Lily’s Blog, Dragon Absconded!
Baking Until I Drop

Bamboo Masjid, originally uploaded by Lilandra.

Yesterday, Chennette came in about 7:30 pm to overnight. So after ruminating on many plans, as follows

1. Mom and I drive up after we break fast and eat something (maybe), at around 6:30 to pick her up and she drives back.
2. Mom and I drive up and break fast at the airport and wait leisurely for her to arrive.
3. Mom and I drive up in time to pray and break fast at Bamboo Masjid. If we’re so lucky and they have dinner ooo! Otherwise, proceed to the airport and wait for her.

Dad ended up going with us. We packed dates and four bottles of water and drove up to reach Bamboo to break fast and pray.

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have much experience as to how other masjids do their business, especially for the normal every day Iftar (non-sponsored, no dinner). We were early and there were brothers in the masjid, brothers at a table and a sister in the masjid. So mom and I went in the masjid with our dates and water and let dad investigate after he parked the car in the back and walked through the hall. So, dad came and said he thinks they have dates and stuff. So, we said we’d just break fast with our dates and water here and dad would go back out.

Well, while waiting, I went to make wudu (ablutions) to pray and there I smelled pholourie! I did! And I think I saw it! Or at least something yellow.

I came back and waited for the pause in mom’s qur’an recitation and told her “mom! pholourie!”

Around this time a brother signaled to the sister in the masjid and she went outside.

We summoned dad and said that I smelled pholourie. Dad was happy. Since it was getting close to the time, we went out.

And since we have to walk around to inside the hall, dad was already there by the time we reached. I saw a brother putting a couple plates on a table, but it was for him and the other sister. Some brothers were sitting together. Mom and I tried to figure out where to sit. Now, there was no lack of tables, especially as there were few people. But, when you’re not accustomed to how things are done in a place, and you don’t want to misstep…well.

Dad appeared with plates for us and the three of us sat at a table.

I really liked this by the way, the brothers serving the sisters :-D

It was an un-sponsored iftar so I think it was whatever people brought to share, like how we do it.

I really wish they had brothers tables and sisters tables (as opposed to what it looked like ie brothers tables and mixed family tables). There might’ve been people to say hi to. I also wish there were people I knew there…but maybe they all got invited to a big fancy iftar ;-) But you know us, we live at the airport. We should just make stuff and carry it to the airport every night and find the muslim workers and have iftar with them. I’m sure they’re our “real” Jamaat…hehe…still waiting to have suhur in the airport, by the way.

Or, maybe it was that there weren’t a lot of people there and most of the sisters and their family were passing through, just like us, and so, didn’t know about the “sisters” table or didn’t know what they were supposed to do either

Regardless…I was happy…we had pholourie and stuff and I took pictures of the masjid. I even got a great picture of a moving truck. Well…a blur of a moving truck. Look! I think it’s pretty. I didn’t plan it. How could I? I mean if I decided to take a picture of the truck moving in front of me it would’ve been gone already. I was just focusing on the intersection and it appeared out of nowhere!

And then we went on to the airport to pick up Chennette.

Down to business.

Ramadan 11, Friday 12 September, Suhur

We kept some of the macaroni salad we made for the Iftar the day before and added two cans of spicy tuna to it. So, I had some of that and avocado (mmm) and lots of water.

Mom and dad had avocado and…bread? I don’t know!

Ramadan 12, Friday 12 September, Iftar

Iftar at Bamboo Masjid, originally uploaded by Lilandra.

We broke fast at Bamboo masjid with our dates and their yummy stuff. Pholourie (round and yellow), fish pie (long) and curried channa and chutney. We also had dates and water.

Conspiracy Theory: Dad’s plate mysteriously had a samosa on it and ours didn’t! If you click on the link the notes will show you. Compare with my plate, posted above. It’s kinda blurry because I was looking at the tables!

Then we went to the airport…and tada! Had Church’s.

Well, mom and I had chicken sandwiches from Church’s, dad had fish and chips from Royal Castle and Chennette had a Zinger from KFC.

Home again. Home again. And I couldn’t sleep. But that’s today’s story, not yesterday’s.