For as far as i can remember the family of my pak uda and mak uda was the closest to me among my relatives who are strewn all over the places, of whom many are strange to me as any Tom, Dick or Harry. my father was of 7 brothers and he is the youngest. now he's all left from his family's legacy with the passing of my pak uda a few months ago. and now mak uda follows.
What i remember of her was on those raya trips that i always accompanied my father when we made the obligatory raya journeys back to the 'kampung'. you can't really call it kampung anymore, because 'kampung kuantan, kelang' is as bandar as it can get and to call it a kampung would be insulting to the population.
during those rides to kelang, we would always stay 2 or 3 days at their house, which used to be the old family house, 2-storey of beautifully crafted kampung style with attap made of nipah leaves. my pak uda was one very jolly cheerful kind of person despite his frequent wheezing due to his chronic asthma. he was an artsy and crafty type, quite famous for his bridal decorations, hand sewn and crocheted quilts and bridal bed sheets. he was so loyal to the customs of traditional malay weddings that he once mentioned if we, pak su's daughters refused to bersanding on the dais, he would not want to attend our wedding " what for? aku bukan boleh makan nasi minyak korang", blaming his asthma.
the old family house was full of creaks and steep stairs that i had to refrain myself walking too fast or i would feel small quakes each time! but fortunately when economic status of my cousins improved, they transformed the house into a new brick one-storey bungalow.
during those raya visits, i still remember my mak uda patiently tied my kain baju kurung which was usually sewn zip-free and to my frequent complaint of the mosquitoes, she would humbly admitted that fact, making me feel embarrassed for being a wet blanket.
my cousins are the girls -kak wook, kak lyn, kak yoi, kak ipah and ana while the boys are - baharom, rizal, faizal, yunus and ipai. my pak uda's family on the male side suffered from some mental subnomality which is also inherited to their grandsons. this, to my pak uda's horror, always made my mak uda sad because the genes probably came from her side of the family having siblings whom were also subnormal.
i will not forget my mak uda and her cooking. during hari raya theirs was one house which will be filled with sumptuous cooking and all the meals will occupy the whole table! never have i seen that much bulk of dishes on anyone's table! they not only have 2-3 cakes, 20 types of raya cookies, plus 2-3 other dishes of rendang, lodeh, laksa and many others.
i will always remember mak uda who was so kind and nice to me and anyone around her. below is a picture of her, attending our wedding in KL in february 2008.
Al Fatihah, God bless my Mak Uda hajjah Rahmah.
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