Five Types Of People That You Meet During A 'Hari Raya' Celebration

1. Kids whose eyes are shining for money.

You can see how happy they are while playing around together with their friends and cousins. They will smile innocently, and then laugh as hardly as possible, and maybe cry a bit because someone has spoiled their dazzling 'Hari Raya costumes' with 'sambal kacang' and 'rendang', but never mind, they will continue having fun nonetheless. But try to forget about giving them 'Hari Raya' money, and you will see how dark their eyes will be and how fierce they can be. Trust me, this is the type of people you do not want to mess with during 'Hari Raya'. Money means everything.

2. Girls who see every angle of the house as a place to pose.

Diva-like dresses, with detailed make-ups and flame-throwing perfumes, these girls will march from house to house with confidence and extreme self-esteem. They will lovely greet the elders, sensually smile at the others, and not to forget, shake hands with 7.1-megapixel cameras. Just name it; the blank walls, the decorated mini park, the tight corner of a kitchen, the narrow space behind the doors, every single place will be good enough for them to say, "What is my favourite food? Cheeeeese!". Captured.

3. Boys who move their eyes up and down and left and right searching for beauties.

They may be simple, and only focus on going through the day, and don't really care about money and food. But beware, for they will not rest until their eyes have found their nest. Oh believe me, what will a young man do when he is gathered in a place full of people from near and far, with their pubescent daughters cat-walking and smiling and waving at almost everybody? Snipe. Find the mark, take your time, and hit the mark. Bang! Heart shot.

4. Neighbours who reach orgasm by the blinding lights hanging on their rooftop.

They will ask for forgiveness for any wrongdoing that they might have done, and they will compliment whatever you are wearing or having. Shake hands, say a few nice things about you and your family, even your cats. Yes, you can trust them. They really mean it. But wait, wait for the next move. "Do drop by at my house, okay? I just bought a new set of home theatre. Oh by the way, did you see those lights? They are new too!" Splendid. Exactly what you want to hear. No.

5. Cops who hate arguing with people but love doing it anyway.

With people going in and out, traveling from one place to another in big cars with hundreds of people inside, not enough seat belts, or not enough speed, this surely sounds a good fortune for them. Be cautious people, it is during this time that these white horses are suddenly becoming invisible and will only appear when somebody breaks the law, or dies trying. They will say, "I'm sorry, I have to, I hate doing this, I don't have a choice..." while their hand is writing the most beloved ticket, if you're insane.

p/s: These types of people are only the minority of our society. Do not take this seriously. Do not hate your neighbours. Do not throw your kids away. Happy 'Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2009'.

A True Story Of Dad And Death

The question never stops bothering him, "Why didn't you cry when he left you?"

In fact, everyone else had been asking him the same question after that tragedy struck. The boy was 14 years old when he came to the hospital with his brothers at 2 a.m. in the morning, after their mother called sadly one hour earlier, telling them that they should pay him the last visit. He might not make it through the night. His heart was failing.

The father had been there lying unconscious for a month, and exactly the same amount of time earlier, he was celebrating his 50th birthday. He just got out of the operation table about a week earlier, after months staying in the hospital for treatment. On the day of celebration, he told the family to take a picture of the scar on his chest. Never thought that would be the last picture of him they ever took.

Years before his final birthday, he used to take the boy to a video store and buy some movies. They shared quite the same taste. Then they would spend time watching the movies together. Everyday after work, he would reach home at 3 to 4 a.m. in the morning, and the boy would wake up from bed and join him. As usual, they watched movies. In a way, the boy was the closest one to him. In a way, he was the closest one to the boy.

*******************************

The boy can still remember that there was one day when his father woke up from hospital bed, he told the brother to take the boy to a cinema. Because the boy always complained that he had never been to a cinema. The brother did what was told. They watched a Hindi movie, titled 'Kasoor'. It means 'Guilt'. That was what the translation said.

One hour before he was gone, the boy fell asleep, and was only awoken by the tears of his mother. Everyone was crying. But not him. They kept on asking him the next day about why he did not cry. He said, "I don't know". But deep in his heart, he had his own reason. Seeing his father lying on bed again and again for too long, getting worse day by day, he felt that maybe it was right for God to take him away. It was his time. For that, the boy did not cry. For that, he had dreams about his father being alive somewhere too many times.