I got a few …

The Long Balik Kampung Trip

I still remember the time we drove all the way from Taiping to Gombak using the old road. There was no highway back then and the whole trip took about 6 to 8 hours. Very tiring for my dad. For us. it was fun regardless whether there’s a lori balak in front or not. I still remember the huge cassettes, I think the size is about triple the current one. My dad used to play songs from the Beatles and Elvis Presley. On the way back from KL we always stop for a picnic by a waterfall somewhere. I can’t remember exactly where or the name of the place. Small car with basic functions but it was fun. At night I would be the one sleeping on the speakers at the rear window while my sisters sleeps comfortably on the soft car seat.

Now, my kids would scream if we get stuck in a traffic jam even when there’s a DVD player in the car.

Meriam Buluh, Bunga Api and WAR!

My cousin and I were bad boys back then. You know, boys will always be boys, no matter what. There would be war on the night before Raya. It was us against the neighbor across the road. Dush! … Dush! .. Kaboom! and then you would hear.. “Juan …. Sepol, buat apa tu” ha..ha.. I don’t know what our parents would do to us if any of us or our friends got hurt but we were lucky most of the time.

We get to keep our fingers !

Duit Raya

This is the best part of Hari Raya. We would assemble as a group, relatives, cousins and friends, and start moving. Visiting house to house as the first day Raya ritual. We only get a small amount compared to the money our relatives gave us but being with friends was the best part especially when deciding who should make the first move as none wanted to. All were scared to say the Salam, “kau lah, tadi aku dah, ni turn kau pulak” .. “alaa .. rumah lepas ni lah baru aku … aku kenal rumah ni, anak dia cun, satu sekolah ngan aku pulak tu .. malu ah” … but once invited in, all were eager to leave.

Main objective : Duit Raya

Masak Dodol

My late grandfather would upah us with firecrackers to help him to stir his dodol. Ni original ni, masak dodol dalam kawah dengan kayu api. Sesiapa tak biasa, mesti berpeluh-peluh. Nowadays, I don’t think anybody would do this in KL anymore. Al-Fatihah to Atuk Hamzah, semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat dan di tempatkan di kalangan orang-orang beriman. Amin.

Do you have any Raya experienced that you would like to share? Atau ada sesiapa nak post kenangan terindah malam pertama?

p/s
This was originally posted in my old blog.