my dad...
Just dunno why, every raya, whoever who are at home will plan together2 to visit relatives along with my parents… bringing their kids and now, grand kids along…. So imagine the number of cars that would arrive when we go visit a relative house…? I remember at one time, we had 7 cars going from house to house…. More often, it is more like just 4 or 5 cars (because not everybody will be able to come home on raya, or come home on 1st day of raya…).
my mom...
It has been part of our family tradition for as long as I can remember. I guess we like it that way because it is more meriah when we visit relatives all together, or may be because we do not have to make efforts to sembang2 kosong with the relatives since my parents are there and would be catching up with the relatives anyhow (so we just listen and enjoy the food)….
Or may be…, may be… since we were small, my parents have made it a point for us to know our relatives and always keep in touch with them, at least to visit them during raya, and we just get used to this activity, and just doing it every raya… I believe so….
I wonder if we would be able to maintain that tradition once my parents are no longer there… It would be difficult I guess… Well, we’ll see…
Teratak usang, tepi sungai, hujung kampung...
One of our favourite house to visit is Rumah Mak Yah (makcik Sa’ayah). Makcik Sa’ayah is my mom’s cousin. When I was small/kid/kemetot/sekolah rendah lagi…. I did go to rumah Mak Yah many times…. She was one of those lively makciks with plenty of kids of her own, and it was always fun to be around her (and her kids) playing all sorts of games…. One day, Mak Yah’s husband built a new kampong house for their family… and for me, that house was the best house to visit when I was small…. Why…? Because the house was located just next to a river, and we (Mak Yah’s kids, all the other kids around, and me…) would spend hours and hours pergi mandi sungai near the house…. Melompat dari tebing sungai macam2 style, sommersault, menjunam kepala dulu, lompat katak kaki cecah air dulu…. Synchronized lompat together2… Macam2 lah…!! Dahsat…, memang dahsat….!!
Mak Yah kelam kabut mengidang immediately after we arrived
Mak Yah’s husband is not well off… Pak Mat “Kegheaih” (“keras”…, beats me why he has that nickname…) was just doing some “kerja kampong”, earning just enough to feed the family… and somehow the kids “tak begitu menjadi…”. Having many of them, Mak Yah & husband couldn’t ensure that they provide the best education available to their kids. Furthermore, somehow, for reasons which only God knows, some of her kids are mentally challenged, some got into accidents, and/or fell into other malapetaka.. Believe me, “sudah jatuh, ditimpa tangga” proverb is totally applicable for Mak Yah & Pak Mat Keghaih….
Mak Yah... bercerita serius.... kurang citer kelako dia tahun nih
Despite all those challenges, Mak Yah has always been lively and happy go lucky… every time we meet up with her, raya time, kenduri time…, she will always be the curious one who will ask questions, getting updates from relatives, exchanging news, cracking jokes and chit chatting with anybody, savouring the moment and just make people smile whenever they see her… Pak Mat Keghaih is no lesser entertaining than the wife… together, they were “partners in crime”…
asking for confirmation from my sister...
Then Pak Mat Keghaih fall sick, he can’t go to work… the kids are not well off neither, so they can’t really help Mak Yah & Pak Mat Keghaih much… One can easily deduce that life is a bit more strained for them (despite their usual smile and laughter).
kuih muih kat rumah Mak Yah, simple, tapi sedap... dibuat secara tradisional
Relatives help as much as we can, those who are well off pay their zakat to Mak Yah… others give treats to Mak Yah, Pak Mat Keghaih and the family from time to time… and they continue visiting her home and leaving behind whatever that they could bring for them/give to her…
Then, a year ago Pak Mat Keghaih passed away…. I went to the funeral, and Mak Yah was calm and steady, not a single drop of tears… accepting the fate that has fallen upon her…
Mak Yah dan cucu... bapak keturunan Pakistan... mata cucu dia nih kalah mata Shah Rukh Khan
Since then Mak Yah continues with her happy go lucky life, may be a bit less than before, but still entertaining… Pak Mat Keghaih was not there to “answer” to all her indecent remarks and/or questions… but to us, she is still the aunt who will make you smile in whatever circumstances….
You can never say that you have gone through something hard, because she has gone through something harder/tougher, and yet she can still smile and BE alive….
manjanya cucu sekor nih dgn Opahnya....
Mak Yah often makes me think, how life is full of paradox…. One can be totally rich but yet living an unhappy life, feeling miserable, not knowing what to do with his/her money, being suspicious of anybody who would want to befriend him/her…., and finally dies all alone in a huge bungalow on top of a hill….
And at times, you meet up with people who just earn enough to live, kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang, not educated, ditimpa malang berulang2, hidup dalam kemiskinan, kehilangan punca pendapatan… but still they live with positiveness, looking forward to the next day, always pleased to meet up with relatives, always trying to find something to serve to visitors, making jokes about life, sharing whatever that they have,…. And just BE alive…. Savouring every seconds of the moment, live the present, and let tmrw be another day….
Mak Yah is rich…. all relatives love her, all relatives drive their car going through small tiny paths to go to her house at the end of the kampong every raya, relatives living in the kampong send dishes from time to time for her and her family to savour (and she will never forget to return the kindness with another bowl of her own home cooked dishes – using ingredients that she gets around the house), everybody always have something for her, …. everybody always think of her, everybody is concerned of her well being, and everybody wants to take care of her….
sekadar hiasan... Kak Hanim & Aisyah... Aisyah got the lady diamond studded watch... sempena raya & besday dia... hepi bebeno ler dia pun...
I wonder if we can ever have a joyful life as Mak Yah’s, despite whatever kekurangan that we would experience (like what Mak Yah went through….)…
enjoy life as if you will live for a thousand more years, and fear God as if you will die tomorrow…
Life is definitely full of paradox…
p/s... errr Mak Yah... what's with the bedak sejuk...? everytime we see you, always got bedak sejuk one... how comes...? hahaha...
