Malaysia's Got Talent (6)

Amidst the plethora of vendors that fill the bazaar at Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur, all selling Hari Raya apparel and goodies — where so many goods abound that everything starts to blend into a blur — a young vendor and his team have hit upon a striking gimmick.
Their sales pitch stands out from the rest, attracting crowds by the droves to their stall.
Belting out snippets of favourite Hari Raya songs in a live performance to dazzle the audience, Mohd Rasydan, 23, and his friends strike a chord with the shoppers, standing out as entertainers as they promote their wares.
Donning one of the baju kurung from the stall, plus wigs to complete the "look", their unique sales pitch has clearly enthralled shoppers going about their last-minute buying for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration. .. RELATED

ANNOUNCEMENT

STAROBA Hari Raya gathering

will be held on 11 Oct. 2009 (Saturday)

at DEWAN RISDA, Jalan Ampang from 11am - 2pm.

There will also be a launching ceremony on STAROBA portal

www.staroba.org

Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar

Mantai!

Pesta Mantai merupakan satu tradisi turun menurun, diwarisi masyarakat Melayu Negeri Sembilan yang mengamalkan adat pepatih di negeri ini, di mana haiwan ternakan disembelih sempena kedatangan Ramadan dan Syawal.
Daging itu dijual dengan harga RM15 sekilogram berbanding harga pasaran RM18 hingga RM20 sekilogram.
Jualan daging itu dihadkan kepada lima kilogram setiap seorang dan dijual mengikut cara "siapa cepat dia dapat", sementara stok masih ada. Utusan Malaysia
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Esei ghisau tengok oghang beghobut-ghobut ni. Iyo lah, bondo mughah kan. Bukan esei nak nafikan itulah peluang tobaik bagi dio oghang nak dan dapek jimat bebelanjo. Tak do komen pasal tu doh. Ni ha, organiser, tak soghek-soghek, tak baco ko? tak dapek klu ko? kek Indonesia dah ghamai tersungko pasal dek berasak-asak. Organised la sikit. Buek dan suroh oghang masuk 'barisan' (jangan salah sangko, ini bukan kempen yo! Ini bukan nak ampu member sei Tok Mat Hassan). Semalam esei ado yo kek Soghomban. Tapi tak koso den nak beghato-ghato! Lomeh den!! Tapi, sebagai oghang Nogoghi, tumpang banggo la pasal me'mantai' ni. Tapi.. tu lah, aspek komersial ni kito kughang banyak lah. Nak cadang buek bosa-bosaran kang, diejek dek 'Tukar Tiub!. Tapi di zaman globalisasi dan glokalisasi ni, kito kono buek cam tu lah nak pikat pelancong. Negoghi apo ado?! Balek-balek Ulu Bondo, Podiksen., Sri Monanti. Tak do bondo lain! Eh gilo dibuek eh. Tak koso den!!

Aidil Fitri al-Mubarak

KUALA LUMPUR: Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-Raja Malaysia telah mengumum dan menetapkan tarikh hari raya Aidilfitri jatuh pada hari Rabu, 1 Oktober.

"Bagi menyempurnakan titah perintah Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, setelah diperkenan oleh Duli-Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-Raja, Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-Raja, Malaysia mengisytiharkan bahawa tarikh Hari Raya Puasa bagi negeri-negeri seluruh Malaysia ditetapkan pada Rabu, 1 Oktober 2008."

SAVOURS: Cooking in bamboo

LEMANG, a dish of glutinous rice and coconut milk cooked inside a hollow bamboo tube, is a must for the Malay community when there’s a festival or celebration. Families look forward to it as do visitors when they come to visit open house functions.
Making lemang is a lot of hot work and requires a keen, watchful eye on the rice-stuffed bamboo cooking over a slow, slow fire. The bamboo is first lined with banana leaf to prevent the sticky rice adhering to the sides of the bamboo. Anything can go wrong during the process. Not enough liquid, for instance, or rice that has not be pre-soaked long enough. Then the bamboo must be turned at intervals to ensure thorough cooking on all sides or you may end up with uncooked rice on one side and burnt rice on the other.As preparing lemang requires a big open space for the fire, most people don’t bother to make their own, preferring to purchase from lemang makers who set up stalls by the road from the day before Hari Raya and do a roaring business. You’d be able to spot these from a kilometre away by the smoke from the open fires as well as long lines of cars erratically parked at the roadside. Lemang is usually sold by per bamboo tube though in some stalls, it is available in shorter lengths. The bamboo is split into halves to get the lemang which is then sliced into round discs for serving and is scrumptious when eaten with rendang (a dry curry) or serunding (spicy meat floss). MORE ..
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Related article : Rahsia lemang menjadi
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What is Hari raya tanpa lemang? (lomang as in Negri's slang). Well, it is a compulsory dish for Hari raya no doubt. But for me, it is not lemang but rather it's ketupat. Ketupat is the real king, the real dish for the occassion!. Like what my son would say .. best giler!! Very obvious what! The one that people hang in their house or offices for decoration is 'decorative ketupat' and not lemang!! Ketupat is easier to prepare and make. We have many variations of the ketupat, ketupat satay, ketupat bawang, ketupat palas. (anymore that I dont know of?). Some people even go for the simpler version of ketupat i.e. the nasi himpit.
Anyway, my other half is a Rawaian from Batu Gajah, Perak. They have a similar kind to lemang, they called it kelamai. It is brownish in colour but I have not adventurous enough to try and taste it, even untill now (my mother-in-law must be cursing me.. tak guna punya menantu!).

It's time to celebrate!!

Kuantan, 28 September 2008 : Celebration of lights...Children of Kampung Semangat Kuantan light oil lamps around the fence and vicinity of the village Surau to commemorate the "Lailatul Qadar" celebrations. The tradition is to celebrate the last seven days of the fasting month which ends on the first day of the month of Shyawal on Oct 1.
(courtesy of The Sun)
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It's an annual event, the celebration of lights , in conjunction with Malam Tujuh Likur. I was wondering why efforts were not been put to make the event 'more happening!'. Make it into a grand one, a national event. Something like what the Christians has been doing with their Haloween Night or the water festival in Thailand or the tomato throwing in Spain etc etc ... I am sure it can be translated into something more meaningful and to place it in the Tourist calender. I remembered going to Kuala Kangsar those days just to witness this 'festival of lights!'.

Kepada sahabat handai, muslimin dan muslimah

diucapkan selamat menyambut hari lebaran

Eidil Mubarak