eidl'fitri

Baju Melayu blues . Shout out to Hafidz for snapping this shot.

Eidl'fitri finally arrived in Canberra. The same goes to NSW, Victoria , Queensland and Tasmania. Malaysians get to celebrate a day after, and the same goes to the muslims populating in West Australia.

I only slept for an hour before heading to the mosque for the morning eidl'fitri prayer, prior to baking chocolate cookies, kueh makmur, chilling out with friends and watching Siva cutting the chicken thighs and fillets for next day's feast. Teresa and Wendy were helpful enough to give us guys slash sleepy heads, each a wake up call, contacting the local cab operator for us , and helping us guys look presentable for the long first day of eidl'fitri. :)

The prayer went well. Hundreds of people came. People from all walks of life came to gather in accepting God's calling on the first day of eid mubarak. Joy~

Me, Hafidz, Fir and Eizaq went to the civic after the prayers. Had some choc milkshakes at Gus, smoked few PJ's, and i just realized "hey! ramadhan has ended! and i can eat, drink, smoke, pick boogers off my nose without being judged and etc at the same time as the sun shines". Victory... i guess~ eidlfitri in Canberra is different, no doubt, but it didn't really strike me as hard i thought it would be. I thought i'd be weeping over the absence of my family and co., but i handled it well.

Went to the Malaysian ambassador's official stay after civic. Had few rendangs, lambs and the usuals. It was alright. Dato' and Datin was friendly and humble to guests. Good PR! Good image for the Malaysian goverment. There'll be a call from Pak Lah anytime soon Dato'. A whole lotta people came. Dang~ i didn't know that there were as many Malaysians residing in Canberra. To sum things up at the open house; the food was good, the turnout was big (we Malaysians just love free things... free food!), the ambience was classy, Eizaq was funny, and the flies were fcuking annoying. All in all i had fun.

Went back home, slept for few hours, woke up, and went to Firdaus' for another open house organized by a close bunch of us in UC. Kueh makmur and choc cookies were present, the rendang, chicken satay, nasi impit and kuah kacang (courtesy of Siva aka Popes) were there as well to cater the first day of eidlfitri. Numerous photos were taken, did record few videos (sent to Youtube for mass viewing), and yerp, the usual us, laughing, keng kai-ing and such. The routine that never runs dry in our daily lives in Canberra.

...

Shout outs to the people who made my eidlfitri in Canberra a memorable one.

*Big smile*

eidl'fitri

Last year's 1st day of Eidl'fitri with family at the residence in PJ

Eidlfitri is celebrated on Monday the 23rd in Canberra. The same goes to the whole of Victoria and NSW. Malaysians get to celebrate a day after.

Selamat Hari Raya to all. Would like to apologize for all of my wrongdoings, had i offend u in any ways. Have a good one this year.

Love ur family kids.


PS: Regarding the pic, yes yes, i was all fat and chubby. :P

mama

Inseparable: Mama (left) & her twin sister ,my Aunty cum Mama Dawn

U beared me for 9 months, attached,

Carrying whilst pursuing life with a burden onto u,

U were counting days to a particular month in '85 to surrender,

A sweet haven surrender that is.

The day came, the anxious air that filled the hall was serened by prayers,

Uncertain faces and self confidence collides at its best,

Prayers were uttered, by the lips of ur loved ones,

Anticipating God to aid u,

Expectations began to rise,

An anxious man, ur husband awaits in the lobby, fidgetting for answers,

He hands it up to God, with prayers recited from his heart still.

The sun was shinning outside, showering buildings, pedestrians and such with ray of hope,

Hope was what u needed,

And hope was given upon u.

U battled for hours with the trusted unfamiliars,

Blood that was essential for u, splattered the floor red,

U screamed from pain, an excruciating one,

All in the name of love and sacrifice,

U sacrificed all those for a person,

Ur love for you 3rd born, moi.

Ur hard panting was the first music that filled my ears,

U reached for my weak yet restless body,

Not wanting me to panic,

U pant heartlessly while holding me close to u,

U held me, wanting to hug me, but i was too fragile for those,

My forehead tickled when ur dry lips touched onto it,

U might have shred a tear or two,

But u were too tired to bother,

And so, u just looked at me, with my umbilical cords still attached to my navel, with love and unspoken joy.

. . .

On the 19th of April '85, she sacrificed her life for me. She didn't ask anything from me following from that very event. Instead, she showered me with more love, alongside of care and trust. I am a rebel and she notes that. I am an emotional and sensitive fool and she notes that too. Her cookings calm my tummy, and her undivided love and attention, calm my sanity. She's an optimistic, scolding me for thinking of the otherwise. Her unbiased love to her children, her infectious laughs, her jokes, her undying faith in God and commitment to her family, distinguishes her from others. She is my best supporter. She supported me when i was representing school in sports, in both primary and high. She supported me in pursuing a career in Advertising, regardless of what other conservative thinking elderliness thought Advertising, as a "cheap, no future and unworthy" course. Off she shrugs those fools. Cause she trusts me. Trusting me, unfailingly. My friends love her. They love her antics. Once (or countless times) i was told me that i have the coolest, cutest and funniest mum. Compliment goes to u madam.

Whenever i raised my voice to her, by looking at her facial expression with dissapointment, would just frail me to pieces, yet my heart frails furthermore for shredding the heart of hers. I too would be dissapointed of myself. She would wake up 3 am in the morning to entertain my spoilt need for a mug of Milo. Before i reached the age of puberty, she would lullaby a Thai folk song called "Lai lai Kratong", when the silence of my room weren't able to drift me off to La La Land. She would fetch me from school when i was sick at 10 am, knowing that she just reached her workplace. My sister told me that she couldn't sleep peacefully at night for the first three months when i first arrived in OZ. The thought mutes and pauses my ego. And she does all that, and going through all those, for one difficult and spoilt son of hers. Just like an angel, patiently serving her halo-less child.

And so, i dedicate this entry to my much adored mother, Mrs Zahrah Salleh, who never fails to turndown my request (especially when it comes to food), and for always believing in me. She taught me to never give up in urself and always have faith in the Almighty Allah, cause God helps those who has faith in Him.

And so mama, this eidl'fitri is gonna be different, no doubt. U may have had ur share of me on my moody days, yet u love me still. I would like to apologize for my countless wrongdoings, for having to crash ur Honda, for having u and baba called to the school office, for coming back late at night and of course, for rebelling ur needs and words. Am not any lesser of any two evils, and u note that. But u stand tough next to me still. U leave me speechless, cause no words can ever describe u.

. . .

Selamat hari raya mama. Adik sayang mama.

Tipintit pintit*

*My mum's favourite and most used word, invented by her, of course.

who's hot

Canberra is. Invisible hot steam is exiting of my ears. The season is heating up. So much for the so called spring. Summer's approaching, and the sun will once smile, smirking down to the people who were pampered with the previous easy breezy spring.

Then there's the wind. Blowing pedestrians away heartlessly. Nicole Richie won't even have to walk. To girls, do wear skirts. Short ones of course. And to the guys, follow them when they walk. :) Sunglasses is crucial these days. The same goes to moisturiser. Fag.

Didn't dare to leave the house without those. The glaring and scorching sun pierces through the skin down to the bones, and the hostile wind enjoying, swepping off weightless sands and dirts of the earth and lands on faces of mother nature's frail and clueless us - simply irritating.

a two min quickie

What's a brand? What's in for a brand? Why are there misperceptions toward brands? .. May the reason be culture? Previous experiences with the brand? U were born or indirectly forced to love the brand, cause ur mama and aunty use them since the day u r visible to the light of day? Does color of the logo helps? .. Maybe , heck i opt for Vodaphone cause the corporate logo's Red. Optus is cheaper. Silly me, for an adertising student to fall for that, but three cheers for Vodaphone anyways. iPod may have tens of flaws compared to the better in-features, Creative Zen. iPod seems to conquer the portable media player market share. I'd go for a Nano rather than a Zen despite of Nano's bad points. Am i conforming?.. Maybe.

This entry doesn't make any sense. * Sigh. Off i go on my Brand Building report.

flu

I'm sick. Literally. Caught few bacterias roaming the air. Been sick for two days. Haven't been fasting for two days. *Sigh. Both nostrils r full of .. let's not be descriptive shall we, but you get the picture. I had to sleep with my mouth open. how did i realize that? ... A map of Japan, drawn onto the pillow is a clear proof. Fcukerama! Now i need to do my laundry. On the second thought, naah. I'm a guy. We are engineered to live in Joe's Apartment.

Gotta take few pills that i bought from last semester of the Uni Pharmacy. They make me go sleepy tho'. Paracetamol, Pseudoepherine Hydrochloride and Chlorpheniramine. Names seem to complicate to my daily vocabs. The pressure is up to the unfamiliar to save the day. All in good hopes.

Off to class in half an hour. 'Til then, let me just sit back, unwind to Incubus and wipe my nose off, peacefully.

Have a nice day.

dedicated to Archie's avid readers. what say you?

I don't read Archie's. My childhood was filled with Doraemons, Dragon Ballz and selipar tiga (the game is similar to DodgeBall which is to kill as many members of the opponent's team, but instead of using a ball, thongs or flip flops are used instead. The motive of the game; u and ur team members have to construct a "house" with three selipars, while your enemies at the same time would try to nail their selipars onto your body or face. Yowzer! The game ends once the house is built which signify a team's accomplishment and another's failure). Fun! Told ya i was, and still am the kampung boy of Petaling Jaya.

Firdaus and Teresa came out with this. Those Archie fanatics.

Characteristics' similaritiness between the man-drawn animation and us, the living homosapiens, are placed next to one other. Friends & I and Archie's friends. Am not a reader of Archie's, so go figure.

...

Teresa . Veronica Lodge

Siva . Pop Tates

Wendy . Mr Lodge

Firdaus . Reggie Mantle

Lauren . Midge

Eizaq . Jughead Jones

Philip . Hotdog

Hafidz . Chuck Clayton

... & yours truly, me, as the blonde Betty Cooper

...

week 12

Things that happened this week ...

• Wendy and Teresa battling out their Hokkien. Penang vs Klang Valley. Whose is better? I don't know. Kui Mui.. Kui Me... Hu.. He..
• Submitted my TV ads cum resume, alongside with others into Graeme's tutor box. Prior to that day, me and others had a very long night. Full of teamwork and laughters. Sungguh bagus dan kelakar. I will never forget ur Bend & Snap, Firdaus! Haha. My gratitudes to those who helped me that night (and day).
• Received an invitation to the Malaysian High Comm this Saturday. Free food babeyh! My curiosity on how the inside of the High Comm looks like, is 6 days apart of being answered.
• Went to Taj Agra, an Indian diner, with couple of friends to break fast. Good meal, good company yet, it was a shame that the food wasn't spicy, although we ordered "extra spicy". I am after all the jakun Malay kid from Petaling Jaya who loves his mum's prawn sambal belacan. Laughters, cam whoring sessions, cigarettes, satiated faces and tummies and mango lassis were present to cater our evening. All in all, the evening was perfect.
• The misinterpreted Recovery Day took place with more alcohols and party goers puking on campus. This only apply to the kwai-los. Didn't go cause it's Ramadhan. Gooood boy.
• Good friends of mine, Nad and E'en r aunts to new born Mohd Faris Eizal. A libra-ian or a Librarian?.. i don't know. I have very limited english vocabs. Anyway, congrats to the granpa, Papa and granmas, Mummy, and Aunty Elly, and, Nad and E'en .. aunty already ar u guys, no more goofing around for both of u, and of course further congratulations to the proud parents, Kak Ija and husband. Alhamdulillah, everything went well and i can't wait to meet the latest addition to the ever amusing Zainuddin's clan. Ouhya, now there's a boy in the family! Finally! :P
• Mama sent me an SMS. She misses me. (to readers, count 1 to 5 before u proceed to the next sentence). Sigh. My family went to her twin sister's house, Aunty Dawn aka Mama Dawn, my favorite aunt in the whole wide world who never fails to manja me .. (tak sedar diri sungguh anak Khalid ni) .. to break fast. She makes the best sardine rolls.. with extra red peppers of course. Kampung me. I can eat tonnes of 'em. Errrr.. metaphorically of course.
• Kak Sue sent me an SMS. She went to One Utama or O.U. for short, and bazaar ramadhan this week. She misses me. (Manja.. manja.. Isk isk isk). Hey! Don't judge me alright, i love 'em k! .. And vice versa.
• Counting days to Eidl'Fitri. Same ol' same ol'.

Oi.. why lah i can't upload pics to this entry. Dang.

Joni Mitchell, you got me

to be exact, eidl'fitri or hari raya is 21 days mere away from today. no lemangs, no ketupats, no ayam masak merah and worst of all, no ang paus from uncles and aunties who still think that u r their 8 year old nephew. the fact is, i am 21 and i do know how to cross the road by myself. look left, right, left again.. then go nuts. haha.

i regard hari raya as a celebration. people forgiving one another. joy written on their face and children dressing up, with "i want ang pau" written instead. my brother crying over my mum's shoulder, my sister being the Manager of Khalid's Kitchen Department, making everything goes smooth, making sure that the right kuehs get filled up in the right jars and yours truly, me, getting lectured for not filling up the drinks for the guests (yeah yeah whatever man).

every raya, me and my brother would be alarmed by dad to attend the annual morning raya prayers at the mosque. my sister would wake up around 8-ish and oftenly gets the "Busta Rhyme" from mum. Sometimes, it's just the mild " Jay Z"... and u don't want a "Mystikal" from my much adored mother. Haha. Once we reach backhome, dad and mum would start apologizing to one another or what me and my sister would call it the Cerekarama session (it is similar to when Oprah stars in a Hallmark movie).

and then.. it's our turn to co-star the show. my brother would obviously starts first, as he is the eldest, their first born (yeah yeah whatever man). my sister seconds the line. she would be having a piece or two of Kleenex in her tailor made baju kurung's pocket, and last but not least in the line, moi. i would be kissing their cheeks, holding their hands with my forehead touches slightly onto their hands, bending on both knees, whilst asking for forgiveness from them. it's a classic, mum and dad would tell me this, and would never try to change their scripts/ dialogues when it comes to me over the years.

"Ini nakal ni. Promise me that u'll be good ok. Promise, alright?", mama

"Jangan nakal nakal sangat. Don't go out at night too often. Promise me, alright?", baba

of course i'd be giggling. i would laugh beforehand, and i would pull my infamous Puss-In-Boots expression. do take notice i am their manja child. the infamous kerengga or red ant who bites anything visibile to his sight when he was 5. another unwritten line in my script that never changes on the first day of hari raya. score! Baba would then hand me a packet of ang pau from his pocket. 100 bucks, every year. double score! well done father, well done.

ouhya, and then my siblings would then start hugging, kissing one another asking for the same thing that distinguishes hari raya from other celebrations; forgiveness. an easy task but hard to act upon. we would end up giggling at the end. haha.

then comes the feasting. i'd be eating like there's no tomorrow. glutton me. don't judge me alright, i have to fill up drinks for the guests and victimised in answering the usuals which is part of their raya script, "where are you studying now?.. where's your girlfriend?.. why did you take advertising? ... i thought u took pure science in high school?" ... bla bla bla ya ya ya ra ra ... u get the picture. and the best thing, i just met these people a week ago at a breaking fast gathering at a relative's. quite synonymus on hari raya, mum and dad would be entertaining the guests, while looking at me shamelessly, having a go on my ketupats and rendang. my relatives on the other hand, would be catching Siti Nurhaliza and co. on the TV.

and so yeah, hari raya is all about the good things. all about the familiar routines. funny how i mentioned good things. i forgive you, you forgive me, look at my Guess watch made of Steel, look at my Tag Heuer, look at my thai silk baju melayu and such. fully etiquette euphimistic words and decorum gestures would fill up the hall amongst host/hostess and guests, the kitchen would contain gossips and kids running around with their ever so annoying yet endearing antics.

...

this year is gonna be different, no doubt. i never realized how hari raya does hit me hard. am gonna miss the routine. surely gonna miss the tradition and the usual scripts. am gonna miss my family. i guess, just like what Joni Mitchell used to penned and sang, you don't know what you've got until it's gone.

*Sigh.

the catch

i am fcuked. in one month's time from now, i'd be sitting in the exam hall. Respectively, on the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 15th of November.

and then there's Stone Fest, a week prior to examination dates. almost everyone is getting restless from waiting. it's clear to note that topics regarding Stone Fest or Stone Week would arise in nearly, every conversation.

so ladies and gents, the battle between Biggest Party in Canberra vs Books, Notes, Coffee, Eye Bags is on. the good vs the bad. angels & demons.

what a classic, who am i gonna pick? both maybe? how 'bout a tie? it's only fair right?
sigh.

i'll go figure.