Sunday, October 28, 2007

14th October 2007 A Significant Day In My Life

IdilFitri fell on 13th October 2007. After the morning prayers and visit to the close relatives' houses, we had to do something that we have never done before on such an auspicious day. We had to continue painting the recently completed porch which will be used during the wedding celebration of my son's wedding at our place.
It was while working on the painting job with my son Azuan, son inlaw Lokman that my 5 year old grand daughter Nur Farhana Jazleen blurted out that she knows of a secret about 'Tok Pa' (grand pa) but she can't disclose it yet until tomorrow. She stuck to her promise of secrecy no matter how much persuasion I did to her.
The morning of the 14th of October saw us putting the final touches to unfinished job around the house. I asked Nur Farhana again on her secret and reminded her that she said she can tell about it today. Before she could answer it, her elder sister Nur Alia Jazleen shouted 'I know, its perfume'. Nur Farhana ran off to her mother crying saying that she wasn't the one who broke the code of secrecy and it was Nur Alia who did it. Such is the strength of will of a young child when given the task of keeping a secret, secret. I cant blame Nur Alia because she didn't know that it wasn't the time yet though it was already the day.
Initially I had decided not to blog about my birthday. Celebrating a birthday isn't really a norm in our family. Only birthdays of the of the grandchildrens are celebrated. Living around KL, they frequently attend to birthday parties of their friends in the neighbourhood. For us the elderly ones including my children, at the most we will just wish each other 'Happy Birtday' and pass whatever presents we were giving.
That small incident about the keeping of the secret of the present changed my mind. What great will Nur Farhana had. Furthermore I would like to thank my children especially my eldest daughter Azura who was the mastermind behind the event. She was the one who read my blog about my son's impending wedding where I mentioned that it will occur a day after his dad's birtday. She caught the hint and immediately posted a comment pertaining to the hint.
The birthday celebration on the 14th evening was significant because it was the first time after 57 birthdays that it will be celebrated with all the children and grandchildren present and involved the cutting of a birthday cake (no blowing of candles though due to the number of candles involved hehehehe) and singing the birthday song! Usually only the grandchildren will get such a treat. Among the adults we will just wish each other happy birthday and hand over whatever present that we have. If we are being wished from afar (since all of my children are living their own lives faraway from home) the same will be done via phonecalls or the SMS minus the present. Anyway it feels good to be remembered especially when your birthdays are now numbered. On that auspicious occassion they gave me a beautiful gift in the form of a perfume set from Giorgio Armani. Beside that the marriage of my son Azuan to Wan Hanizah was another great birthday gift. Their marriage was solemnised on that very night of 14th October 2007.
I would like to thank all of my children, children inlaws and grandchilfren for making my 57th birthday a day to be remembered. Many thanks too to fellow bloggers who had wished me happy birthday. I would like to say a word of thanks to all my friends who did the same on my Travel site at www.virtualtourist.com/qahlua.
Here are some pictures that I would like to share with you.

38 comments:

cakapaje said...

Salam Pak Zawi,

Happy 57th Birthday! Semoga dipanjangkan umur dan dimurahkan rezeki kerana Allah s.w.t.

Pak Zawi said...

Cakapaje,
Terima kasih. Saya kira masih belum lewat untuk saya ucapkan Selamat hari Raya sekali lagi pada saudar ye?

The Ancient Mariner said...

Belated happy 57th birthday.

Maseh muda lagi ...

Pak Zawi said...

Captain,
Yes I am only 57 years young :) but with only grandchildren and another one confirmed to be coming into this world come April 2008.
Thank you captain.

Pak Idrus said...

zawi, Happy Birthday Atuk. May you be blessed with many more birthdays and more cucu. And the best of health always. Take care.

Pak Zawi said...

pak idrus,
Thank you for the wishes. I will be happy if the number of birthdays equals your. Anything beyond will be a bonus. After all its for Him to decide. The health factor is the most vital. To be blessed with a long life and a good health is definitely the ultimate dream of any man.

Helen said...

Thanks for dropping by my place :-) I should be the one wishing you a happy belated birthday. lol

Psst, must get a bigger cake to accommodate the candles hor? lol
This is not a gift, but the honest truth... you sure look young.

Pak Zawi said...

Helen,
Thanks for the reciprocal visit. How much younger can a 57 year old look? As young as a 57 year old hehehe.
That cake is all that they could get on that particular day as it was The Hari Raya Holiday.
Have a good weekend.

Anonymous said...

Salam Pak Zawi,

Did I miss your birthday? Oh dang! (Now slapping my forehead repeatedly and Luqman is staring at me as though I have gone absolutely mad!).

Anyway, Happy Birthday Pak Zawi/Papa/Tok Pa...

Semoga dipanjangkan umur dan dimurahkan rezekinya. Amin amin amin...

Anonymous said...

Reading Elviza's last words... Amin...Amin...Amin 3 times seems like a mantra has been recited for me to respond.... Ashaari Amin. Happy 'Birtday' friend. And the gift of scented liquids from the family is indeed an accurate one..hehehe. The common question I'd ask for the hari jadi... Hari jadi apa? Kaki ka , tangan ka, ?? ka.. Friend, Take good care of yourself and stay healthy.

Pak Zawi said...

Elviza,
Salam diterima. No you didnt miss my birthday. Like the Hari Raya, its still being celebrated. Dont fret about it. If my own family can't remember it, what can I expect from others? In my Travel Site we are constantly reminded of friends birthday and yet I manage to miss them. Cant blame you too.
Next time don't ever slap you head. The head contains the most sensitive parts of our body. Agitating it with slaps to the forehead is detrimental and may lead to minor concussions. Please slap your butt if you want to slap something.
On a more serious note how is Luqman now? I sincerely wish him well since getting a severe bout of viral infection is no small matter.
Really appreciates your 'doa' for my longevity and good wealth.

Pak Zawi said...

Yee Body,
My dear friend. At last you manage to leave your mark on my site. What took you so long to learn up?
Hehehehehe the scented liquid as accurate gift eh? Just beacause I was smelly during our younger days in school make you think so? Cant help it la my friend. In those days we wear the only shirt we had on our back days in and days out. I had to wait till the weekend to wash em. Maybe I should blog about it to let my children know how tough life was in my younger school days.
Yee, where is my birthday gift?

zaitgha said...

Pak Zawi,

When we were young, we hardly celebrated bdays, but when a few of us started working and we started to celebrate our late dad's birthday just to give more occasions or reasons to 'berkumpul' together. Earlier on, we also included karaoke session but when the machine went kaput on us, we had the younguns to entertain us with their version of Mawi's or Datuk Siti...Fathers Day was another occasion that we would gather at my sis's place where our old man stayed until his passied on in last April...we managed to do that for 2007 but come to 2008, i dread the days....and this year Raya i missed my dad so much especially on the first Raya......anyway, i pray that you will have many more bdays .....

Pak Zawi said...

zaitgha,
That is really wonderful to be able to get together among th efamily.
Mine is difficult to do as we live far apart with me being in Pasir Mas and the children in KL and Labuan.
Thanks for the wishes. I wish to have many more birthdays too.
Enjoy you gathering while you can.

Unknown said...

Asslamualaikum Pak Zawi.

Happy belated birthday. smoga panje umor dan muroh rezeki.

Pak Zawi said...

Akmal,
Waalaikummussalam. Terima kasih Akmal. Semoga doa tuan hamba akan di makbulkan Allah.

tokasid said...

Salam Pak Zawi:

Alhamdulillah dan selamat hari jadi.
Memang satu waktu yg sesuai di buat perkahwinan Azuan pada hari itu kerana semua ahli keluarga berkumpul.

Semoga ALLAh tambahkan rezeki dan rahmatNya pada pak zawi dan ahli keluarga tersayang.

Saya juga terharu dgn cucu pak zawi yg begitu amanah menjaga rahsia.Selalunya kanak2 tak sabar utk bocorkan rahsia. Ibu nya telah mendidik beliau dgn baik sekali.Alhamdulillah. Atok mana yg tidak berbangga dgn cucu yg begini.

Maverick SM said...

Happy Birthday, Zawi. Sorry, as I just found out that.

Rita Ho said...

Belated birthday greetings to you, Zawi and may you have many more returns of such a special day!

Aren't kids precious? Their innocence and purity shines in every little thing they do and word they say. Some of my favourite moments in life are those spent with young children.

Pak Zawi said...

Tokasid,
Salam kembali. Thanks for your visit and the wishes. Dengan izin Allah semuanya mungkin.

Pak Zawi said...

maverick sm,
Thanks for the visit and the birthday greetings. Nothing to be apologetic about as even the posting was very late from the date of the event.

Pak Zawi said...

rite ho,
Thanks for the birthday greetings. You are spot on about the young children. They are too innocent to have any ulterior motives like we adults do. With only me and my wife home, we long for our grandchildren. No wonder grandparents will pamper their grandchildren to no ends.

J.T. said...

Hi Zawi

So glad to know you had a wonderful birthday. It is nice to have the whole family with you. For it to coincide with a wedding in the family, makes the celebration even more joyous.

I think the last time I blew candles on my cake was my 21st. I cannot remember if I had to do it again sometime in my late 20s. My memory seems to fade away as the number of burning candles increase every year. :D

You are blessed with so many grandchildren (and one more to come soon). They are truly one of the most precious gifts to be had any time of the year.

Happy 57th Birthday, once again.

Zuera said...

well dad......it's kind of sad tho....no more wedding ceremony in the family anymore. The good thing is, I will be waiting for new nephew and niece from now on.....and my own child too....

Pak Zawi said...

j t
The birtday not only coincide with the wedding but also the Idilfitri, which made it all the more meaningful.
Maybe we need to mix the candle with the big ones representing every 10 yrs, medium ones every 5 and the smallest as 1 yr. Then the whole cake need not be full of candles hehehe.
The grandchildren are the joy of our lives now. Nur Aqilah Balqis has returned to Labuan now so its so lonely now at home.
Thanks for the birthday greeting j t.

Pak Zawi said...

Azura,
Your own baby will be coming in March/April 08, that will be fun again.
Pssst, dont forget mum's birthday coming at end of the year. This is the early warning hehehehe.

Zuera said...

It is better if she is at my house during that date. Then we can celebrate here.

Pak Zawi said...

Azura,
Talked to mum already but she cant stay until 18th cos she has a meeting on the 19th. No way I can change her mind. Maybe you can.

Anonymous said...

allo pak zawi!
Sorry not been making my rounds lately. This trip is doing my head in!

Saya doakan pak zawi sentiasa sihat, murah rezeki... with tons of blogging days ahead!

Phew! nasib baik bukan Acqua di Gio... haha.. that's my one known weakness.

Pak Zawi said...

caramel m,
Thanks.
U been busy jetsetting around the Globe too?
Yes I want lots more of blogging days. That will be fun.

Kak Teh said...

minta maaf kerana terlambat menucapkan selamat hari jadi. But I read that you had a good time..and semoga dipanjangkan umur dan dimurahkan rezki.

NaNa said...

Pak Zawi,

Glad to know that you had a good birthday. Semuga dipanjangkan umur and you will be able to enjoy many more.

I like it when you say you are 57 years young. That's the spirit! Anyway, age is just a matter of numbers. How we feel is more important... :)

Pak Zawi said...

kak teh,
Apa pula nak diminta maafkan. Terima kasih banyakla kerana datang ke blok hamba ini. Terima kasih juga atas ucapan selamat tu. Hamba ucapkan semoga buku GUIT tulisan suami kak teh akan laris macam kerepok lekor panas.

Pak Zawi said...

nana,
Thanks for the wishes.
Definitely age is just a matter of numbers, but when the mind is willing and the body doesnt, then the numbers matters hahahhaa.

maria a samad (kak ton) said...

Salam zawi,

I hope it isnt too late to wish you a Happy Birthday!

Thanks for dropping by at my blog the other day.

Pak Zawi said...

kak ton,
Definitelt never too late. I am honoured to have you visit my site. Afterall you are the most popular new blogger in the country now. Hopefully we will get to share loads of your invaluable experience that can be a leading light in our own lives.
I am adding your site to my favourite sites. Do I have your permission kak ton?

Mat Salo said...

Assalamua'alaikum Pak! As usual a belated one. Been travelling the last few days to my rust bucket in the swamps!

Selamat HUT ke 57, ya Pak?

Pak Zawi said...

mat salo,
Waalaikummussalam wbt.
No wonder you were so quiet. You were back in the swamp eh?
Ya pak, udah 57. Terima kasih atas ingatan kamu.