Happy Halloween!

By the way, this is the first posting by Mommy. Here goes... October 31st is here and the kids are off to their first trick-or-treating night. We all went to Zeller's (Canadian version of Giant Superstore) the weekend before, and got the kids cool (yet easy on the pockets) Halloween costumes. We got Arman a gorilla suit and Melur a mummy suit. Everybody was aww-ing Arman at the store when he tried it on. That was definitely a good sign... cuter toddler translates to more candies...:) Not forgetting the adults, Daddy got himself a Jason mask and Mommy got a witch's hat. Got home that night and everyone tried their costumes. Melur started to cry... now she wants the gorilla suit. Arman started to cry as well... the gorilla suit is too warm for him. So ended up as the Malays would say "tukar suka sama suka" (can "salin tikar" apply here? I think not). Everybody was happy, the crying stopped, and Mommy was sane again. Come Halloween night, trick-or-treating at Acadia Park (UBC family housing area where we are living) started at 5:30pm. Daddy took the kids out equipped with pumpkin-shaped candy holders. Mommy stayed at home waiting to dish out candies for the other neighborhood kids. We bought 3 large packs of assorted candies that lasted for one hour. Mommy had to say "no more candy" to a 3-year old girl dressed as an angel.... she looked like she was gonna cry. Mommy then decided to go out and save herself from other such creatures (you wouldn't believe how many kids there are here) by joining her own kids and turning off all the lights in her own house. She swore that they will be better-prepared for Halloween next year by doubling their candies stock! Around 7pm, Arman looked tired but Melur was still energetic. She made us all go to yet another house and another and another... Both pumpkins were filled up to the brim... and Mommy took a few to lighten it up a bit... **wink**wink** Final report on our very first Halloween...two thumbs up! And a message to Mak in Malaysia, no Halloween is not a Christian celebration, it is actually a pagan celebration.

Raya Open House at Coquitlam

"Selamat... Aidil Fitri..." "Kepada Saudara Serta Saudari..." "Setahun... Hanya Sekali..." "Merayakan Hari Yang Mulia Ini..." and so the song goes...
	I have to say, being in Vancouver for the first time, we were expecting a rather 'modest' Hari Raya. After all, the Malaysian population at UBC is mainly of chinese descent. I was surprised to find we were invited to an open house in the suburbs. It was the second day of Raya. The 2-hour ride to Coquitlam required 3 buses and a train. The kids quite enjoyed the train ride. It was clean, and fast, and we caught a moving glimpse of the Vancouver suburbs. Mommy had to stay behind and do some work. So it was just Daddy, the kids, and some friends from UBC.
Oh my God... What a feast!!! There was quite a spread of Malaysian cuisine. Kudos to Kak Linda, who apparently is like a caterer or something. Food was AWESOME!! And there were SOOO MANY MALAYSIANS. Well, they all stay in the suburbs, and mostly working professionals, which explains a lack of Malay presence on UBC campus. They're all in the suburbs! There were 2 girls about Melur's age, Feeza and Ain, so Melur made a lot of friends quickly. Arman had to settle with whatever was left... the guys... It was a good day. Too bad Mommy couldn't join in the fun. It certainly felt a little bit like Raya despite not being in Malaysia. Hopefully there are more open houses that Mommy can check out. Thanks you guys, for making us feel more at home...

Turkey Anyone?

Boy, were we surprised to know that Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the 2nd Monday of October, as opposed to the 4th Thursday of November in the US. We never celebrated Thanksgiving in Malaysia, but when we were in the US, we used it as an excuse to bake a Turkey. And since we're back in North America, why stop? So we secured a 17-lbs bird (which was the smallest they had) from the local halal meat store. And as usual, we surfed the internet for a recipe. We settled for the Herb-Scented Roast Turkey with Cornbread Stuffing from bettycrocker.com. And since there was no way our small family of 4 could finish this feast on our own, we invited some Malaysian students who had nothing better to do on campus this holiday. What a feast! Melur and Arman got their first taste of turkey. And it was also our first organized get-together with some of the Malaysian students. They took to the kids rather well, and were very well-behaved. One of them even helped wash the dishes. It was quite a memorable evening. We look forward to many more gatherings to come! "Gobble! Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!"