Hari Raya 2009

This year, we celebrated hari raya by spending 3 nights in Penang. The drive up north was bad. It took us 6 hours to reach Penang despite leaving very early from KL. There were too many vehicles on the emergency lane either due to road accidents, break downs or drivers simply jumping queue. We were reduced to crawling speed especially at exit and entry points. Hmm..6 hours with the kids in the car could really test your patience.

sabar je lah...this crawl was after Ipoh tol plaza

We stayed at TM resort for the first 2 nights. Whenever we go back to celebrate Raya in Penang, this is what we usually do. Stay in Penang and go visit the relatives in Alor Star, Georgetown and Bayan Lepas area. So it's raya and holiday combo to us.

my son claiming his prize for puasa penuh

difficult to take photo with zidani. after the count of 3, he'll wave his hands up..

We performed our aidilfitri prayer at the newly open 'floating' mosque in tanjung bungah. Since tanjung bungah isn't really a malay settlement area, the jemaah that morning were predominantly foreigners. It felt like we were in a different country. Funny how the Bilal called the jemaah to prepare for the prayers on loud speakers "Bangun semua...rapat-rapat aahh....yang belakang nanti habaq kalau dah siap....dah siap belum??"

masjid terapung tanjung bungah

One disadvantage of celebrating raya this way is kids would like to play in the swimming pool rather than visiting their grand uncles and aunties. The trick is not to give in to their demand. Don't set a precedent. Instead, use the swimming pool as a reward for completing the visits. And never break that promise. Raidi insisted we go back to the hotel after the prayers for a splashing time. Sorry son, raya first, swimming pool later.

at Linda's in laws place

Celebrating raya in Penang has always been fun. Imagine all the nasi kandaq we ate. Most of the famous eatary are already open for business 2nd day of raya. We went to this place in Sungai Dua where we had Mee Udang for dinner. I couldn't believe the size of the udang! It's fresh and delicious.

mee udang power sg dua, bayan lepas

We were supposed to stay at TM Resort for 3 nights. But no more rooms available for the 3rd night stay. So I looked around and made bookings at a hotel next to Gurney Plaza. But then I realized that there's a new hotel just opened on Saturday at Batu Feringghi. So I made an enquiry and the next thing we knew we were checking in at this brand new Hard Rock Hotel.

Hard Rock Hotel Penang

Watching NRG performing at Hard Rock Cafe..

Since they're having an opening promotion, room rates are almost 50% off. I don't think I'd ever step into their hotel room without the promotional rates. So for a night, we were treated like a rock star! The staff really tried to make us as the center of attention. Great facilities, everything's new and one of the most beautiful Penang sunset can be seen here from our room balcony. The lobby was really crowded with non-guests wanted to have a glimpse at the new hotel. Unfortunately, they couldn't access the pool area. It's so inviting and I my self couldn't tahan! limited edition souvenir for guests
mandi-manda bersama anak-anak...

Rizal, Linda and Abg Bob came by the hotel that night. With the kids fast asleep with their grandma, we went downstairs to watch live band performances at Hard Rock Cafe. As the hotel guests, we didn't have to queue with the rest and went straight inside for a rocking time.

The drive back to KL was OK. 5 hours of driving with Zidani's awaken the whole way? What else could a driver ask for? hhmm.. he's hyperactivity helped me to stay 'fresh'! And by the the time we reached home, we were gladly entertaining Dr M, Ibdil and their family right away.

Balik Kampung episode, closed. Now it's Raya time in KL. At the same time I have the Genting Trailblazer race in mind. Need to find time to trail run.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri everyone. Maaf zahir dan batin.

Genting Trailblazer 2009...

the daunting 14km route

It's back. I'll be racing again in this highly anticipated adventure race at Awana Genting. Last year we ran through 14km of jungle trail and it was very challenging. Definitely not a walk in the park. (Genting Trailblazer 2008 blog here).

With first hand experience, I guess we'd be more prepared this year. At least mentally. Seriously, to cross the finishing line, I think it's will power over strength. Finishing the race itself is a great achievement.

last year's finishers...gila penat..

It's a team event and I'll be partnering with Dr.M. As far as preparation goes, zero progress so far for me. I haven't been running since I undergone my eye operation. I'm gonna do some light training post Raya holidays. The race is about a month away so I hope I could build enough confidence and stamina by end October.

My biggest concern is how my left eye would cope under intense physical activity. Yes it's not a contact sport. But the eye irritation i get whenever I sweat bothers me. Wearing a goggle might solve this problem, hehehe.

My trail running shoes I bought last year is still in mint condition. I have to put more mileage into it to lower the ownership cost per KM..hahaha