Pengkalan Kubor

After much discussion, we decided that it was best if I did the driving to Pengkalan Kubor, with Puan Anita, her parents, the boys and the maids. The drivers were left behind at the hotel, and they spent the whole day venturing around Kota Bharu, doing shopping of their own.

We set off early, and arrived at the Duty Free Zone before 11 am. Traffic was easy, and despite today being a public holiday, the place was still empty. Anita wanted to buy some presents for her cuisine for tomorrow's wedding, while I was on the hunt for some replica football shirt. The Spanish colors to be exact.

Unfortunately they only had Small and XL available, so I ended up buying some rugby jersey instead and some gym shorts. The maids were the ones doing most of the shopping. Our maid is finishing her contract in 3 months and would be returning for good, while her niece who works for my in-laws would be staying on. When we got back to the van, I could see some blankets and crockeries which she bought.

It was getting really hot by midday, and good thing that we got most of the shopping done by then. We headed back to Kota Bharu for lunch, and at my Dad-in-law's request, we went to Hover in town. More on that later ....

Day for Exploration

What's the plan for today. Puan Anita, her Mum, the maids and the drivers wanted to go shopping at Pengkalan Kubur. And if all of them went, and I wanted to follow, I'll probably have to sit on the roof. Looks like I would be missing out this trip. But that's OK, Puan Anita could do the shopping for the two of us!

I'll probably be hanging around at the hotel with my Dad-in-law. Armed with my X100, I think I'm going to take a walk, do a bit of street photography and exploring. That should be great .....

Let's roll!

The Friday Sermon

It was refreshing to attend Jumaat Prayers in Kelantan for a change. The mosque tended to be bigger. The crowd a lot bigger as well, but more friendly. The places tended to be more comfortable. And since Friday is a public holiday, there were less hassle and bustle.

But this entry was not about that, but about the sermon. In KL, they all to a certain extend tended to be political, or at least, you could tell that it had been vetted by somebody from the Government Office. They tended to comment about what the Prime Minister did the week before, or anything related to the current political weather.

I'm not saying that the PAS Government, or the Jabatan Agama Islam had no say about what the khatib said - the khatib today read his sermon from a piece of paper - but what was said was a lot more relevant. Something you could relate with.

For example today, the sermon was about the coming school holidays, and the importance to take the children out for holidays during the school break, rather than cramp them with homework, or put them in camps and tuition. Sound advise if I may add.

There was not a single mention about politics. Everything was positive, and polite. We could do with some of this in KL .....

Done with Aqiqah

Alhamdulillah. The plan fell into place and now, even the mess had been cleared. The boys wanted pizza after the event, and now we were waiting for the delivery. The lamb curry was not their cup of tea unfortunately.

The food was great, and throng of people came from the Tahfiz - around 50 in the end. The recital took close to an hour, during which time the boys were occupied by their cousins.

Irfan and Idlan came down in time to distribute the gifts, which they did with aplomb. The food was also really nice, the lamb kuzi and ayam percik among others. I have yet to have a proper lunch and would do so soon. Bon apetit.

Aqiqah Is Set

Everything is now set. Even the food from the caterer and the Aqiqah dish were already delivered to my Aunt's house. And it was not even time for the Jumaat Prayers yet. Things looked to be running smooth this morning. Alhamdulillah.

The weather was also very warm. With no sign of rain. To hot and sunny maybe.

We just got confirmation from the Ustaz from the Tahfiz that they would come over right after the prayers, followed by the recitals and doa', and then the food. I just worried that the boys from the Tahfiz - they were going to be 30 boys all together - would be hungry while reciting. The Ustaz insisted however that we only eat after.

At least, the Aqiqah were sorted. After this, it would be the preparation for the Aqad Nikah and wedding on Sunday.