Raya?

Hey there!! Raya is here again; another reason for me, if not all of us, to stop worrying about homework and all its counterparts. But only for a short while... huh...


Well, let me begin with my journey back home to Kluang. I don't know how to explain it, but I never think of Kluang as my true home. In fact, Kuching always pops out of my mind when people talk about home. The reason? Simple.


Kuching is livelier than Kluang.


Even so, I cannot deny the fact that I have to celebrate my raya in the ever-boring Kluang, since all my family members are there. So, I took a train from KL Sentral. I departed after breaking my fast with Albert and Syafiq Berry at the popular DAWOOOOD. Hehehe...


The trip was normal, like any other 'balik kampung' trip, except that I rode the coach with the beds aligned like what you can find in camps-military camps, to be specific. Other than that, any other abberation was unable to be identified.

Hey, pakcik! Nak g Singapore eh? Hehehe...

Bedtime!!!

Supply for the night: the lovely nescafe and a sleep-restraining bar of choc!!

I have this idiosyncracy; I cannot sleep in a long trip. Kehkeh...

Raya itself? Naaahhh, too boring a topic to be documented here. It's always the mercun, pelita, duit raya, ketupat and whatnot. I understand if you are not familiar with Hari Raya; it's ur own fault. You should go out enjoying your time with your Muslim friends rather than sticking ur eyes on books in your ever-boring room, regardless of your faith. Hehehe...

Actually, I want to specify certain things that makes celebrating raya in Sarawak (Kuching, in particular) different from celebrating raya in Kluang. I must tell you, it's very, very different. Very different. Very different!! Hehehe...





Difference No.1: The Food and Drinks

Raya in Kluang: Not much variety. It's always rendang, lodeh, ketupat, nasi himpit, and lemang. The drinks are normally syrup bandung, cordial orange, and occasionally ribena.

Rating: 2/5

Raya in Kuching: A lot! Not only can you find all those stated above, but you can expect a gamut of food, ranging from mee laksa penang, laksa Sarawak, mee kolok, rendang, ayam masak merah, ayam masak kicap, and much, much more! The most glaring difference is the drinks; you will never ever find cordial drinks (oren tikam, as the society fonds of calling it), instead vibrants colors of carbonated drinks await you in every houses. The biscuits and cakes there are more colorful that those of Kluang... Yeah, on the first place, life in Kluang is soooo boring that it affects the food. Kehkehkeh...


Rating: 4/5





Difference No.2: DUIT RAYA

Raya in Kluang: Heaven!!! Almost 95% of the houses that you visit will give you duit raya or angpau!! The least would be 50 cents, and it can go up to RM5 per house. Hey, don't get me wrong, okeh? This assertion is predicated on my siblings' complaints. I've never been visiting the neighbours since I moved to Kluang. Don't forget the issue; Kluang is BooooRiing... And the relatives are just benevolent, kind-hearted, and grandiloquent!! You can expect rm300+ if yo are celebrating raya here. Hehehe...


Rating: 5/5!!!


Raya in Kuching: This is a major difference about celebrating raya in Kluang and Kuching. Here, people just seldomly give duit raya, unless you are a close relative, or the benefactor just have a lot of money that he doesn't know where to spend it. Hehehe... It's just hard to get more than RM100 if you are celebrating raya in Kuching just by visiting neighbours. Advice: be more 'muka tebal' and ask for a packet of angpau from each house that you visit. Hehehe...


Rating: 2/5




Difference No.3: The People

Raya in Kluang: Needless to say, life there is affected holistically by the way of living; Kluang is a quiet, somnolent, and eerie place to live in. So, people there are less friendly than those that you find in Kuching. Also, it's very very rare to find people of different races visiting each other during festive seasons - raya is no exception. So, the spirit of celebrating raya will die out in less than 24 hours. Believe me. I even opened my reading textbook on the first night of raya. That... is unbelieveable! Hehehe...


Rating: 2/5




Raya in Kuching: Totally the opposite!! You may expect people socializing until late at night!!! Singing, playing outside, gossiping, having reunion, eating non-stop - it's what raya is all about! Get together with friends and family and enjoy the precious time!! I just miss everything in Sarawak... Arrrgh!!!! Even my family members in Sarawak are much friendlier than those in Kluang... Huaaa...


Rating: 4/5





Warning: This anecdote is predicated on personal experience and observations for a sweet 18 years, okeh? If you disagree, you can post your comments, but keep in mind that the differences are based on my opinion, okeh?


Left: My first successfully crafted ketupat case!; Right: Angpau packets I received this year.
















~Selamat Hari Raya to everyone!!!~