Deepavali Lunch

Last weekend, aunt hosted a small gathering for her colleagues at home and that got us all pretty much worked out helping in getting all the Mise en place in place before their arrival.

As anticipated, I was auto picked to entertain the guests. Being the most vocal and with everyone else a little too shy, I played the role to perfection. Was a little hard to pick a topic with such huge age gap but my experiences growing was a good chat subject over lunch for it rekindled memories to aunt's guests.

Our family friend was tasked to prepare a simple lunch menu and it turned out to be a massive spice infused, oil laden fare that kept me away from them. Daddy had to wash off the curry from the meat for my lunch.

He also whipped a quick dessert for the family. Pan fried banana cooked on low heat with Ribena juice and peanuts served with orange peel. He couldn't figure out a name for it so Dish #252 out of all the unnamed new recipes was enjoyed as it is.

Deepavali will not be complete without catching the new releases in cinema and we made our way to the Kepong TGV to catch Surya's '7 Aum Arivu'. It was extra special for me for it was his commercial pot boiler 'Ayan' marked my first cinematic experience 2 years ago.

Happy Deepavali!

'Rocker Vali' pumps up to fun, good food among good company and splurging of daddy's hard earned money. It has been a fantastic day throughout with great fanfare.

The Kaliamman temple in Kepong is where we start Deepavali the last couple of years. With my spanking new outfit, I was the center of attraction for it's a sight to behold seeing a 4 year old in the traditional garb.

The day continued with the Malaysian Association Indian Chamber of Commerce and In­­dustry (MAICCI) open house at the HGH Convention Centre in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. Popular artists from Astro were busy rendering movie songs while we enjoyed good food.

By the time I got back, grandma's friends from our neighbourhood 'Exercise Group' were already at home enjoying the delicacies. I got into something more comfortable so that I could carry out my duties as the host.

The day continued with a blast in the form of visit to Uncles place and more friends dropping in to wish us and join in the celebration.

I was so gung ho, I decided to jump into my Kung Fu Panda jammies. It's not just cause of Deepavali but this post also marks my 200th entry to the blog. Now that's the highlight to this year's celebration. Happy Deepavali folks!

Deepavali - 1 Day to Go!

Deepavali, triumph of good over evil will kick in shortly and I'm all geared up for tomorrow as I end the day on a high note. Today in school the art work was on Deepavali and we made this lovely card. All my friends signed it before handing it over to me.

It's nice to have good friends who share the joys in life with you. I've invited them over but it's not like they can jump on their bike or drive down easily. It all depends on their elders.

I had a Pre-Deepavali celebration with my elders. Grand uncle, grand aunt helped me pop the sparkling juice open. Wish it was champagne, guess it's way too early for me.

I didn't enjoy the taste ... maybe not yet. I held on tight to my cup of milk for that's ecstasy enough for me.

The famous family glass serving dish made it's appearance as we felt it was far too nostalgic to be left out. It will serve it's purpose along the new plastic one.

While preparing, I was keen to know what's on TV tomorrow and to my surprise, 8TV lined up a Mandarin movie tagged as Deepavali movie special at 2pm. Shouldn't it be called Holiday Movie Special instead?

Deepavali - 2 Days to Go!

With 2 days left for the big day, a massive round of cleaning took place this morning. Daddy employs part time cleaning services for daily chores so we leveraged on them.

It's a daunting task hence we tried to help as much as we can moreover if you have a living room sofa that needs 3 people to lift ... Phew ... need I say more.

We continued rounding up with the munchies complimenting the delicacies as they are must have on top of the traditional ones. With the new TV, I would certainly wanna kick back and munch while I enjoy the cinema like experience.

Fireworks is still found openly sold all around the city. It's easy to spot them for it's always displayed in a fold-able table by the payment. Probably because it would be an easy getaway if the authorities shows up.  

I'm guilty as charged for I myself contributed to the sales. Deepavali is never complete if you don't have fireworks. Assurance given that they are all minor sparklers and played under adult supervision.

Deepavali - 3 Days to Go!

This could easily be said the most taxing day of all the week long count down throughout my 4 years celebrating Deepavali! Somehow all the massive activities fell on the same day.

It pretty much started in tears for me as I insisted on having KFC Cheesy egg bun combo for breakfast. The urge just hit me and after getting it my way, I was off too drop Sindhu for her grooming session at the same place she stayed during my holiday in Singapore.

Does she look like she was groomed? well for 90 ringgit at least she smells a lot better and some heavy trimming was obvious on her tail and hind legs. A good 4 hours to complete.

After dropping off Sindhu, I got back in a jiffy to get myself ready for the Ms. Saree Competition at Tesco Village Mall, Kepong. A quick shower and lunch before an hour of massive preparatory work.

There were enough pair of hands working tirelessly getting me all prepped up. I can imagine what a professional model goes through every time they hit the ramp.

I was a tad bit nervous but when you hit the runway you don't want to make that too clear for fear of loosing points. As an added accessory, I held on to a little lamp to give that much needed Deepavali touch plus it won't really show if you're nervous since your concentration is on keeping it steady.

The organizers insisted on a 3 minutes show piece while on stage which wasn't easy for me. I didn't want to dance or perform some fancy trick for fear of tripping. I took the safe route with minor spins topped with a million dollar smile.

The efforts paid off handsomely for I was crowned the 3rd place winner. Commendable finish for a 4 year old first timer who was also the youngest among the 7 participants. I was pleasantly surprised and proud of my achievements. It's nice to learn new stuff and an added bonus if you win a prize with it.

The 3rd place prize was a 100 ringgit Tesco voucher but most importantly I gained some valuable experience out of this and without doubt it may not make much of an impact at this stage but my first modeling experience will always be sweet memory to me.

Credit goes to my campaign lead and strong supporter. Cheers to you Uncle Sarvesh!

Later in the evening just as I got back from picking up Sindhu, a surprise was waiting at home. Our first flat screen TV. We opted for a 40 inch LED which is a big difference from the existing 29 inch tube. With great programs lined up on TV, I'll certainly be glued on it.

Deepavali - 4 Days to Go!

Today I'm proud to report 80% completion of the delicacies. The ghee biscuits and balls were in the 'easy to make' category hence we finished them off within half a day.

A little burned at the base but I strongly feel the crusty part makes it taste a whole lot better. On the contrary to the soft succulent ghee biscuits, Grandpa bought the tooth crunching 'Ketti Urundai'. Not advisable to those with brittle teeth. It's such a turnoff there is a 'We hate Ketti Urundai' page on facebook!

Later in the evening, I joined uncle and his family for a stopover at Brickfields. Being the last Saturday night before the celebrations, the place was jam packed. Parking was all haphazard as shoppers felt they had the right to do as they wished. Crazy ...

With Jalan Tengku Kelana in Klang, this is the main hot spot for KL folks. Strategically located at the heart of the city public transportation hub, it's a people magnet. The government has been investing heavily in making this a great tourist destination and there has been mixed reactions to that.

Besides the festive add-on's, life in Brickfields is just as it is with the garland booths continuing to attract regular goers. This particular stretch was away from the Deepavali hussle and bussle. A serene certainty sweeps as you walk by them.

Didn't want to miss the chance but then again, the prices here were far higher then all the other places I visited in the last couple of days. Choices were abundance but we've got enough for this year ... ;-)

Sight seeing became the order of the night.

Deepavali - 5 Days to Go!

Everybody uses the festivities as a reason for splurging on new stuff. New clothes, gadgets and even a car! We've got them all this year. Let's start with something that you don't always hear about. New bed spread.

Daddy wasn't too pleased at the choice of design but he gave in for I insisted this be the one. It's in my favourite colour and it has Mickey holding a scale from the geometry set. Why? Well it's Mickey's way of  telling us kids, education is important. I hear you Mickster!

What's Deepavali without crackers ... moreover being the 'Rocker Vali' this year, all the reason to go big bang. These were the least I could convince daddy to buy. The man is not too fond of them but has a history of organizing and engaging a fire works war.

Here's a classic example of how families tend to always invest for long term. My bike gear is 1 size too big so I had to yank the elastics 2 times around my limbs. I'm definitely not going to ride beyond the gates in them even though they do provide me with adequate safety.

Here's the much talked about new gadget that daddy bought for himself. Reminiscence of 2008 when he got the Sony Ericsson C902. This is his BBB 9900. That's Blackberry Bold for the not so tech savvy.

Deepavali - 6 Days to Go!

Counting down to 'Rocker Vali' continues with much enthusiasm. Decorations are important moreover with the ones that depict the occasion but wouldn't you agree it's worth investing in a common deco ... taking long term into consideration. Thinking ...

Decorations are like make up. It's best done on top of a clean face. So washing, scrubbing and all those associated with cleaning the home front is critical. Head start with the carpets.

We manage to pull the impossible by completing 3 major delicacies. What's left are the easy ones which still needs time and effort invested in making them. All the Cookies are off the shelf items for time is running out.

The classic glass serving dishes makes way for the ultra modern plastic one this year. I'm not proud for it's not environmentally friendly but for convenience sake, we had to switch.

Major work continues as the days go by. Rock On!

Deepavali - 7 Days to Go!

It's been 'Satyavin Athiradi Deepavali' (Satya's Rocking Deepavali), the last 4 celebrations. This year I'm gearing up with a new, improvised tagline ... Satya's 'Rocker Vali'!

Change is inevitable, change is constant. So a new tagline will do some good. I've also been doing some soul searching ... heavy for a 4 year old but the truth is, it's tough at 4. Kindergarden, books, living up to expectations. The least is to let loose on a holiday.

With my finals coming up on November 1st, I've been praying alot. Hoping my guardian angel will keep an eye on me and give me a heavenly knock for the mistakes in my weakest subject ... Malay Language.

I doubt we'll be doing any additional shopping with most of the key items procured. But you never know for something might just get added to the already overflowing list. Daddy's been craving about his new upcoming toy. I'll be touching on that once I get a glimpse of it.

Investing in gold for the festivities? I've done mine in Singapore but the shops are generally crowded this time of the year. Another valuable commodity that's been on daddy's mind since my birth is a sound investment for my education. That's equally sky rocketing just like gold. What it costs today may not be the same down the years ...

Toddling @ Deepavali Bazaar, Klang

As usual, Klang town came alive for the up coming Deepavali celebrations, late but never, we manage to get ourselves there.

Was it as happening as it's said to be? It certainly was for just the day before, the Prime Minister made his way there and needless to say the crowd came in 10 fold.

Daddy always says, we're gonna have a moderate celebration to control the expenses but year on year he tops the amount spent. Puppy eyes and an innocent look to die for always works it's magic.

Got myself a traditional wear plus we splurged on the delicacies claiming to avoid making them this year despite a bag load of fresh ingredients bought a week ago.

Lovely atmosphere with blasting music and the crowd made it super special. We enjoyed a good cup of ginger tea served with crispy hot samosa. Brilliant 'condiment' to a breezy after rain Sunday evening.

The day was just lovely and I took a good nap on the way back and 2 days from today, my official 7 days countdown to Deepavali kicks in. Satya's 'Rocker Vali' starts!