MY SACRIFICE...

Kehh.. kehh… kehh… mcm poyo je tajuk!!... My sacrifice la konon.

Tapi memang iye jugak le sempena Hari Raya Aidil Adha yang memang bertemakan 'pengorbanan'. Mengimbas kembali dan mengambil ibrah sejarah Nabi Ibrahim yang sanggup berkorban apa sahaja untuk mengabdikan diri kepada Allah walaupun terpaksa menyembelih anaknya sendiri, tentu saja umat Islam di sana sini (but not in Manhattan tho…) amat sebuk dengan acara sembelihan binatang korban.

With AidilAdha jatuh pada hari Jumaat 27 Nov, the day after Thanksgiving day a.k.a THE BLACK FRIDAY, adalah hari yg sangat ideal untuk menyoping stock barang2 for 'Original For Less' and other personal cravings needs. Tetapi aku telah berkorban untuk tidak ber 'midnight madness' and 'morning madness' melayani BLACK FRIDAY SALE yg semamangnye GILA!!... seriyes beb… giler murah! Ini adalah bagi menghormati dan merayakan Hari Raya Korban yg jauh lebih mulia daripada sale yg ntahapahapa itu… kedai bukak seawal 4 pagi (some of them start 12midnite)… and bargain up to 85% but only for limited time, sampai tengahari sahaja ye… memang sgt tempting ok… Sesungguhnya aku berjihad dan bekorban menundukkan nafsu shopping ku di AidilAdha ini… Well… takde la sesuci mana pun pengorbanan tu… layak ke dipanggil korban, cenggitu??.. Actually I've experienced the Black Friday at Woodbury Premium Outlet last year… and I don't think I want to do it again this year… makcik dah tak kuasa nak berpusu2 dlm crowd n beratur panjang nak masuk Coach outlet tuh dengan cuaca yg sejuk sampai ke tulang ni… sampai demam2 okeh… tp tengok la thn depan, mungkin?! Kalau raya tak jatuh on Black Friday?... hehehh…

Alhamdulillah, disebelah petangnya adalah acara open house hosted by Razi & Wani, and after that to Zarina's house for another double celebration feast (Thanksgiving + Aidiladha). Maka turkey2 itu telah menjadi korban… Perghh!!.. Marvelous!!... Saya rasa sgt G.E.M.U.K…!!

To friends and families… Salam Adiladha dari kami sekeluarga di perantauan. Apa sahaja pengorbanan yang kita lakukan, semoga diiringi dengan IKHLAS.

Eid Mubarak!!

Ramadhan pergi... Shawal datang lagi... 30 Sept 2008, awal sehari dari Malaysia. Alhamdulillah, minalaideen walfaizeen...

Featuring baju raya lama utk 2008...

Abaji: Baju thn 2004 yg seluarnye tah dia campak kat mana...

Me: Baju thn 200x zaman anak dara... aku tak ingat thn brape... nampak mcm ok lagi.. so sarung jer lah. Tudung pink tu atas ehsan Mak Nem yg aku bodek dia kaw2 punye suh sedekah kat aku time Beka kawen dulu... hahaha.. tengkiue Mak Nemm.

Hanna: Baju raya Farah kazen Abaji thn 2005 Mami Fariza bagi... dan tudung Zarina hadiahkan, dia pakai tak nak bukak2... sukati ko la nakk...

Nenet: Mendapat habuan baju kurung aku time pretnen 6 bln masa thn 2004. Muat2 aje dia... dah rezeki makcik lah tu... Tudung... pun Zarina bagi juga...

Macam tahun lepas, lebih kurang sama jer agenda raya thn ni... Solat Aidilfitri kat Masjid East 96th St. Once again I'm amazed to see so many different people with different color and culture, united under one roof in the name of Islam. This time, I managed to learn a little bit on how different mazhabs perform the solat slighty different than Mazhab Shafie'.

Then balik rumah sessi bergambar dan makan2, pastu gi raya umah Ucop, makan lagi... menunye tetap marbelesss mcm thn lepas jugak... Shelly buat kuzi kambing ngan roti jala sama kari ayam. I like!!.. Nyummyyy....

Bezanya kali ni Abaji dapat cuti sehari, pun tak ke mana... tido jer petang tu. And this year I got more Muslim friends, so malam tu buat la makan2... Zarina & family and Kak Wan datang bertandang. Paling simple menunye, soto ayam, agar2 lapis and Chiffon cake... Kiki bagi... aku nak buat chiffon cake resepi ko bagi tu lambat lagi ye Mak Yann... harap maklom... hehehe.

Waited till 3.30am to skype with my family kat rumah Tok Baah. Tapi hampa... tak dpt tgk emak ngan abah pun. I was skyped after they went back, huhuhuhuuu :(

And the next day on 2nd raya, Zarina lak buat open house. Makan la apalagaaa.... kuzi ayam and rendang and sup daging and cup cakes and brownies... Fuhh!!... power sungguh minah ni masak anak beranak. Aku tersandar kekenyangan, rasa mcm nak tido situ jer, tak larat nak jalan balik rumah.

And the weekend came... kali ni acara makan2 kat Mission pulak tajaan Malaysian Consulate. Ku laramkan baju labuci merah time Hekal kawin hari tu... baru pakai skali, lupa lak nak bwk kamera... Henfon ku zaman paleolitic, takde kamera dlm phone ye... huhuhuhh... Tapi memang beshhh!!.. Menunye sudah tentu Malaysian food... menu wajib time raya and kuih muih sume ade lah... and pekena teh tarik original mcm mapley kat Sg. Besi rasanya... alahai.. rugi takde gambar...

Kesimpulannye?... Raya = Makan = Kenyang...

I shred a few pounds during Ramadhan, but gained back even more within a few days of Raya....

Raya Open House @ Mission

Tadi pegi open house kat Malaysian Embassy a.k.a Mission kat East 43rd St.

Lately slalu hujan... today pun hujan.... nasib baik tak sejuk sgt mcm semalam. We took a taxi... so boleh la melaram pakai baju kurung and high heels ku itusss... heheheh.

Haa... baru la nampak ramai sket orang M'sia time2 gathering mcm ni.... seperti biasa Ucop's and Za's family ade kat situ... main activity: makan2 sambil berkenalan la dgn kakak2 dan wifey2 org di JPM, Tourism M'sia, MIDA, MATRADE dan student2 M'sia.

Makan syeedappp.... nyamm..nyamm... M'sian food... lemang, nasi impit kuah kacang, rendang kambing, nasi minyak, meehoon goreng, ayam goreng, kek, fruits, kuih muih... etc... tp yg paling best... the unforgetable sinfully delicious chocolate cake!!.. ohhh... yummiee...

Balik.... masing2 cover perut pakai jacket... hehehe :)

Za, Nisa tgh minum, Ucop & Shahrul

Me, Shelly, Za & Nisa

Ucop, Shahrul & The Nannies.... Bibik and Makcik a.k.a Nenet

Makcik, Hanna eating keyopok..., Shelly

Aiman... his beautiful eyes remind me of 'The Puss in the Boot' of Shrek ;)

Ucop, Fairuz a.k.a Apai @ Abaji ... and Mahendran 'Da Boss'

Nisa & Hanna

Nisa, Hanna & Aiman... interframed by Bibik...

Salam Aidilfitri from New York

AllahhuAkbar... AllahhuAkbar... AllahhuAkbar... walillahilhamd.... We celebrated 1st Syawal on Friday, Oct 12, one day earlier than M'sia... It was drizzling and so cold outsite.. 7.30 am, my hubby and I left home, getting on the subway to the 3rd Ave Masjid at East 96th St, 3 stations from our home... Thot of wearing baju kurung... tp hujan2 mcm ni, lupakan saja.... end up wearing jeans and blouse, sneakers and my weatherproof jacket.

The 3-story Masjid was immaculately beautiful and huge. That was my 1st time there... there were so many people of different races and color, men, women and children gathered for Eid prayer. Subhanallah!!... Due to the huge number of people in and out, the solat had to be performed 3 times led by 3 different imams with 3 khutbahs, one after another.

I went to the lady's floor, so many mak arabs and mak gagaks (majority), not so many asians... cari gak kalau2 ade spot minah melayu... tak jumpa... indons quite a number of them mostly students. Started with my TahiatulMasjid and suddenly I felt a strange feeling inside of me.. rasa sebak semacam... i don't know how to describe it.... rasa insaf, kerdil di hadapan tuhan looking at both diversification of culture and unity of Islam.... rasa syahdu dan best sgt time tu.... teringat kat M'sia rakyat majmuk berbilang bangsa.... but I never felt this way back in KL.... Before solat, there was an annoucement of a new sister embracing Islam... as she was declaring her new faith with Syahadah.... rasa sebak dan happy bercampur baur.... i got so emotional sampai menitis air mata tak dapat di tahan2 lagi.... huhuhh... thank you... thank you... thank you Allah for giving me such a wonderful experience.

Went home, makcik cooked ketupat nona and soto ayam... rempah soto spacial made frm Muar, Mak Jah (my aunty) gave us. Nyamm...Nyammm.... brought some for Ucop & family (our neighbour upstairs, office mate hubby) and had our makan2 raya at their house... hehehe.. Shelly made Kuzi kambing... perghh sedap giler... she's really a good cook, with her kuih arab and cornflake.... and special home made 'Shawal Ria' cake.... best!! I ate like nobody's business... hahahah lupa diri lak kejap.... Burpp!! Alhamdulillah.... again thank you Allah for giving us a friendly and helpful neighbour.

In the afternoon... hubby had to go to work... arrghh boring! petang raya kena keja.

At nite... Skype time.. hehhehe punya la excited... borak2 with family at Tok Baah's house... Everybody sgt cantik dan handsome ngan baju raya... huhuhu... jelesnyer!!.. Lama gaks conferencing. Managed to talk to emak, abah, hik, baah, haiat, maknem, akim... hekal erin.. makcuana... along... aunty nailah...uncle rashid etc... emak has significantly lost weight... tp rambut mak dah nak tumbuh... emak still under treatment.... rindduuu sangat!!.... cried some more.... huhuhuhuu.... mak tunggu saya ye... lagi 2 thn saya balik cuti!!.. saya sayang makk...

2nd Raya... went to open house at Roosevelt Island (Ucop & Shelly's friend). Za and her hubby, Shahrul hosted the makan2 very well... the food was superb... mix of M'sian and Brazilian cuisines, contemporary touch of the house decorations with romantic and peaceful scenery of the island... hmmm really beautiful... best...best... i like! Balik naik cable car... Hanna punye la jakun! Kecoh satu cable car dengan suara dia.... hahahaa... but I know... she really had a good time with her friends Aiman, Danial and Nisa.