Hari Raya and Duit Raya.

After a month of fasting during Ramadhan, today on the first day of the month of Shawal, Malaysians celebrate the Eid Mubarak or Hari Raya Aidilfitri, as it is called in this region. I attended the Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayers at our nearest mosque in Tasek Gelugor with my sons. Typically as on every Hari Raya (Aidilfitri, Aidiladha) the congregation was spilling out into the corridors. Mostly because many city folks have returned home (balik kampung) for their family reunions. In a rural town like this, as in the kampungs, its the kids who enjoy the Hari Raya the most. A typical kampung kid's Hari Raya day goes like this. A morning bath, dress up in their newest clothes, baju Melayu or baju kurung, pay their respects to their parents, grandparents and other elders, collect 'duit raya' (raya money) and then join the rest of their gang for their Hari Raya expedition. First stop, the mosque ,for the Hari Raya prayers. After prayers, loiter a bit until one of the pakciks (uncles) tell them to line up for 'duit raya'. Some bolder kids cycle or walk to the 'open house' of local MP Shariff Omar (Deputy Agriculture minister). At least RM 2 'duit raya' is assured there. And lots of good stuff to eat too (especially the fried chicken and satay). And after that they start doing their house to house rounds. They come in groups of at least two. They see your door is opened. They greet you " assalamu 'alaikum". You reply " 'alaikum salam" and invite them in. You ask them if they want to eat or drink. The daring ones will turn down the refreshments offer and tell you that they just want 'duit raya'. Sometimes it melts my heart to see these little kids, some dragging their tiny tot brother or sister tramping from house to house to accumulate their duit raya. Some came from kampungs as far as 2km away. There's only three housing estates in this rural town, ours is the second oldest. These tamans seems to be the main target of those kids. There is this rural mentality that those who live in brick houses are wealthy. I think, the kampung people with acres of land are much more richer than us. To kids everywhere, in the kampung or taman, Hari Raya is only about how much duit raya they can collect. If they come calling on your house, don't turn them away.Give them their duit raya. After all, this is Aidil Fitri , a time for charity, love for fellow mankind. Selamat Hari Raya.

Our Angkasawan

A Malaysian , Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was launched into space Wednesday evening (9.22pm Malaysian time) from the Baikonor Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Together with NASA's commander Peggy Whitsun and Russian Yuri Malechencko. The spacecraft is due to dock with the International Space Station, somewhere in space, on Friday. Our spaceman will be in the ISS for 8 days. His mission is to conduct studies on space effects on cells, microbes and other germy-wermy stuffs. I suspect,previous space explorers might have already done that. The US astronaut Whitsun and Russian cosmonaut Malechencko will take over duties at the station for six months. The station's current commander Russian Fyodor Yuchikhin and Russian Flight Engineer Oleg Kotov will return to Earth with Dr Muszaphar . Now, many Malaysians question why did WE send our man to space for ? It cost us RM90 billion for the project. And the mission handed to him ... so pathetic. Just like a lab assistant. Actually, our angkasawan was just listed as a flight participant (read passenger). The government insisted that he be reclassified as an astronaut/cosmonaut. The government should have realised earlier that we don't have what it takes to be in the space hero category. Don't you remember what our government chaps were fantasising about what our Malaysian spaceman was going to do in space ? Pulling 'teh tarik', tossing 'roti canai' and spinning 'gasing' in zero gravity. Which space agency is going to take us seriously ? Well our angkasawan Dr Muszaphar is out there in space now. I wish him all the best and selamat berpuasa and Selamat Hari Raya. He will be regaled as a Malaysian, Muslim, Malay hero when he gets home. And that's what its all about, really.