So Long Our Little Hut

To those who frequent our house would remember this little hut which never fails to welcome its guests. It holds to lots of our family memories. The elder girls especially have such fond moments together under our little hut. Playing dolls, pets, colouring, painting name it...

As we are getting ready to move on to a new place, we decided to give away our little hut to a new owner. The hut was built by HB & it is a sentimental value to us. To transport it to the new house is possible but no longer practical. Hence passing it to our dear neighbour whom we know will take good care of our dear hut.

With our little pondok in the background. Carrying Nadeen at 8 months

Our hut hosted lots of the girls birthday parties. These 2 photos were during the last birthdays celebrated. We normally have 2 celebrations each year. Wardah & Yasmin in Feb, Balqis & Nadeen in Dec.

Feb last year

Dec 2010. We had the younger girls' at McD last year because we were already busy packing.

Now here go the pictures when we shifted the pondok to its new place...

This was the tricky part... There was a slope that hindered.

Zaki, our neighbour, the new owner of our little hut was leading the movement

Off it went...

A smooth ride...

Another challenged moment... To transport it across the big drain

This mini forklift was a great help...

The plan was to forklift it the other side... but failed.

Hence the manpower of 6 men...

Good job boys!!

Its new place

The girls seem satisfied with the new place. May it build more fond memories with the new family. So long our little hut... You'll be missed.

Tamil Nadu, India - Day 4

No! Don't scroll down yet. You have not missed a post. I made a mistake with the days sequence (didn't realise I used parts instead of days at my day 3...). Edited the title to the other posts & here we are at day .

We slept like a log. It was a refreshing morning but for our troop of 6 to be on time for breakfast with everyone else was like a miracle ;-) 6 persons taking turns using 1 bathroom is time consuming indeed! Though the elder girls opted for their grandparents' bathroom, we were still late... OK! OK! Woke up late. Our fault... Hehehe!

Had breakfast. How excited the girls were to have koko krunch, sausages & toast that morning. Even I enjoyed my continental breakfast.

Us having breakfast

Well... I can spot Kak Yasmin, Kak Wardah & Hadi in this picture. So this must be your hand Balqis!! Too big to be Nadeen's...

An attempt to swallow all the rock sugar on the tray!

Cousin Riaz (Aunt Mumtaz's & Uncle Ibrahim's son) dropped by the hotel right after we were done with breakfast. He was working in Chennai & took the day off to spend sometime with us.

The itinerary of the day was not other than shopping!! Woohoo.. I like! Uncle was taking us to a textile shop. I was trying my best to cover my excitement but I guess this shot by Balqis gave it away... :-D

Yes, Balqis had shown interests to use the bulky cam! The problem was... once Balqis had gotten hold of something, her little sis would want the same. Glad that Nadeen agreed to have the point & shoot instead...

These shots were taken when Yasmin had the possession of the dslr. I didn't even realised when she snapped these.

Yasmin's shot..

Since Yasmin is in the picture, who made this shot? It was Uncle! Good Job... :-)

We boarded the same mini bus to take all of us shopping. Everyone was really in a good mood. I managed to capture these on our way to the shops.

Our destination was at.....

I love this place! It housed varieties in one roof. Almost all the things I planned to get I got them here. Air-conditioned, prices were fixed (no ridiculous prices for us tourists) & guaranteed for qualities...

These security guards offered for their photos to be snapped ;-)

I managed to get cotton material... Isn't the best cotton come from India? So the theme next raya will be cotton, shades of orange & Porthys mari ;-) HB loves his Kurta. Yes, that one is in cotton as well. Even the Saree I fell in love with was in cotton silk!

I had in mind to get the girls some ready made blouses & long skirts for Yasmin. But dear Balqis had already set her mind of what to get. Obviously she had been admiring the attires her cousins put on & once she saw the one she loved, she didn't want to look at others. I am still not sure of what it's called.... Churidar is it? A long blouse worn in long pants. But it is really the shawl that captured her heart. She put it on & it looked great on her. Really! ;-)

When HB saw Balqis in the Indian attire, he told his other girls to choose one too. It surprised me that even Yasmin (who kind of picky of what she wears) didn't hesitate & started looking for the one she liked.

At the fitting room, we were the only customers there who were guarded with a personal security. Hahaha! It was either she was scared of us shop lifting or she was entertained by me handling those girls. In the end, apart from the blouses & skirts they chose we ended up with all the girls with a Churidar (right?). Nadeen, I got her a 2 pieces of blouse & skirt, heavy with beadings. It was her choice & she too looked good in her choice.

They came out from the fitting rooms wearing their new unpaid Indian clothing with their own clothes stuffed in the shopping bags ;-) Well... that should explain the security concerns. Once, I was done with the girls, I passed them to their grandparents & I continued what I had too ;-)

At this point, there were only the men babysitting the young ones. The ladies were still at it ;-) Look at Yasmin & her new attire. Great choice!

Nadeen, modeling hers :-)

My MIL had retired from her shopping & Balqis there was looking annoyed but I was still at it ;-)

At last with a heavy heart I had to bid farewell to Porthys. I could see my SIL was having trouble parting too :-) She was leaving for KUL that night but I still had another 2 days to spend in Chennai. But HB made it clear that it was the only day we were shopping... The day after would be sight seeing :-(

We stopped for lunch. It didn't thrill me much when the ride put a halt to this restaurant... Whenever I travel, I prefer to taste the local food.

A pose with Auntie Parween

My love affair with auntie continued ;-)

It was lunch time & the place was really a hit! Section closed girls...

Managed to get a table, 4 to be exact... & we had a feast. Little did I know how I missed home. After 5 days in India, nasi kandar really made my day!

... sirap limau too!

Tata entertaining his young grandchildren

HB with cousin Riaz

A family portrait

On the way back we stopped at a few small shops for souvenirs. Uncle was always around to guide us so our price was for the locals ;-) Everyone retired to their rooms to pack since they were catching the flight home & Uncle with Auntie were leaving for Thanjavur once they sent off the others to the airport.

I had a peaceful time re-admiring the stuff I bought because the girls were at Tata's room. Decided to join them & I found them snapping pictures using the point & shoot. They were loads but too bad we lost it on our way to the airport the day after...

When it was time, we all gathered at the lobby & here are the photos shot...

It was time for them to leave. We sent them to the mini bus. Auntie Parween was no longer talking at this point. It was hard for her to say goodbye & it was not easier for me.

Just look at her in this picture. I dropped a tear seeing her so devastating like that. When she asked "You, remember me?", it hit me. How will I forget you Auntie dear... You had been way too wonderful to us!

This was uncle playing translator again :-) See Nadeen aiming the cam at her Tata?

Once they left Nadeen was in a bad mood. She was tired... I tried to have a shot of all of them together in their Indian attire before they changed but Nadeen wanted to be the one taking photos, not the one posing..

Anyhow, I tried my luck again when we were in the room...

Hmmm... was crying for something which I can's recall

Managed to get her in the mood but Wardah & Balqis were distracted!

At last! Though Nadeen lost her posing charm :-)

*to be continued

Tamil Nadu, India - Day 3

It was our last morning in Thanjavur. Due to our late night chat & playing Kajol (parading in Sarees which I felt like being Kajol, my old time fav Hindi character ;-)), we (my SIL, Sajitha & I) didn't get enough sleep at all! Hahaha.... Served us right! But once awoke & switched to Mommy Mode... Sleepy Mode was forgotten.

Our luggage was half way done. We needed to get all the girls ready first then only we could pack up everything. I was the last to leave Sajitha's room & its condition looked satisfactory to me :-) Right Sajitha? ;-)

Everyone was ready by the time I reached downstairs. Found dear Sajitha in the dining room but the look she was wearing that morning was unlike last night. We were to part at Uncle's house. She had baby Ameera to tend to & the long journey back to Chennai would not be suitable for both mother & daughter.

I hated to see her like that. It was definitely not a farewell yet my dear! We had to pose for the camera first... :-) And that was what we did. At least that cheered her up a bit..

All of us with Uncle's family

My girls & HB with uncle's family

So Sajitha dear... you now have an instant brother & sister ;-)

With her sis, sis in law & nieces

We promised to have breakfast at Auntie Aysha's but did you think Auntie Parveen would allow us leave her house with empty stomachs? Never! Had a very light breakfast instead. Our favourite... Vadey!

A pose of our henna project the night before

At last it was finally time to go. My heart felt heavy but I managed to hold the tears & so did she... We were granted the chance to bid farewell which was an evidence that we had the opportunity to meet & get really acquainted.

Goodbye my dear. Remember that we are just a click away ;-)

Nadeen Kutty (as addressed by Sajitha) sure was perplexed that morning seeing us like that...

A pose in front of Uncle's

The journey to Papanasam was rather quiet. Perhaps it was still too early or everyone was thinking of how difficult it would be to bid farewell to the others at Aunt Aysha's.

Once we reached her house what awaited was as promised... breakfast. We had idly, tosai, kurma, vadey & desserts.

Our breakfast spread (Oh yes... Sprite for breakfast! That sure made my girls' day! ;-))

One thing unique about Auntie Aysha's house was the staircase. In fact once home,whenever mentioned of the big houses in India, the question followed would be " Ada tangga macam cerita Hindustan tak?";-) Of course we didn't miss the chance to pose at the staircase. Though they did not descend from the middle, hers was dramatic enough for us :-)

The children

The ladies

The men

Though how much we tried to drag the time, we had no choice but to go. The journey to Chennai was way too long to postpone any longer.

My calm self-control was moved upon seeing my FIL hugging her elder sister, Auntie Aysha. Of all his sisters I noticed that Auntie Aysha was so fond of her new found brother. Parting was very difficult.

Well at least my SIL was happy posing chin to chin with Shameem who looked pretty much like her.

Off to the mini bus

Till we meet again...Thank you for such incredible hospitality. It was completely amazing!

In the ride, everyone continued talking about this cousin, this auntie, this uncle. Even the younger ones started to understand the importance of a family unit. Not long after that everyone was quiet. I took the chance to enjoy the scenery but with Nadeen on my lap & HB was busy reading some manuals he brought from home, a camera was out of the story :-)

Not long after that, made our first stop. Neither the petrol kiosk nor the public toilet but to a wedding reception! Can you believe that? After the food, the warm welcome, the comfortable lodging, we got to experience a local wedding ;-)

It was a double wedding of Aunt Parveen's nephews

The reception was held in a big hall. Yes, we were informed of the wedding in the agenda but only after we reached India. Hence, all my clothing was not really proper for weddings. I chose the most suitable one in the luggage & ended up with a long red blouse but I had to give in to a pair of jeans. Confidently, I thought the colour I chose would suit the occasion perfectly. Hey! It was after all a wedding...

At the entrance we were given roses each & rock sugar. I guessed it was a symbol to welcome guests. I think.. Of all the many questions I inquired, I missed on that one... Oh well!

This was the point when I asked for 2 roses instead of one... Hehehe! (One for Balqis & the other for Nadeen). The elder girls managed themselves.

The big hall was upstairs & as we were ascending the staircase, we saw in amazement how the crowd was. My concern was the girls. Hence, babysitting was delegated. I didn't have enough hands to handle all 4!

From far I saw a group of men on a stage in the hall. My assumption was a pelamin (a nicely decorated platform for the brides & their grooms to sit on).

By then we were separated from HB & the other men but we decided to get a closer look. We sure made quite an entrance... We looked foreign to them with our looks & attire especially.

Most of them were in white!

Red was so out of the season! ;-)

As approaching the stage, I knew my assumption was wrong. What they had on stage was the akad nikah ijab & kabul ceremony & it was witnessed by the whole members of the hall. After all this was the most significant of a Muslim wedding...

The 2 grooms

The certified document

We were invited on stage. With all the men I at first found it awkward but... why not? And so we did but of course were watching merely from a corner. I found a glimpse of someone so familiar amongst the photographers & true enough HB was one of them aiming on his Canon.

Auntie Parveen ushered us to a room. Once the door was opened & saw the crowd inside, I wanted to decline. But knowing that a bride was waiting inside I guided myself in. I didn't hv the point & shoot in my handbag. Both cams were with HB! Grrr.. But with her demure composition seated on a bed, head docilely bowed, I wondered would I be permitted to snap her on cam? We checked on the other bride & she was no different than the other one. Shy, pretty but nervous.

I hate to admit this but the best part I experienced at the wedding was during meal time... ;-) But really! It was quite an experience. After seeing the brides we were ushered downstairs & were reunited with the men at a table served with mutton briyani & fried chicken. No plates needed. The table was covered with a long piece of paper & on top was a banana leaf. Once we were done eating, the paper together with the leaf was folded & dumped into a bin. A new set of paper & leaf was replaced. How convenient!

Us with our delicious meal :-)

Uncle with Auntie

Uncle with his SIL & niece

After thanking the host, we continued our long journey to Chennai. I must thank the hearty lunch we had because it put almost all of us in dreamland. The mini bus was totally quiet except for the engine sound & the non-stoppable honking :-)

On the way up to Chennai

I can't remember where or when but on our way we had a stop at a rest area along the highway. It felt good to stand up & walk after the long hours ride.

They were not difficult to travel with. Thumb's up girls... & you too Hadi :-)

There was even a neat playground

The adults enjoyed their tea alright. Chai to be exact... Tea with milk. Still could't compete my mom's teh tarik ;-)

The proper way to have your chai...

'

Continued the journey. By then it was not only the children asking their Tata "Are we there yet?". Even us kept pestering Uncle ;-)

After the playground episode the kids were energized. I was seated next to HB behind the driver. HB was either napping or reading or napping ;-) So it was not much of fun activities in front but it was totally different at the back. It was like a zoo! Hahaha... My SIL & her hubby had a great time entertaining the kids & vise versa.

Even Nadeen preferred her uncle & auntie to her parents ;-)

Finally we reached Chennai but Chennai itself was a big city & for us to get to our exact destination sounded almost impossible with the heavy traffics. My FIL in law suggested us to have dinner first & Uncle brought us to this vegetarian restaurant.

Uncle Ibrahim & Aunt Mumtaz who were traveling with us from Papanasam had to leave. They were meeting their son & declined to join us for dinner.

Us, clowning whilst waiting for food

Notice the jug on the table? We didn't take that even though it was in the house. As directed by Uncle of course. It surprised me. I was aware of the water condition in India & vaccinated my girls with typhoid vaccine. But the fact that Uncle as a local refused to consume the water surprised me. He, together with us opted for mineral water the whole time we were in Chennai.

Nadeen helped herself for 2 purees, the same amount I consumed!

After our light dinner we braved the traffic jam to the hotel that Uncle made reservation. Once in our respective shells, we freshened up & hit the sack...

*to be continued