HARI RAYA CELEBRATIONS 2009

Well, it was an extremely tiring day ... as usual, but I hoped everyone in the family enjoyed themselves. As from the many pictures (that I have managed to take this year), you can see the happy family that we have. Though our family is far from perfect, we never fail to have a good time & we always revel in the closeness. Hope we can stay close, for many years to come!

By this time also, I was rather sick but I had to suck it in & forced myself to enjoy the day, as I don't wanna spoil the day for anyone, especially for my son, Ryan. I must have contracted the stomach flu from Ryan & though I'm extremely glad that my son had recovered (except for a lingering cough), I felt like a sick chicken. I wasn't really up for the celebrations but I knew ... the day had to go on. Oh well! I wasn't gonna die that day ... so might as well enjoy it, haha!

We were all in red this year (well variations of red, I guess). I started the day with shots of my munchkin, on the bed. He was raring to go! Though he does not really understand the significance of Hari Raya, he knew something was going on when I dressed him in the red shiny outfit. He kept smiling & even said "nice" ... but soon after he realised that the outfit made him perspire, he kept muttering "change Bumbee" - he wanted to get out of his baju kurung outfit & into his Bumble Bee T-shirt that was hanging nearby. I told him - no, no Bumbee today, tomorrow ok? He didn't look pleased at all! Well, what can you do ... I know most kids can't stand wearing the baju kurungs because its long sleeved & pants combo, together with the usually thick material made the outfit a "torture" to wear for most t-shirt & bermudas wearing teenagers. But its been a tradition to wear the bajus during Hari Raya & that's not about to change anytime soon.

I personally don't fancy wearing the baju but I wear it - once a year, just to celebrate the happy occasion of Hari Raya. Yep, I'm not your usual baju kurung clad Malay gal, who relishes wearing the traditional dress of the Malays. I'm more of the T-shirt & pants variety, if you may. Well, I recently found out that my Hubby actually likes to see me wearing the traditional baju kurung (??!) ... Errm ... who is this man & where did he come from ??! After close to 2 decades with him, I only found this out a few months ago. Hhmm ... must be a new development, I guess. Well, Hubby must be in "purgatory" then coz I only wear the baju kurung about once a year ... haha! Maybe I should wear it more often ... now! Well, we'll see ....

My boy smiling away!

Father & son (plus Starscream, in little one's hand)

Errm ... don't know why I took this pic so lop-sided.

Ah! This one's better!

Mother & son (yes! still with Starscream in tow)

Now at my younger sis place, waiting for the whole gang to arrive. Surprisingly, we were very early this year but it was intentional (as we were always the last to arrive the past 2 years).

They look so adorable together!

Ryan looking cute! Notice Hubby's feet in the foreground.

Hubby getting ready to catch the ball thrown by Ryan.

Here's Ryan, getting ready to throw the ball!

Papa ... there's something in my mouth!

Being cheeky as usual.

Playing with the digicam cover .. again!

See Ryan's hair ... blown by the fan ... or was it the wind?

Errmm ... Mama, I'm sooo bored! Can we go home now?

Papa ... let's play over there!

The gang finally arrived!

The kiddies hanging around.

Hubby ... standing tall!

My brother's family having a go at my mom's delicious cooking, while the chef herself (dearest mum) looks on with pride ... urging everyone to eat more, eat more!

My dad ... in the kitchen.

Ryan playing with his cousins, whilst Hubby looks out for them.

My boy, posing for me.

I'm here Mama!

Ryan, showing his cousin, Shauqi, his favourite - Starscream.

Ayra ... looks bored here. She has the straw plastic cover in her mouth.

Still enjoying the food.

A good pic of my two boys together.

My "hero" nephew, Shafiq ... sitting for his PSLE exams this year. I hope he does well in his exams. Hubby & me promised him a reward if he manages 4 A's ... yes yes I know ... its a lot to ask of any kid. But we can hope & dream, can't we ... as we all want our kids to do well in their studies. This is no exception!

My parents ... I don't know why mum looked so glum in most of this year's photos ... hhmmm, maybe she's just tired ... I hope thats all it was.

Everyone sitting around.

My brother & his lovely wife. My SIL is a hardworking, tireless mum who takes care of her 4 boys ... with lots of patience & love. Sometimes I wonder where she gets her strength & energy ... Me? I get tired taking care of just 1 kid!

Finally, a family potrait!

A close-up of the three of us!

My cuddly nephew Fuddin, sitting around.

Some of the boys in the family.

More boys ...

Fuddin, wrestling with the giant Barney.

Me & my mum (at least mum is smiling here).

Ooh! The two red lovers!

Me & my adorable niece, Ayra (Don't I look gigantic compared to her ... haha!)

My brother & family.

This was supposed to be a pic of only the adult ladies in the family. But ... as usual, my munchkin & my niece, Ayra ... had to have a go at the photo too ... oh well, why not?

Grandma with Ayra & Ryan.

Ayra with Ryan. They had a similar pose last year ... haha!

Ryan, trying to look dainty?

My parents, with their grandson, the huggable Fuddin.

Uncle Asni, has a photo op with his mum & nephew (whilst Grandpa is in the background).

Hubby got a photo of Ryan, giving me a hug ... awww!

Papa ... you have teeth!

Ryan, sitting on his Papa's lap. My uncle is in the background.

Walking to my aunt's place.

They look so cute together. Whenever we bring Ayra with us on our outings, a lot of strangers mistaken Ayra & Ryan as siblings. I guess I do see the similarities ... although they are only cousins.

Two best friends ... walking on Hari Raya!

UPDATE ON RYAN'S VOCAB

The list goes on ...

220. Tele-fone (telephone)
221. Sound
222. Song
223. Tools ("Handy Manny" set of tools)
224. Dun work (Don't work - when something doesn't work/spoils)
225. (Pa, Ma) What you doing? (Papa/Mama ... What are you doing?
226. Mine
227. My
228. Me
229. Give me!
230. My tata (My prata)
231. Seat
232. My seat
233. Turn
234. My turn
235. Pace (Space)
236. A
237. B
238. KFC (the fast food restaurant)
239. I dun wan KFC (I don't want to eat at KFC)
240. When Papa come back? (When will Papa be back home?)
241. Where Papa go? (Where's Papa?)
242. But-er-fly (butterfly)
243. Ka-chawk (cockroach)
244. Mau (the sound a cat makes)
245. Baby
246. Baby bird
247. Mummy bird
248. Bum-bee (Bumble Bee from the Transformers)
249. Starscream (from the Transformers)
250. Ionhide (Ironhide from the Transformers)
251. Mem-mem coming! (a scene from the Transformers when the robots were dropping from the sky like meteorites)
252. What doin ... Pa/Ma? (What are you doing, Pa/Ma?)
253. Ow, pain pain (Ouch! pain)
254. Press
255. Feet
256. Peanut
257. Pa why stop? (Papa, why did you stop? - when hubby stops at a traffic light/junction)
258. I can't see
259. Its dark
260. Big world (from "Little People Big World" reality series)
261. Big water (pond/beach/swimming pool)
262. Dopped (dropped)
263. Fall
264. Jump high, jump low
265. Up down, up down (from cartoon "Little Einsteins")
266. Mozzie (monster from "World World" ... haha! don't ask me why)
267. Straw
268. Moon
269. Cheek
270. Ee-hor (Eyehore from "My Friends Tigger & Pooh")
271. Water (he used to call it ter, he's improved since)
272. Cartoon
273. I wan watch cartoon (I want to watch cartoon)
274. Cuse me! (Excuse me!)
275. Open light (switch on the lights)
276. Wipe
277. Mickey (Mickey Mouse)
278. Minnie (Minnie Mouse)
279. Mouse (from toon "Animal Mechanicals")
280. Uni-con (Unicorn from toon "Animal Mechanicals")
281. Herro (Hello)
282. No bathe
283. No cut hair (when he doesn't want a hair cut)
284. Hug
285. Mama hug (haha ... when he wants a hug from me)
286. Bag
287. Big bag
288. Wite (write)
289. I wite (I write)
290. Phone
291. Meg-tron (Megatron from the Transformers)

RYAN'S A-OK!

Woohoo!!! My baby has finally recovered! Just in time for the long-weekend celebrations! I'm just relieved ... really, mainly because now that Ryan's well, me & hubby can heave a huge sigh of relief.

Eventhough we don't celebrate Hari Raya like most average (typical) Malay families, I do indulge (& encourage) some rather old-fashioned practices - like colour co-ordinationg our Raya outfits, eating lots of yummy food & new year goodies, giving out modest "ang pows" to the kiddies & house visiting some close relatives. Errm ... that's about it! Haha! I'm not one to hang decor or colourful bling-bling lights (though I like seeing them on other people's home), nor cooking those fantastic Hari Raya dishes because I'm not a very good cook.

Now that I have a son, I see it as my duty (as a Muslim & Malay parent) to raise & "teach" Ryan (in my small way), a part of his culture & heritage, how Hari Raya is a very important & special occasion for us, Malays. Eventhough Ryan is half Malay, I've never considered him a (full) Malay, neither is he a (full) Chinese. I guess as a bi-racial child, Ryan lives in a world that is neither here nor there. Since he is a mixture of two races, he has to immerse himself in both cultures & heritage. As a Muslim, I want him to grow up, never forgetting his religion nor his roots but I also don't want him to ignore or abandon his (father's) Chinese roots. As a child with a Chinese surname & a Malay-Muslim name, Ryan carries this burden with him ... all his life. As a parent, I will be there for him .. to guide & protect but ultimately, he is a bearer of two cultures, he is his own man. Oops! I'm digressing again ....

Eventhough we celebrate with new outfits & delicious food, we must never forget that its a celebration after a month of deprivation ... oops! fasting. Its also to celebrate the coming & arrival of the beautiful month of Syawal! Its also a time to spring-clean the (dusty) house, clear unwanted & redundant junk-stuff & at times buys new things for decorating the home. Its also a time to seek forgiveness from our loved ones, family & friends.

As a child, I used to silently chuckle when my parents (especially my mum & maternal aunts) shed a tear (or many) when they carried out the forgiveness thingy. Haha! how life bites you on the butt - hard! Now as an adult, I basically do the same thing. Yep, I tear ... & though I don't go into hysterics & stuff, its enough to see the irony of it. As a child, you never understood the significance of the seeking of forgiveness, as people usually excuse the antics of a child as sheer childishness or just a part of growing up. But as grown ups, we have plenty of forgiveness to seek & some forgiving to do to. Forgiving someone else also frees your heart, for other more beautiful things. Being able to forgive & let go of the past, is cleansing & empowering, for the forgiver. It also gives peace of mind to the one seeking forgiveness.

Hell, I am no angel ... & though I seek forgiveness from my loved ones, the one I seek forgiveness most is ... God. Eventhough life has been tough these couple of years, I am always grateful to God ... for the many blessings in my life. I still have a roof over my head, I have a beautiful & healthy child, I have a hardworking & loving hubby, I have a wonderful extended family who is always there for moral support, I have my parents with us. There are times that I feel a need to do more in the name of religion or be closer to God, but I know that I'm (really) not there yet. Maybe ... in the future, who knows! Sometimes its hard to teach your child about his religion, when you (as a parent) are not even well versed or (remotely) religious in the first place. I try, whenever I can but I know its (usually) not nearly enough. I need to be a better example to my son ... & hubby. That is the "burden" that I have to bear. I am aware of my heavy responsibilities but I am far from being an example (not even a half-baked one) ... not to mention a good one. Maybe by next year, I will have more to ponder on ... but until then, I will trudge as best I can ... like I always do!

If I don't get the chance (which I doubt), ...

"SELAMAT HARI RAYA KEPADA SEMUA YANG DI SAYANGI & DI HORMATI. MAAF ZAHIR & BATIN."

One thing for sure, I will definitely enjoy this weekend's scrumptious menu, as my Mum is preparing her Hari Raya (worth-its-weight-in-gold) specialities. This year it includes the elusive & ultra delish Beef Rendang (which she hasn't made for many years) & the (seldom-seen) Sambal Goreng ... YUM-MY! I know its a lot of hard work for her (& my dad) to prepare the many special dishes for the whole family to enjoy but I really do appreciate & look forward to it ... every year! I've never even tried to cook my mum's recipes coz I know I will fail (ever so) miserably & it will never even come close to the mark! My mum is the best cook ever & I always never fail to over-eat (as usual)... when it comes to her fantastic cooking. All this food talk is making me hungry ... haha!

OK, let's get ready to eat!

MY BABY'S S-I-C-K !

We have been having a very tough week or so as my baby is very very sick ... with high fever (reaching 41 degrees) & stuff. Don't really have the mood to blog much, just a simple update. Hari Raya's coming ... but I'm not really in the mood ... sigh! I guess I'm too pre-occupied with getting my son well again, that everything else is secondary.

Hope Ryan will recover in time for the New Year's celebration. Meanwhile, I am bloody exhausted & all that is ringing in my head is Ryan's ever-constant whining ... yes, my cutie-pie whines ... like there's no tomorrow (on most normal healthy days) & basically its in overdrive, now that he's super sick. I am but Ryan's humble servant ... but I take it all. Sometimes my patience runs thin (very thin) but I keep telling myself that its just a phase ... because he's sick, that he's being EXTRA whiny. Oh God! I really hope its just a phase.

Please pray for Ryan's health & for my sanity. Talk to you guys ... very soon!

YEP! RYAN IS STILL A BOY ...

Ermm ... I know you've heard me say this before, but Ryan is really a BOY! Lest some people forget, my son was born a male & will always be a male. Why am I so full of it? Because even at the ripe ol' age of 2 & a half years old, Ryan is still constantly being mistaken as a GIRL! A girl!??! Can you believe it?

Maybe when Ryan was much younger ... well, maybe its kinda alright (& rather acceptable), when people always mistaken him for a girl because as babies, some girls look like boys & boys look like girls. When they are babies, & their hair is very short or non-existent (botak), its easy to mistake a baby girl for a boy. But as a toddler, isn't it much easier to spot a boy from a girl? I never dressed Ryan like a girl & he's very much a boyish boy, rough & tumble kinda kid. He's mostly in T-shirts or sleeveless tops & shorts-bermudas-long pants combo. So where does the girly part come in? I really don't know! Haha! ... I think these strangers really need to "sharpen their eyes" or clean their prescription glasses, when they leave their homes.

Oh another thing that makes Ryan obviously a little boy ... his haircut. Doesn't it look like a boy's cut? Do most girls go round having a very short haircut like his? Isn't it obvious that Ryan's a boy from the way his hair looks? Ok ... his hair is not as trim as his Daddy's ... not because we don't want it that way. Its because Ryan screams & cries like there's no tomorrow, whenever he gets a haircut at home (courtesy from his parents). Its virtually impossible to get him to enter a barber or hair salon & frankly speaking we have never even tried, for fear that Ryan will throw the mother of tantrums in the salon & we will end up wasting time & money (when we have to walk out - without the haircut)! I wanted to shave his head for the longest time (with Hubby's support, of course) so that it will take a longer time for his hair to grow into an unmanageable mess but my mum has been on my case - not to do it, saying that it will look awful on him. Arrgh!

Even if a kid looks kinda sweet (which Ryan does, I know), don't they look at the kid's dressing or clothes? I mean if I had a girl, do you think I will dress her constantly in T-shirts & pants, with colours like blue, red, green & yellow (Ryan's new fav colour coz of Bumble Bee)? If I had a girl, I would definitely dress her in cute little skirts, girly blouses, colourful feminine dresses, grow her hair & put barrettes & clips & ribbons up, let her wear tons of pink-everything ... isn't that what most mum's do, when they are blessed with little girls?

Eventhough Steve & me always wanted a baby girl, we have been blessed with our beautiful son, Ryan. And though I miss out on decking my only child in frills & pinks, I still revel at dressing up my kid, whenever I can. I like to dress Ryan in cheerful hues (especially since he's very fair) & most bright colours look good on him. Hehe ... I also tend to go overboard with the camouflage prints ... which I am actually amazed that I am rather obsessed with (since Hubby is already in the military & we see it everyday ... duh!). Ryan has quite a few pants in camo ... haha!

When I wanted to purchase yet another camo pants recently ...

Hubby said ..."Another one? He has so many, right?"

.... & I had to defend my lame choice, by saying "But its so cute, mah" ...

Oh well ... I decided to listen to the voice of reason & told the patient sales assistant that I didn't want to buy the pants coz Hubby didn't like it ... shucks!

(Not to worry, I will get another chance, next time ... hehe!)

Does this look like a girl to you?

Does he look girly-girl at all?

ITS NOT BUMBLE BEE ... IT'S STAR SCREAM!

This was the outing to Takashimaya, to try & see if we can purchase my son's new craze, Bumble Bee. We have been searching high & low for the elusive toy - at Kiddy Palace, Toys R Us, Metro & other small stores. Finally we thought of Takashimaya (which stocks a good range of kids toys, albeit rather expensive ones), as we still have some unused vouchers from there. So off we went on that day!

A back view of my two boys, whilst walking to Ngee Ann City to look for the Transformers at Takashimaya S C. We always never park at NAC as it costs a bomb, I remembered paying about 8 bucks for about two hours of stay (awhile back). Duh! might as well use that sum of money for better things, right?

Here we are (at nearby Burger King) after purchasing the Transformers. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to find the mid-sized Bumble Bee, only the tiny one. So we purchased that for Ryan. As the vouchers were in denominations of ten & the Bum Bee was $ 11.90, we decided to get him another figurine. As expected, he chose Star Scream, which transforms into a fighter jet. Infact, awhile back we bought for Ryan the Transformers first movie's Star Scream, which is world's apart from the figurine from 2nd instalment of the movie. What a difference a few years made! I guess Ryan didn't know that its the same figurine. I don't think it mattered to him though ... he just liked anything that flies. Even after I tried to influence him to get an Optimus Prime (which I like), he refused to budge & insisted on his Star Scream. Sigh ... so Star Scream it is, my dear boy!

I don't always have photos of myself taken, as I'm always the one behind the digicam (& I hate my photos being taken). This time round (dunno why) Hubby decided to get several shots of me & the little one. Errm ... notice how our outfits "merged" with the Burger King's (red decor) background? Haha .... it wasn't intentional, though the pics turned out rather well.

Ryan playing with his Star Scream.

A dreamy look from Ryan.

All smiles!

Ryan giving me an impish look. Can you see the red mark (still) on his cheek? Courtesy of his visit to Polliwogs, the day before.

Hubby concentrating hard, in order to transform Bumble Bee into a Corvette.

Now its Star Scream's turn to transform.

Please excuse the (obvious) double chin on the adult. Please look at the cute toddler instead. Thank you for your kind consideration!

Look at the happiness on this child's face ... it makes everything worth it, doesn't it?

POLLIWOGS - PLAYTIME

Whilst browsing blogland, I discovered a kids indoor playground at East Coast Beach. This place is relatively new (just a couple of months old), so most of their equipment look brand new. It was sweltering hot outside & we didn't really plan to let Ryan play there ... just wanted to drop by & check it out.

When we got there, Ryan's eyes were sooo big. He was excited just looking at the playground. Hubby wasn't very keen on it (though he was the one who suggested driving there, after I told him of this place). Well, after looking at my son's pleading eyes, I caved in. The thing about this place is - you need socks to play in the area & of course we came unprepared. So how? They provided socks - for $3 a pair. And because Ryan is too young (& too small) to be alone in the playground, Hubby had to accompany him. So we HAD to purchase 2 socks - well, that's 6 bucks gone (yah, we get to keep them, since we did pay for them). I wish I had known about the socks requirements, I would have bought our own & saved us some money ... arrgh!

Anyway, here are the pics of father & son. The playtime was about an hour & a half. So by the time it was over, Hubby was dead tired (poor thing). Ryan was tired too ... but (as expected) he cried a little when its times to go home. Its his first time at an (proper) indoor playground, so I guessed he really enjoyed himself & didn't want to leave the place.

Oops! Ryan landed on the floor.

Ryan in the ball-pit. You can see here, Hubby wearing the ugly maroon coloured (new) socks. Notice also his sweat-stained shirt ... perspiring hard, running after his boy.

Peace away!

Father & son, playing with many many balls!

Ryan practising his ball-throwing skills.

Ryan pulling his Papa's hand ... to the next station.

Going round & round. You can see Ryan's red coloured socks here (they were too big for him).

He went into the ball-pit again (his favourite).

Notice by this time, Ryan had a large red swell (that looked like a stain) on his right cheek ... he got it whilst playing inside.

Looking like he's really enjoying himself.

The other side of the playground.

They dwelled awhile, inside the "obstacle" course.

A last pose, before departing.

Overall, Ryan enjoyed himself thoroughly. Its a good place to bring the kiddies coz I'm sure most kids will enjoy their time there. My only complaint - its DAMN expensive. So I don't really expect us to return here very often, as its not economical for us to do so. The place is actually very comfortable, they've got plenty of designer-like mini sofas & chairs for the parents or family to enjoy the air-conditioned comfort. They also provide plenty of good reading materials (magazines) & surprise, surprise ... there's an area where free tea, coffee & even cappuccino is provided. There's also a vending machine that sells snacks & tit-bits. I'm glad Ryan enjoyed himself. Yeah! score one for the parents!

P.S : I have the place info somewhere, will update the details if I can find it.

JUST SOME RANDOM PICS

... of my boy, yet again ... haha! I never tire of them I'll tell you ... though I can understand if others are .. hehe! I can't help it. I whip out my digicam every opportunity I can coz I don't ever want to miss those special moments. How do I know that it'll be a special moment? I don't really ... but I usually just take a "gamble" & snap away.

After doing this for a couple of years (since Ryan's arrival), I realised that a lot of times the candid & "un-posed" pics are the ones that are usually more memorable. Being spontaneous, it usually gets the subject matter (especially a squirmy toddler like Ryan) at his most natural. I have managed to get a lot of cute & adorable photos of my boy this way. If I had chosen to go the "boring-posey" way, I would have missed out on a lot of gems. And though these random pics entries are many & varied, each & every one of them is special to me.

Happy browsing everyone !

At the foodcourt, eating ... this time Ryan was sitting in the baby-chair (something that he's refused for quite a while, preferring to sit on the "normal" chairs.

Pointing away.

Admiring a simple straw.

A serious look?

Playing with the digicam cover ... yet again.

P.S : This is the start of a string of back-dated posts. Please bear with me as I try to get everything up-to-date.