NasiDage SekayeLabu

Yesterday Sunday 19th, 22 friends turned up for nasi dagang and sekaya labu. My happiness was beyond words. Ayong was very surprised to see my old school friends in our late 40's [48 to be exact] came for a 'makan makan' [casual get together]. Thinking that only two of my friends would come, Ayong invited her good friend and her family [who have became family friends] from Selayang for the nasi dagang and sekaya labu. They arrived at 10 am and we had a jolly fun breakfast. Never in my life had I imagined to be having breakfast with friends who would come all the way from KL. That was a nice surprise. [like the one I got from a friend who came back from Dubai and had the thought of giving me a 'nasi lemak Restoran Azhar' surprise on the fourth day of raya but it was the friend who was surprised to find that nasi lemak was sold out before ten. I could only offer kimchee and bihun for breakfast].

Bigger surprise was in store. First Rohi and her two daughters came. Rohi is staying in Jerantut but I hardly see her. Rohi looked sophisticated in gray baju kurung and white scarf befitting a lady of leisure ... ;P . Her girls are beautiful.

Next, Amdan arrived with his elder sister and wife. Rohi last saw Amdan in 1975. We were 15 years old then. And even so, we hardly speak to each other. Rohi was in English medium class whereas Amdan and I were in the Malay medium.

But yesterday, it was like we have been the best of friends since forever. Conversations flowed freely. Time just flew by ever so quickly. Amdan had to leave to visit an aunt in hospital just as Sher arrived with husband. Rohi left too because her girls were getting tired [hehehe ... listening to old mokcikZ tales]

Sher was accompanied by her husband. I have been to Sher's house a couple of times and met her JB [our reference for husbands].

I was worried that Manan [Sher's JB] might feel a bit out of place when the two old mokcikZ just couldn't stop chattering. Luckily, Ayong's friend's father [in white kopiah] joined us at the table. [I was feeling a bit guilty too for not being able to entertain Ayong's friend but they make themselves like family members and I was very grateful to them for being there].

Next, Tim and her niece arrived with Zipah in a convoi. Boy!!! I had the biggest surprise. Zipah arrived with her youngest son AND JB!!

Here is the pic of Hj Duan, Zipah and Tim sitting while Sher laughing at me for forgetting the apron. The pic is heavily cropped and Tok Moh will have to get his reading glasses to look at the pic.

This pic here is specially dedicated to Im who first brought up the memory of sekaya labu. Im couldn't make it yesterday for some reason. Sorry Im, this is the best I could do. I forgot to take a better pic of the "lelabu kaya". You can see better pics of the labu on From My Kitchen Album on hi5 here.

At almost dusk, Ayong's new friend from the bank dropped by with her whole family [hubby, two sons and a daughter]. We totally forgotten the camera. What a bummer!!!

This one is specialy dedicated to Senah ... KIM CHEE [sp] on garlic buttered toasted french bread.

I wish to say thank you to Ira and family, Amdan and maam + sister, Rohi and her two lovely girls, Sher and JB, Tim and niece, Zipah, son and JB, and Pn Rozana and family for making my weekend the best ever. Hehehe!!! Almost had a dramatic effect for "Permintaan Terakhir".

Heyy!!! Since nasi lemak Restoran Azhar is now 'diluted', how about a get together this December with MY nasi lemak here at Kg Kool? There's even picked cockles sold here. Maybe Sher can vouch for the meanness of my chilly ...

15 Syawal - Full Moon

As I closed a chat window with the buddy who introduced me to the delight of cyber chat, I was overcome with loneliness. My friend who used to be on the other side of midnight was my inspiration. I drew so much strength from our discussions and exchanges through space.

It was hot inside the house. The fan churned up steamy air. I went out and sit on the porch. It's been a while since I last came out of the house, alone, late at night. It was the fifteenth day of the month. The moon was full. The night was still. It was silent. Not even sound from the crickets.

The air was warm but I shuddered thinking about going under a surgeon's scalpel again at the end of the month. Am not scared of the operation. I've been through three major ones. It's what the doctor might find that is spooking me.

The full moon was bathing everything with her cold silver light throwing the swaying coconut fronds into dancing silhouettes.

Ahh!!! A steaming mug of black coffee with Kitaro on the background. The caffeine did not help my jittery nerves though. I was pretty disturbed.

The stillness of the night was broken occasionally by the passing trailers. Celine Dion's Alone came to mind. "... and the night goes by so very slow. I hope that it won't end though. Alone. Till now, I always get by on my own. I never really care until I met you. And now it chills me to the bone."

This is my view from the porch. The sky was unbelievably bright at almost midnight. Gosh!!! the loneliness felt like a cold blunt knife piercing the heart.

Alahai Anak Omak

Saturday, my son Epit came home with his friends. I had to be in school helping out to prime the library for a competition at national level. PMR is starting on Monday and a bunch of girls asked to see me for last minute revision.

Epit and his friends had lunch at his grandma's place. His grandma made special kari ayam kampong and his aunt at the stall prepared sambal udang with petai. He arrived home quite late in the afternoon.

Earlier during the week he called asking to have barbecue with his friends. I still have some tenderloin roast from raya already marinated and frozen. So it was just a matter of defrosting the beef and getting the the coal to burn.

Here we are enjoying the crisp evening tending the grill. Epit's taking the pic, yours truly monitoring, Ayong busy taking the grilled beef to the grandparents [10km away]

Here's Ayong beside Epit's friend. Especially to all mokcikz reading this blog, please note that the friend is a girl. Also it's not that the picture is not clear. It's the smoke from the grill.

Here they are enjoying the beef off the grill.

It was a pleasant evening. I got to see the other side of my children. Suddenly, I can see that my son is growing up. I was happy to note his efforts at taking charge of the situation. Most of all I was happy to see Ayong dispensing her duties naturally and comfortably.

The next morning, I made nasi dagang with chilly ikan tongkol and pineapple and cucumber salad on the side. I had this dish in Kemaman way back in the early nineties and I find that the nasi dagang is actually better with chilly ikan tongkol and fresh salad instead of the traditional 'gulai' which I find too rich. Well, Ayong didn't get to send some of the rice to grandma. It turned out to be a favourite with Epit and his friends. Anyway it was way past breakfast time.

Down Memory Lane - Azhar Restaurant

Yesterday 10th Syawal, Senah my blog sifu flew down from Brunei to send her girl for an interview with one of the universities. We planned a rendezvous at Restoren Azhar; our fav nasi lemak spot way back in 1973 when we first started our life in SMSP [now SEMSAS]. Our chat buddy; kambing gurun, came back from Dubai for raya celebration and went looking for the nasi lemak on the fourth day of raya and was disappointed because it was sold out hours before he got there.

I wish to share the pics of my rendezvous with SMSP77 yahoogp members as I have problem loading them there.


Here's the grill on the only window. By the look of the design, I think this is the original grill put up by the owner since the beginning of the business. I have this deep suspicion in me that the anti-rust paint on the grill is also very old. Perhaps as old as the grill itself.

The most unique sign I have never found anywhere else is this particular notice. Originally the sign was written on manila card with black marker. Next the writing was done on a piece of white cotton cloth tacked to a piece of wooden frame. Now it is written in chalk on a piece of black rice paper and mounted on an aluminium frame.

Haa!!! Nasi lemak in the wooden barrel. I asked the children who have taken over from Mr Azhar the original nasi lemak man: if it is the same barrel used in 1973. He said that barrel is five years old. Senah who doesn't usually remember very much, remembered that the barrel used in 1973 was bigger.

I remember in 1973, my fav nasi lemak was served with chilly cockles. Now there is only beef chilly and dried squid chilly.

Used to be fifty sen per hefty serving. Now is RM3.00 and the serving is so tiny.

Or could well be the 'container' has GROWN ... hahaha !!!


















Hmmphs ... compare the one on the right who didn't seem to mind the tiny serving ...



Just for the record ... the 50km [one way] drive was NOT ... repeat ... NOT for the nasi lemak. It was heaven to take that walk down memory lane ACCOMPANIED. My sifu wrote about the meeting and posted some pics here.

Thank you Senah for taking the trouble to drop by. Bless you.

4 Syawal 1429 Hijriah

Today is 4 Syawal 1429H. I started blogging on 6 Syawal 1428H. Then I was full of anger. A close friend suggested I vent off my anger through blogging. I wasn't sure I could keep a blog. I never could keep a diary before. With friends encouragement, here I am after one year and a number of postings. I really owe a big thank you to my dear friends.

I still have inhibitions, still not spontaneous with my writing but I am happy with what I have done so far. And most of all, I am happy that some of the anger I harboured is gradually ebbing.

I am trying to upload the raya pics. Unsuccessfully. My server has not been very friendly these past few days. In fact, for the last two days I was not even able to access the network. Network was too busy.

I have been using Maxis post paid service since 2002. When I visited Melaka I used to get this error message on my mobile "Network busy". I was surprised when I got the network busy message here in Kg Kool.

Ahh!!! Picture upload is working. Here's this year's raya pic with my two children. We are yellow this year.


Last year we were green. View pic here.








And here's another one with the clan minus my eldest brother's family and one of my younger sister's.

Father is a lot better. Last year he could hardly sit after falling down a rambutan tree two months before raya.