i bet by now half of the trays in hodgdon are gone. people are going crazy here on top of the hill, sledding down the president's lawn. i imagine everyone is stressed out with the exams coming up. this snow storm comes just at the right moment when we need it most. god always know best. i called home and talked to everyone important (i hope). seems like everyone is happy and is having fun. although i don't know how much fun they can have without me *wink, wink* my immediate family on the other hand, was still lost in the dreamland, at nine o'clock, on the morning of hari raya, when i called. gara-gara menyiapkan tempahan roti jala sebanyak lapan puluh kilo sepanjang malam, sehingga subuh. can't break my record though. my parents and four of us finished 120 kilos of roti jala in a two days, one night roti jala-thon. as i far as i know, that's a world record. my mom has been making roti jala for tempahan raya for as long as i can remember. when my brother and i were too little to help her, we kept her company in the kitchen. we would drag the living room cushions into the kitchen and lied down to watch her. eventually we'd fall asleep of course. i guess this is the stages that all of my siblings go through:
1) help out with the eating
2) keep my mom company, and watch and observe
3) help out with mengangkat roti jala from kuali and menyusun roti jala atas tray (this step also goes through a few stages, first we use spoon then as we become more expert, we start using our fingers)
4) help put with making the roti jala itself (graduation!!! it takes some practise to make perfectly shaped roti jala, so far only the female species of my family has got the knack of it)
*one rule: to never eat our own roti jala at the houses we're invited to, it just doesn't feel comfortable.
i talked to my mom when i called home and she sounded really tired. i guess it's about time she retires from making roti jala for hari raya. it's really tiresome, and it takes some of the joy away from fully celebrating hari raya.