bring it on

Misery is tiring. I’ve since snapped out of the boo-hoo-hoo-aku-nak-balik-raya mode and am making the best of the situation. It is, after all, what seems likely to be situation for the foreseeable future. My darling Hasbern had very touchingly almost booked 2 flights back for raya for me and Ilhan, but I graciously and and adamantly refused. Susah senang kita bersama…cedey bah!

 

On Sunday we went to Masjid Hepburn again, this time on the dot at 2pm, and guess what…..semua dah habis, the tables were all empty. Makcik Kuih kata pukul 1 petang orang dah tunggu – bila makcik-pakcik jualan keluar kereta terus kena serbu.

 

Oh piluku mengenangkan kuih makmur dan kuih tat yang tak kesampaian.

But Alhamdullillah, ini bulan Ramadhan, and miracles do happen. And somehow a container of kuih makmur magically appeared for me. Ilhan and I finished by by that night.

 

Remember how I said the makcik-makcik Melaka-Christmas Island remind me so much of nenek? I’m not the only one who think so. I met Kak Rani at the mosque (this PhD student from Melaka whom I first met at the ECU musollah), and she also said when she first stepped into the mosque, “berderau darah akak tengok nenek tu.” She pointed to this old nenek whom she said “sebiji macam arwah  nenek akak yang jaga akak dari kecik duluk.”

 

I went to my favourite asian grocery at Beaufort Street just now to get supplies. Ingat nak masak rendang, sambal goreng nenek, serunding mak, kuah kacang mak dan sate goreng mak lang for raya (ambitious betul cik kak). Kat sana terbeliak biji mata aku….

 

Cili hijau - $15.95/kg

Cili merah - $19.95/kg

Lengkuas - $19.95/kg

Bawang merah kecil - $20.95/kg

 

Mak oiiiii……memang ler aku tahu benda-benda ni mahal kat sini, tapi tak pernah aku tengok harganya naik sampai gini macam.  Aku pun ambil lah 2 tangkai cili hijau, 2 tangkai cili merah. Kat freezer tu aku patahkan sebuku lengkuas kecil. Tak payah ler banyak-banyak.

 

Cari daun kunyit dan kerisik takde. Alamak…macam mana nak buat rendang. (Pak) Brahim pun takde, jadi pakai Indofood Rendang Mix pun jadilah.

 

I’ll be working Thursday and Friday, so I guess I’ll start cooking on the day itself. Ni tengah sibuk telefon minta recipe ni.

 

Verily, necessity is the mother of invention, innovation and adaptation J

 

ps: i'm sooooo happy cos i just got a call from a very very old friend, Farah Talib, who's also here (been here for 10 years, apparently). we were close kakis during Mendaki days, but the last time we talked/met was early Sec 4 when living on different ends of the island (she was from TKGS, i was from bt panjang) gave way to the demands of the GCE 'O's. she's got a 2.5-yr old now, and lives in Canning Vale, and tadi dia dah masak rendang dah.....kerisik dia buat sendiri, daun kunyit dia tanam sendiri....Hail The Dewi Dapur!!!

 

pps: Lina...got old photos of us all tak? you, me, farah, farhan?