Being Busy.

My last posting in the blog sphere was 1 March 2016. Many things kept me busy and my time was predominantly occupied browsing pro/anti establishment blogs and news reels tracking to comprehend the Sarawak State Election, IMDB and Mahathir People Declaration. All of the subject matter, I had no part but I harbor my own perception.

Throughout the whole month of April 2016, I was preoccupied preparing for a simple do of my only daughter’s engagement. That was my first experience and the family had to squeeze their brain out addressing the preparation. Sometimes it was sleepless night as there were very many minor details to attend to. I wanted it to be perfect. I gathered four (4) heads, my wife, son, and daughter in conference to plot the organization. The Imam had to be booked, the food to be ordered (buffet kampong cuisine), a tent with four round tables with forty chairs, simple decorated dais and the fresh flowers.

I delegated my cousin brother (Dato Malik) and my kampong buddy (YM Raja Sahar) as my Spoke persons. I planned to make it a close affair, simple, only among close friends and relevant member of the clan, my wife’s side as well as mine. I don’t believe in numbers as numbers has so many mouths. Their mouths would be foaming if there was any slip shot.

The date was set as 30 April 2016 (Saturday) and the entourage came all the way from Kulai Johor. The delegation arrived as per appointed date and right on schedule as per programmed. Almukminin Office Staff lead the way to my residence.

My VIP Guest was my 92 year old Mother from Ipoh and she was transported by my brother Azman, all the way from Taiping. My younger sister Zakiyah chaperoned her. My daughter happens to be my Mother’s eldest granddaughter and my Mother insisted to attend. I gave my Mother the compliment to personally setting up the adat bertunang “tepak sireh”. I was very delighted and thankful for my Mother participation, also to brother Azman and sister Zakiyah. Back home in Ipoh, my Mother specially prepared and brought along with her “pulut wajid” (sweetened glutinous rice). Pulut wajid is a typical traditional Malay Sweets.

We were please, all went well and the food was far than adequate to cater all attendees to the ceremony. It was simple kampong food of - gulai lemak daging salai pucuk ubi, ayam goring berempah, sambal udang, ikan masin bulu ayam, mixed vegetable, sambal belacan with varieties of ulam kampong. For desert, we have tapai pulut, bengkang ubi, bahulu kemboja and of course the teh tarik was never missed. The neighbors also chipped in by contributing their brand of kuih (s).

I wish to thank my neighbors and my in laws for their helping hands and concerned. My immediate neighbor, Haji Zakaria sacrificed his house porch for me to accommodate two (2) extra tables. My sister in law, Puan Rashidah presented the fruit bouquet, cup cakes and varieties of chocolates. It was her bright idea to cheer up the children. My brother in law (Dato Abas Rahman) came along and introduced to us his potential daughter in law.

For the engagement ceremony abiding to the customary Malay tradition, the “bridegroom to be” presented the “bride to be” with five (5) trays of gift and we reciprocated with seven (7) trays. The number of trays must be odd, that’s the tradition and with my Mother’s presence, the tradition must be strictly upheld. Even the number of sireh leaves in the tepak must be eleven (11) according to her and all the cembol in the tepak must be filled accordingly. I just smiled and abided as she wanted the family engagement tradition to be strictly adopted. However, the ancestral tepak of my wife’s side (the Abdul Rahman) was symbolically used during the engagement ceremony.

        

Thank you to Dato Malik and Datin Zawiyah for sponsoring the elegant engagement cake.

Thank you to my wife as she worked the hardest. We had done our best and all went well as planned. All the good things were the blessing of Almighty Allah. Syukur Alhamdullillah.

We crossed the first hurdle perfectly executed and the bigger one is at the corner.

The wedding had been set on 31 July 2016 (Sunday), the third week of Ramadan at Banquet Hall, Majlis Bandaran Shah Alam Building at Shah Alam.