Hari Raya (eid) Open House

Its time of the year again!! Open houses everywhere in office premises, homes and even the Ministers' and King's palaces.

Open house in Malaysia literally means opening up of houses to friends and relatives to come and visit, eat, drink and be merry. The first three days of Syawal month are usually reserved for close relatives and friends. Open houses are held all month long even sometimes until the very last day of Syawal. People of all races and religion take part in Raya Open House, taking the time to visit their Muslim friends and colleagues and savor homemade delicacies.

Hari Raya in Malaysia is truly a festival that's celebrated by all muslims and non muslims and Open Houses has been contagious of late. The concept has also been adopted by other races in Malaysia like the Chinese during Chinese New Year, the Indians and Sikhs during Diwali and Christians during Christmas.

One thing for sure, no one can complain of being hungry during Open Houses. Scrumptious food are prepared aplenty. Women are not recommended to wear tight fitting clothings like the kebayas as it would not be as flattering after all the feasting. I will usually play safe with a baju kurung. :) There is a wide spread of delicious traditional Hari Raya food like the ketupat, lemang, laksa johor, rendang, cakes and raya cookies served and it is indeed very hard to say no to a second or third helping (sigh)

There is no mention of diet (ahaks) because everybody is out to have a great time eating and enjoying each others company. I have a rather difficult time in deciding which Open House i should go because these days, Open Houses are usually held on weekends and they tend to overlap one another. This weekend for instance, i have about 5 invitations on Saturday alone and the houses are opened at the exact same time that is from 12noon to 5pm. It will not be a good idea to go to all the houses firstly because its all far apart and secondly i dont think i can swallow down all those food in a day.

Another interesting part of Hari Raya is , only this time of the year that you cant say no to anyone who wants to come and visit you for Hari Raya. You are obliged to welcome friends and relatives who called upon you and prepare food for them. I have my fair share of visitors and i was practically cooking and preparing Hari Raya specialities from Hari Raya's eve until a week after that. Everyone enjoyed it, even me although i must say its rather tiring.

Regardless of all the complaints ( diet disorder, traffic jams, bloating tummies etc ) the concept of Open Houses really bring people from all races and social backgrounds together. Only in Malaysia we see a mix of Malays, Chinese, Indians and others races congregating happily, eating, drinking and socialising. A jolly good time for everybody i must say...

overweight after hari raya/eid

If only the calipers could scream!!..... OMG this is what happens after Hari Raya! I go through this phase every year. Everyone, including yours truly, seems to blame it on Hari Raya. (padahal sebelum raya lagi dah naik scale tu). I wasnt feeling guilty at all when indulging the nasi tomato, ketupat rendang and watnots..it was heavenly. *smile & sigh* so... why the complaint?

well....actually i was watching the 'Top Models' program on tv and suddenly felt a big BANG on the head. I went bonkers when i saw the image in my mirror. Whos that? I dont even recognise myself!

Hey.... a healthy body requires fat as a thermal insulation and a shock absorption for certain sensitive areas of the body...and....and..its enery for future use you know...... (look who is trying

to convince who here). Lets get physical..... the song suddenly ringing in my ears..

People out there....its time to commit to exercise again. I am not suggesting you (and I) to run a 10km run tomorrow but

what i am suggesting is to commit ourselves to at least an hour a day for exercise. A crucial one hour to keep you fit and lose weight. Exercise can be fun and exciting

especially if you do it with your love ones and friends. Within a month, you will lose some of the love handles and will have a more productive life.

My basic rules when trying (ahaks... i typed the word 'trying') to lose weight. This is my personal thing and some of you out there might not agree with me.... so what?.. eheh

Sharifah Hanim's Rule number 1 is never to expect to lose weight in a week (this happens all the time, i keep expecting the arrow on the scale to go left). It has been confirmed by many experts that losing weight in a short time is extremely dangerous to the body. It can take several months to get to your ideal weight then again depending on what your diet is and how much you exercise.

Sharifah Hanim's Rule number 2 is do not go on a painful diet that you cant even enjoy your life. Life is too short these days, so please enjoy some eating pleasures that will not hurt your diet plan too much

Sharifah Hanim's Rule number 3 is to be realistic about myself. Honestly i am not quite sure whether i am the endomorph or the mesomorph. Whichever it is i know i have a big frame, wide shoulders and big bones. This body will definately not make me Tyra Banks. Im being realistic here...

Lets get physical.....Im humming the song again. How do we get started? Like i always say......., do a proper warm up with light stretches and then the cardio workout and finish with a warm down and a static stretch. Do not forget to do conditioning and resistance training in between to build your muscle mass. You can refer to my previous postings for more detailed information on the exercises

.

What i would recommend most here is to walk. yes... just a simple walk. You dont have to do a power walk but dont be a turtle either, walk on a good pace for at least 30 minutes after breakfast or dinner and you will be amaze on how it will make wonders to your life. Do an hour walk on weekends, use proper cushioned shoes, a cap to protect you from the sun, an I pod to listen to music, walk at a park or at your neighbourhood and make your walk fun and enjoyable. Walk alone or with friends/family

FYI overweight and obesity causes risks on health conditions like

* high blood pressure and high cholesterol which will cause heart diseases

* bone and joint problems (which is very painful indeed, so i heard)

* shortness of breath that makes physical activities difficult and may develop asthma

* restless and disordered sleep patterns, insomnia etc..

* liver and gall bladder disease

* depression and low self esteem

The most important thing is to live your life to the fullest and grow old gracefully. All the best!!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri / Eid Mubarak

Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin is the greeting we Malaysians use everytime we meet someone during the festival of Eid Mubarak. This roughly means 'Happy Eid' and 'i beg forgiveness from you phsyically and spiritually'.

Hari Raya or Eid is celebrated by muslims around the world after ramadhan. Hari Raya or Eid basically means 'celebration'. A merry time of celebration for Malaysians. When i say Malaysians, it is not only meant for the muslims. This celebration is also celebrated by the non muslims in Malaysia. A time to visit one another to strenghten family ties, friendship bonds and asking for forgiveness.

Most muslim Malaysians will don on their best clothes in the morning of Eid and perform the Eid prayers at the local mosque. Most people will either come back home for their big reunion breakfast with the family or go straight to their dearly departed graves to offer prayers.

This is the time of the year where you can expect to see colourful new attires, new cushion covers, new curtains, newly painted houses and even new cars! You can just go over to any house without even being invited and i guarantee a big spread of food laid on the table for you to savour without feeling guilty.

Food is always abundance during this time, Malaysians being good hosts will make sure you will not leave their home feeling hungry.
The traditional food like the ketupat (rice cook in coconut leaves), rendang (meat cook in coconut milk and spice), nasi bariani are a must and the list goes on and on....

We even have cookies for guests who visits and the children (small kids) will be given Raya goodies (money packets, yes its real money!). Open houses (literally means you accept guests all day long) are also a common thing for the whole month of Syawal.

What touches me most is the Takbir. Everytime i hear the Takbir, i get this feeling which i really cannot explain.

Sadly, with all the extravagance, we have inadvertently attached the wrong values and meaning to the day itself, making those who don’t or no longer have the means to experience these things, feel somewhat less than excited about it.

Unfortunately, the true meaning of Hari Raya or Eid remains lost amongst most of us. :(

Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin to everyone out there