bond for pete's sake). After that, they finally have their big fat Greek wedding and lived happily ever after. The end.
For a musical, this movie is quite alright. Definitely much better than Hairspray but not as good as Grease. They probably shouldn't have asked Pierce Brosnan to sing though. He made William 'She bang-she bang'Hung sounds decent. If you're an ABBA fan this movie is absolutely for you. If you're a Chelsea fan, this movie is probably good for you too you know, to cheer you up after last week's beating. If you had worked for IKEA for over a year or so, then you're probably dead tired of listening to those songs in the movie. I'm not a huge fan of ABBA but I kept a couple of their mp3s so at least I could sing along to songs like Mamma Mia, Chiquitita and Dancing Queen (in my head only, of course). Most of the other songs though, I've never heard of so that kinda sucks. Like I said, I'm not a fan. The scenery around those beautiful Greek island is simply gorgeous. It just made me wanna fly there and sing and dance along to ABBA songs with the locals. In a nutshell: Entertaining.

Freshness rating: 78%

An open letter to the NFC

I read with interest today that the highest Islamic body in the land is discussing about banning yoga the popular exercise routine, for Muslims. I must confess I don't know much about Yoga. I also don't consider myself as a deeply pious and knowledgeable Islamic cleric. Maybe there exist a few parts of Yago that is indeed against Islamic teachings like reading the mantras or what not. If that's true then why not just skip that part? After all, I think there's nothing wrong with exercising. With the increasing amount of obese people nowadays we should encourage exercising even more not ban them.

Anyway, I'm sure the members of the council is all men of deep knowledge and understanding on Islam. If not they won't be on the council in the first place. And for that I totally respect them. But before the members of the council go into meeting tomorrow, deciding whether Yoga is haram or not for Muslims all over, let me divulge my thoughts on several things that is openly haram but continued to be practised in Malaysia.

Smoking

Islam forbids its followers from hurting themselves and causing harm to others. That's why it is haram to consume alcoholic drinks or eat anything detrimental to one's health. Alcoholic drinks is medically proven to be hazardous to the human liver not to mention it's negative impact to society. Smoking (cigarettes, cigars and drugs) is also detrimental to one's health. I think I still remember once upon a time ago there was a near fatwa decreeing smoking is haram. Don't know what happened to that. But the important thing is, cigarettes is still freely available everywhere in the country and people young and old is still puffing away like there's no tomorrow. Why haven't the council done anything about this?

Gambling and SMS quizzes

Gambling is haram in Islam because it is simply wrong to gamble our hard-earned money to chance and because of the obvious social implications caused by it. SMS quizzes is no different from gambling. You gamble your money spent for the SMSs sent totally to chance. Sometimes you win, most of the time you don't (you loose). Might as well throw all your money at the poker table or the slot machines in Genting. I thought there's already a fatwa for this. Is it fully enforced? God knows.

Conventional banking, loans and interests

Riba means usury (excessive interest) and is explicitly forbidden in Islam. However, most major banks and financial institutions in this country offers banking and loan services to the people, Muslims included using that very same interest rates system to make profit. Yes maybe there's a lot of Islamic banking services offered nowadays but still the majority of loans offered, car, housing, business loans are still using the interest rate system. So generally speaking, this haram practice had been going on for decades and the religious authorities didn't do anything to stop it.

Hijab, tudung and the covering of woman's hair.

The Qur'an instructs the male believers (Muslims) to talk to wives of Muhammad behind a hijab (tudung). However, in later Muslim societies this instruction, specific to the wives of Muhammad, was generalized, leading to the segregation of the Muslim men and women. Today it is generally accepted by Muslim scholars worldwide that a Muslim women who had reached puberty should be covering their entire body except for the hands, the feet, and the face, hence the wearing of hijab (well unless you're anti-hadith that is). That is why you can see more than half of Muslims women in this country don the tudung. Then what about the rest of them? Are they not Muslims? True believers of the faith? You can see them everyday and everywhere. If they call themselves Muslims, why haven't they abide to God's words and the teachings of His prophet? Can I expect a fatwa decreeing those woman as deviant Muslims? I don't think so.

The sin tax

Every year the government collected millions of tax money from the sale of cigarettes and alcohols and also from the gambling business (like 4D and the casino in Genting). One is vaguely prohibited in Islam but the others is explicitly prohibited. So where do this tax money go? They're used to pay the wages of you my friends, the civil servants, teachers, policemen, ustaz, and also not forgetting the members of the council. Is this permissible in Islam? Shouldn't all our earning comes from a clean, unpolluted source?

The ISA

And the biggest sin of all, the Internal Security Act perpetrated by the government of the day. Islam forbids injustice, including detention without trial where one is denied the chance to defend oneself against one's alleged crime. If anybody is suspected to be guilty of a crime, let them argue and present their case in a court of law and then let the judge decides whether he or she is guilty. If the judge erred in his/her judgement then the judge answerable to God in the hereafter. One cannot simply play judge and decides that someone is a threat to national security and use his powers and influence to banish a person indefinitely. That is gross injustice not only according to Islam but also against humanity. Save for the mufti of Perlis, has anyone else lift a finger to condemn this atrocity? Indeed it makes me wonder who are they more afraid of, God or politicians.

With regard to the religious authorities in this country, I do believe they do play a pivotal role in giving guidance and education to the Muslim in the challenging and ever-changing world we live in today. In fact I honestly think that most of the fatwas issued by council is totally valid and relevant to Muslims in this country. Having said that, I urge the council to analyse and do a discourse on the points that I have raised above. Don't be a hypocrite (munafik). Selective decrees fatwa on certain matters but turn a blind eye toward others. Time and again you read and hear JAIS and JAWI raiding night clubs and discos, busting unwed couples in close proximity (khalwat) and snooping on lovers in parks. While there's nothing wrong in that but they should also haul up Muslims who throw away money on 4Ds and husbands who neglected and abuse their wives and kids. I'd like to see PEKIDA throwing a demonstration protesting against riba in local banks or against female singers and celebrities who don't cover up. I want to see ABIM go rallying in front of TV3 and Astro protesting against Jom Heboh, Akademi Fantasia on all those sinful programs they show on TV today. I'd love to hear a fatwa decreed that ISA is haram and all its detainees face charges or be freed.

Just my 2 cents. Wallahualam.

What's that foot doing in your mouth?


Chelsea 0 - 1 Liverpool

Oh yeah I forgot, you're the one (among the zillions) who said Liverpool is absolutely certainly going to get beaten by Chelsea tonight. I mean they gave us no chance. The TV commentators rubbished our chances of even drawing let alone winning at Stamford Bridge. The analysis in the papers all predicted a comfortable 2 to 3 nil win against the Reds. We've got no chance without Torres they say. It's like the result of the match is already written on the scoreboard even before the first whistle is blown.
Well what do you expect? Roll over and let Chelsea blast 5 goals past us like what they did to Borough? Ha ha, that's a good one! And to put the icing on the cake, we won it fair and square. No questionable referee decisions, no playing dirty, just sheer hard work and determination. Of course I wouldn't get carried away with this ridiculously incredible result. You know what they say, you don't win the title by staying on top on new year, let alone October. Title challengers? Owh stop it! You're just teasing me again. :D

Birthday wish

Dear Santa Fairy Godmother Linda Tooth Fairy,

I've been a really good boy this year. I fasted all 30 days last month, I don't do money-politics, I didn't insult and smear anybody (much) and I didn't even put people in jail without trials. That's how good I've been. So for my birthday present next month I am shamelessly asking you for a brand new notebook. It doesn't have to be the uber-cool Macbook Air, any ordinary HP Compaq notebook will do.
To make your job easier, let me get straight to the point. I want that HP Compaq 2210b notebook there. It sports the lightning fast Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 2GB DDR2 RAM. At 160GB, the hard drive is very spacious and the 12" anti-glare WXGA screen is just right for me. Previously I wanted the HP mini note notebook but I changed my mind because it doesn't have a DVD RW super multi with double layer drive like the 2210b has. Besides at 1.68 kg it is just as light as the former.

I'm sure that is not too much to ask isn't it? I know you still keep my teeth that I gave to you during my last accident. It should be worth millions now. Make sure you send it via Fedex ya, not Pos Laju. Thanks in advance!

F.A.Q South Africa

If you're planning to go to South Africa anytime soon and you've got a couple a questions you've been meaning to ask about that beautiful country, fret not my friend. The South African Tourism Board had posted a set of Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q) page on it's website to answer well, frequently asked questions by future visitors. Here they are:


Does it ever get rainy in South Africa ? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? ( UK )
We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Will I be able to see elephants in the street? ( USA )
Depends how much you’ve been drinking.

I want to walk from Durban to Cape Town - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden )
Sure, it’s only two thousand kilometres. Take lots of water…

Is it safe to run around in the bushes in South Africa ? ( Sweden )
So it’s true what they say about Swedes.

Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in South Africa ? Can you send me a List of them in JHB, Cape Town , Knysna and Jeffrey’s Bay? ( UK )
What did your last slave die of?

Can you give me some information about Koala Bear racing in South Africa ? ( USA )
Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the pacific. A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe which does not…. Oh forget it. Sure, the Koala Bear racing is every Tuesday night in Hillbrow. Come naked.

Which direction is north in South Africa ? ( USA )
Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we’ll send the rest of the directions.

Can I bring cutlery into South Africa ? ( UK )
Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Do you have perfume in South Africa ? ( France )
No, WE don’t stink.

Can you tell me the regions in South Africa where the female population Is smaller than the male population? ( Italy )
Yes, gay nightclubs.

Do you celebrate Christmas in South Africa ? ( France )
Only at Christmas.

Are there killer bees in South Africa ? ( Germany )
Not yet, but for you, we’ll import them.

Are there supermarkets in Cape Town and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )
No, we are a peaceful civilisation of vegetarian hunter- gatherers. Milk Is illegal.

Please send a list of all doctors in South Africa who can dispense rattlesnake serum. ( USA )
Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca, which is where YOU come from. All South African snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

I was in South Africa in 1969, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Hillbrow. Can you help? ( USA )
Yes, and you will still have to pay her by the hour.



From shaunoakes.com

Champions material

Liverpool 3 - 2 Wigan - Comeback kings strikes again

Liverpool continue to make life hard for themselves, but also remain joint top of the Premier League and unbeaten, having come from behind twice to defeat Wigan 3-2 at Anfield.
Liverpool once again showed enormous fighting spirit and character after trailing to Wigan twice in the opening half. No Torres? No problem as Dirk Kuyt scored twice to give The Reds full 3 points while Albert Reira scored his first ever goal in a Reds shirt. I'm itching to declare that this is OUR YEAR but I'll hold that thought until after we met Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next weekend.

Review: Disaster movie

Disaster Movie is yet another shallow Hollywood spoof franchise. This movie is so bad it is ranked #1 in IMDB's Bottom 100 Movies of All Time. If you're thinking of buying a DVD of this movie, don't! If you're thinking of downloading this movie, forget it. Save your bandwidth for something else.
Disaster movie makes a spoof on various movies. The story line is not only bad, it's totally crap. It's a cross between War of the world + The day after tomorrow + The Happening + crap. The only actress that I recognize is Carmen Electra (a regular for spoof movies), the others are totally unknown. I can't believe I wasted an hour of my weekend off watching this movie till the end. Horrible.

List of movies spoofed in Disaster Movie:
- 10,000 B.C
- Beowulf
- Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
- Juno
- High School Musical
- Wanted
- Sex and the city
- You don't mess with The Zohan
- Jumper
- Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian
- Enchanted
- Iron Man
- Hulk
- Hellboy
- Batman
- Get Smart
- Alvin and The Chipmunks
- Speed Racer
- Kung Fu Panda
- The Love Guru

List of celebrities spoofed in Disaster Movie:
- Amy Winehouse
- Dr. Phil
- The Jonas Brothers
- Jessica Simpson
- Justin Timberlake
- Hannah Montana

Freshness rating: 1%

Review: You don't mess with The Zohan

You Don't Mess with the Zohan is a movie starring Adam Sandler about Zohan Dvir an Israeli anti-terrorist army commander who's tired of fighting in the Middle East conflict, fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream: becoming a hairstylist in New York City.
Yeah-yeah I know we should all boycott Israeli products like McDonalds, Starbucks and Coca-Cola and also film about Israel soldiers but I find this movie highly entertaining nevertheless. Adam Sandler was not exactly hilarious in this movie and the sexual innuendos shown throughout the movie is in bad taste (so I think), all the same after watching this movie, I can safely categorize this one as one of those movies which has a feel good factor about it you know. You don't mess with The Zohan also features a cameo appearance by Mariah Carey in one of the scenes. A good movie to pass your time bye during the holidays.

Freshness rating: 70%

Integrate Google Calendar in Thunderbird

Google Calendar (Gcal) is a free contact- and time-management web application offered by Google. It allows users to synchronize their Gmail contacts with a web-based calendar.The interface of Google Calendar is similar to desktop calendar applications such as Microsoft Outlook or iCal on Mac OS X.
While you can always open Google Calendar anywhere using a browser, you can now integrate Gcal into Mozilla Thunderbird, the popular open source e-mail client. This is achieved using Lightning, an add on for Thunderbird and Provider for Google Calendar, another third party add on. By using these extensions you can easily check your e-mails and manage your calendar together in Thunderbird.

First download and install Thunderbird from their website here. Then download both the Lightning and Provider for Google Calendar add-ons.
To install the downloaded extensions click Tools > Add-ons and click Install. Install both Lightning and Provider for Google Calendar. Restart Thunderbird to complete the installation.
Next you have to log in into your Google Calendar account (you need to create a Google account to access one). Click on Settings and then click on the calendar that you'd like to open in Thunderbird. For example I only have one calendar (Afif) so I just click on that link.
Then you will arrive at the calendar details page. Click on the Private Address XML button.
A dialog box will appear and you'll need to copy the link provided.
In Thunderbird, click on the Calendar tab (bottom-left) and create a new calendar (Calendar > New Calendar).
Select On the Network.
Select Google Calendar and paste (Ctrl + V) the Private Address XML link that you have copied earlier.
If you cannot see Google Calendar that means there's a problem with either your Lightning or Provider for Google Calendar add-ons installation. Try downloading those extensions again or try re-installing them. OR for Ubuntu Linux users like me, you will need to install the libstdc++5 library first for Provider for Google Calendar to work. If not you will see an error message like 'Requires additional items' at the add-ons tab.
To install libstdc++5 you can either use Synaptics or run apt-get in a terminal.
If both extensions is installed correctly, a dialog box will pop up asking for your Google account's user name and password.
Then you need to give a name for your new calendar and choose a color scheme.
Your Gcal calendar should now be visible on the left pane just below the default (Home) calendar. Any changes you make to this calendar on Thunderbird will also be updated on your web-based Gcal and vice-versa.

Review: The X-Files: I want to believe

The X-Files: I want to Believe is the second big screen adaptation of the once hugely popular X-Files TV series. They film revolves around agent Mulder and Scully searching for a missing FBI agent whose head is about to be chopped off and replaced by another man's head.
I'm glad the got David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson back together again and not some other unknown new actress to play Mulder and Scully. I grew up watching The X-Files and I must say I missed watching the series on screen again after so long. This movie though is overall a bit of a let down. It's like a prolonged episode of the X-Files. I was expecting some aliens, UFOs, monsters or even a little bit government conspiracy but to my disappointment there were none. Just a typical run of the mill drama-thriller. I don't know if I want to recommend you this movie. Maybe if you got totally absolutely nothing to do and there's no other better movie. It's like your second last choice.

Freshness rating: 40%

7 days of Ariana

It seems like only yesterday that I first hold her in my arms in the delivery room of the Putrajaya hospital.
6 months later my beautiful princess weighs a healthy 7 kilograms and she now starts crawling all over the place. Soon she'll be ready to walk around in a walker.
Compared to our first child Adam, Mia is a very-very good girl. She hardly cries except when she's hungry, hot or when she needs to change her diaper. She didn't even cry for long each time her big brother accidentally trip, step, fall and jump onto her.
Even the people at her nursery said Mia is easy to take care of and rarely misbehaves. Mia loves to smile and she will always smiles back whenever anybody smiles at her.
She feeds primarily on formula (Dulac) but we started giving her some solids now like blended rice and cereals.
Mia likes to sleep on her tummy and she usually sleeps right after meal and early in the evening. She will wake up the moment I carry her downstairs early in the morning and she will always greets us with her lovely smile.
Did I mention she has a little birth mark on her left hand just like her auntie? She also likes to suck her fingers apart from putting everything she found in her mouth. She has no teeth yet but I'm sure they will come pretty soon.
Don't grow up too soon now my little princess!

私の家族のために新しいベッド。

昨日、私たちに再びIKEAの第千七百八十九回に行った。今回はそれを目的としている。私たちは1度のみならず2つのベッド、購入を計画している。 1つのアダムと彼の親の1つ。実際にはかなりこのベッドを入れることに興奮している。なぜ?最初は我々のこれまでのようなものだ。結婚生活の我々自身のベッドの上で眠っているよ4年とするのみ。だからここでは我々の前に寝たのか?も推して知るべしだ。
当然のことながら我々は最も格安なベッドをご利用いただけます買った、我々は、 Daslevシリーズ、および、他の1つ1つのクイーンサイズの両方を買った。私たちはIKEAの品質と価値のためから買いに選択してください。我々 Cavenzi 、自宅近くの地元の家具店に止まったが、そこから任意の購入をしないことにした実は以前この夜。 IKEAの家具よりも安くはいたくさんあるのですが、私の質を疑うと同じように良いだろう。また、配送料だけで不条理されています。 $ 110 $ 400 、 $ 60以下の購入については、前述の購入のために関係なくという事実だけで私たちの家の隣です。 IKEAのベッドを買ったのは、われわれから613ドルプラス輸送コストと我々の新しいベッドで寝て火曜日にする必要があります。私は彼らを得ることができた場合、それはその日集まった。
悪いニュースは、まだ私たちの古いマットレスの上では非常に薄くてもういないので快適な睡眠ができますです。私たちはもう1つのベッドの上で我々のすべての4に適合することはできません私たちのベッドを買った理由です。私自身、すべての部屋の隣で寝アダム大丈夫される期待している。かわいそうに。これは本当に良い息子は、私の信頼のためだ。私たちは、お客様が(ウインクするはずではないことを心配している可能性があります-ウインクを参照してください! ) 。




And they ask why Teresa is targeted...

Several weeks ago I received an e-mail about Teresa Kok titled 'Puas hati aku - Teresa Kok yang kurang ajar' (Now I'm satisfied - the insolent Teresa Kok). Attached with the e-mail are these pictures of Ms. Teresa celebrating her victory in erasing the jawi writings from a few road name signs in KL.
First of all let me make one thing clear, I'm all for Pakatan Rakyat and the PKR-PAS-DAP alliance. I am one of the millions of Malaysian who voted for change in the last general election and it is my hope that the PR alliance can sort out their differences, work together and unite for the sake of all Malaysians regardless of race or religion. I also don't believe Teresa Kok is a chinese chauvinist or anti-Islam despite the attempts by Utusan Malaysia and certain quarters to smear her good name.
But these set of photos paint a not so rosy picture for a large section of the Malay community. Again don't get me wrong, I don't mind (much) if they wanted to change all the street names in this country to Mongolion or whatever. I also don't think the rest of my learned, enlightened and Internet-savvy youth Malay friends have any qualms about them changing those street signs to reflect multicultural Malaysia. But then my folks at the kampung and the rest of my traditional/conservative Malay people doesn't take this very lightly. They will see this name-changing effort as one of the many anti-Islamic steps that Teresa and her party will take if Pakatan were to rule the country (which I don't believe they would).
I didn't believe that Teresa has anything to do with the petition by the non-muslim folks in Kinrara to lower down the volume of the mosque's speaker there during early morning religious lectures (not the Azan). I also concur with what the Perlis mufti said that we don't need to use the loudspeaker for religious sermons so early in the morning as it might disturb the sleep of our non-muslims neighbours. But ask my folks in the kampung and they will say that's very disrespectful indeed. What's wrong with that? they might ask. They do it all the time back home.

So I think Teresa and co should chill a bit and go easy on these little things that might upset the Malay muslim community. Yes erasing the jawi writings is no big deal to some but for the rest of us, it's a big deal. I love and support PR (and DAP included) but just leave the jawi writings alone damn it! Someone said perception is everything in this country. And these pictures just gave the wrong perception to the traditional malay-muslim in this country as a whole. For the record I didn't forward that e-mail to anyone but when I showed it to my wife (who is very conservative herself) her immediate response is "why is she doing that? I don't like her already". And they wondered why Teresa Kok is targeted with the smear campaign, ISA and everything.

Future sister in law

When it is time for a young Malay Muslim man (i.e my brother Faiz) to get married his family will look around to identify a number of potential candidates. Having decided upon one particular young lady, then, the merisik* (investigation process) takes place. For this ceremony one or more wakil (representative) of the young man’s family will pay a friendly visit to the family of the young woman whom they have in mind as his potential bride. The visit is purely for the purpose of further investigation. Its allows the visitors to see the young lady. A hint will be given to her parents regarding the purpose of the visit, and their reaction will be assessed. The girl’s parents may also give the visitors some idea as to whether or not their daughter will be interested in the match. The merisik does not constitute a formal proposal. Following the visit both sides can begin to think more seriously about the possibility or otherwise of the union. It is possible that no progress may take place, and the young man’s parents or representatives will then look for another possible candidate.
In most cases, the merisik process is just a formaility because usually the couple already knew each other, dated or had a relationship for quite some time and is embarking on the next step to properly solemnize their union. Today I'm involved in one such ritual. My mom and grandma joined by my sister Izni and Faiz and me went to Sungai Buloh to visit our future sister in law's place. No we didn't use any representative or anything, our uncles are still celebrating Raya at the kampung. We just do it ourselves.
My mom and grandma did most of the talking with her dad and grandma. Her grandma was a really-really friendly person and made us felt really welcomed there. Faiz already knew the girl's dad (Dr. Z) and brother for quite some time of course. They went to the same tabligh center together. Dressed as a ninja properly attired Muslim woman is her mom. She was quite friendly too and basically went along with everything.

So the conclusion of our meeting for today is.. er I not sure. Faiz planned to have an engagement by the end of this year but my mom suggested that we hold that until March next year the earliest. I guess we all need to meet again and discuss this some time in the future. Besides, Faiz is still yet to finish his teacher's degree from UPSI, not until 2010 so my mom doesn't really go with the idea of him getting married anytime before that. Hmm somehow this scenario sounds very familiar to me. Anyway all the best to you bro. Looks like we finally got ourselves someone who can cook Penang's curry yay!

* Reference: Traditional Malay Culture.

1st Syawal 1429H

This year my family and I celebrated the 1st of Syawal (Eid ul-Fitr) in my wife's hometown of Tanah Merah in Kelantan.
As with tradition, we woke up in the morning, put on our new clothes and head to the mosque to perform the Eid ul-Fitr prayers. But first I had a delicious nasi minyak cooked by MIL for breakfast.
The mosque that we went to is named Ismail Petra mosque after one of our Sultan's name. This mosque is slightly smaller than the one in Pasir Mas so by 8:30 AM, the place is already packed with visitors. Nevertheless I managed to get a spot on the walkway outside the mosque. Sad as it sounds but that's the way it is especially when you come late. Next time I'll just have to come much earlier, that's all.
After that we had to the graveyard in Kampung Sat where Linda's great grandparent and other relatives were laid to rest. Actually I've never been to this cemetery before and this is our very first visit there ever since we got married. There we recited the Yaasin (a chapter from the Koran) as a gift for the departed.
Next it was time to visit Linda's relatives. We visited 5 houses altogether today from morning till afternoon. Fortunately they were situated close to each other so we just have to walk from one to the next. 5 houses, 5 different food served, a dozen families but also just as many duit raya for Adam and Mia he he :)
My four year old son Adam is yet to comprehend the concept and value of duit raya so after he gets more than a handful of them this year he said 'Thanks, but I've already got enough already".
Later in the afternoon we went to Kota Bharu to meet up with my dad who happens to reside there with his family. First I stopped by Pasir Mas to pick up Faiz and Izni and then we head to Tesco in Kota Bharu for the meeting. Why Tesco you say? After years of hostility between my stepmother and my family, there's no way we can meet at my dad's place so Tesco situated just next door is the most suitable and neutral place. My elder sister Lina didn't come along because she celebrated Raya in Johore this year.

We catch up on everybody's latest development, talk about the future, you know, stuff like that. My dad looked a bit thinner this time, thanks to Herbalife according to him. Last year he came down to KL for his business trip and seminar quite a lot but not this year though. I thought he was still upset that I made him miss his important dinner last year but it turned out that he's been kept busy in the east coast all this year (ye ke?).
I've been quite busy myself this Raya, going to people's house, taking pictures of stuff, everything except myself. So it was not until later in the evening that I managed to capture this family portrait, at Tesco off all places. Our baju Raya theme for this year is all white. For once I bought a complete baju Raya dress with trousers and kain samping but I didn't wear them in the end because I looked fat in them. That's why I'm starting a new diet course from now on so that by Raya next year I will look good in my baju Raya ha ha. That's a good one. Selamat Hari Raya to everyone and Maaf Zahir and Batin of course.