Ketupat, Lemang and Rendang, Oh My.

I guess that it’s a no-brainer to assume that the upcoming Hari Raya Aidil Fitri (Eid Mubarak for those unfamiliar with the local term) is definitely on the minds of everyone who will be celebrating it. Seeing that it comes closely after Deepavali this year, I’ve decided to take the whole week off next week instead of the usual few days I took in previous years. So instead of just spending about 3-4 days with the family, I will be spending a grand total of 10 days at the ole homestead in the boondocks of Selayang this year.

I’m not really looking forward trying to figure out what to pack for a stay that long. I don’t keep any of my clothes at my parents’ house since I move out so I definitely need to bring some from my apartment. Since it would be a long haul stay this time around, relative to my usual blink-and-miss-it drop-ins, I’m afraid that I may end up having to pack up half of my wardrobe just to make sure I have enough clothes to wear. Of course that doesn’t include the Baju Melayu and/or the batik shirts that I need to bring along to wear in the event that they want me to look half-way presentable when we go visiting relatives. Looks like I have to break out my carry-on luggage to pack all this stuff in instead of my customary backpack.

I have to say that I’m looking forward for Hari Raya Aidil Fitri this year because I get to try my hand at making dodol from scratch for the first time in my life. My late grandfather used to make it every year but he stopped about 10 years ago when his health declined and no one in the family took up the tradition. I don’t know why I suddenly feel the urge to want to revive the family tradition and revive my grandfather’s old dodol recipe. At first I was the only one wanting to do this since dodol-making is a back breaking work to say the least but eventually I managed to rope in my other brothers and brother-in-law to chip in. Hopefully they would actually deliver on the promise but even if they don’t, I probably would still soldier though it. My father jokingly told me that my late grandfather’s spirit must have put the idea in my head while I was sleeping and now I have no choice but to see it through. It’s creepy to think that there might be some truth to that since I’ve never been keen about the idea before.

Just in case that I get bored, I’m definitely lugging back my PS2 and my laptop along for the trip. I don’t think that I will be posting any entries during the holidays since I don’t have a broadband connection at my parents’ house but I guess I could still do an offline write up on how the dodol-making venture turns out. I could always upload that when I come back to my apartment. Other than some last minute instructions for my staff who will be working next week, I guess that I’m all set for the holidays.

For those celebrating Hari Raya I would like to wish you and yours a Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and a safe celebration. Also not forgetting those who will be celebrating Deepavali a few days before Hari Raya, well wishes for them and their family. For the rest who would still be able to celebrate with us during the holidays, I would like to wish the a safe and enjoyable holiday.

See you guys on the flip side.