Friends in DC...

It's good to have friends who make us feel welcome and are very sincere in their ways. Although freezing outside, one house on Talking Rock radiates the warmth of good ole hospitality that only a true Malay practices. I love the pounded 'sambal belacan' which I have not had since arriving in the US. Even the thought of 'masak lemak cili padi' prepared for dinner is still mouth watering to me. I hear the Koreans are 'big' in DC, meaning there are quite a number of them and thereby many Korean supermarkets. Their cili powder is excellent! I need to find one in Boston lest my 'cili kering' runs out!
I have been to DC before but that was the first time I have been to the Malaysian Embassy. It was not a good day as the boiler in the basement was faulty. So, every room had a stand alone heater which overloaded the power supply. Considering the building is still new I wondered what went wrong! But, the kids had a great time visiting the tourist sites. Thank you to our friends in DC...:-)

Trip down memory lane..

Today is Cikgu Zainal's birthday. He would be 74 this year. I couldn't help thinking of him as we drove down from Boston to New Haven this morning. It was more than 20 years ago when he, my mom & 2 younger sisters came down to pay us a visit in New Haven. Sometimes my parents amaze me - them being just small town 'cikgus'!
They somehow managed to perform few times of Haj & Umrahs as well as visiting a few countries like any other high income earner. My mom always stress on being 'berjimat cermat' & spending money wisely. She doesn't like to waste on anything & often shakes her head seeing my spending ways.

I can still remember the 6 of us comfortably seated in the big old Ford LTD. We don't see those kind around these days! My father in his sarong - 'kain pelikat' seated at the back, with his legs folded criss crossed (bersila). At times he nudged my mom who occasionally dozed off due to jet lag. " Bangun la..rugi mai jauh-jauh!" - Wake up, he said..it's a waste coming from so far! On the way south to Florida we stopped at NYC & DC.
My father treasured the photos we took at the World Trade Center, Lady of Liberty, White House...& my mom loved the tulips! We travelled up north - experiencing Niagara Falls - all the way to Quebec!. I have my husband to thank for driving singlehandedly throughout the trip & I believe he made his father-in-law very happy for a wonderful & satisfying holiday.

See the Halal sign... aaaah..only in New Haven! :)