Da's paternal grandfather's birthday celebrations

Da's relatives celebrated the 99th birthday of Da's paternal grandfather today. Happy birthday, Ah Kong!

Last night, I baked a loaf of mango bread. As I was too tired to slice the bread last night, I decided to let the bread cool overnight and I sliced it this morning. I cannot wait to try the bread.

Da had to work today and as such, we went to Forum Shopping Mall after his work. It has been years since I last went to this shopping mall. It has changed so much! We decided to bypass the food establishments selling western cuisine and we settled for a small cafe selling local fare. We ordered a plate of nasi lemak and a plate of mee siam and we shared both dishes.

In the evening, we made our way to the home of Da's paternal grandfather.

Many of the other relatives had already arrived.

Ah Kong now feeds via a tube and he has mobility problems but he can still speak. A few weeks ago, I heard a very clear "thank you" when he was talking to his domestic helper. As he had already had his night feed, he was resting in his room when we arrived.

In the old days when Da's paternal grandmother was still alive, Da's relatives used to meet at the home of his grandparents for tea every sunday.

Nowadays, the gatherings are not as frequent.

Ah Kong's two domestic helpers were the ones who arranged for the birthday party. They also cooked the dinner.

There was a lot of laughter and chatter as the relatives caught up with each other.

Due to the limited space at the dinner table, Da's parents, Da and I decided to have our dinner as "round two".

The dinner menu comprised steamed white rice, fried rice vermicelli, beef rendang (it was very sedap!), fried mixed vegetables and achar.

Ah Kong lives in a two bedroom apartment with Da's unmarried aunt and two domestic helpers.

The unit is cosy and overlooks the swimming pool of the development.

Da's niece, MAT was putting to good use the camcorder that my brother (LB) and LB's wife (MF) gave me for my birthday this year.

Time to sing the birthday song!

As Ah Kong was already dozing off, he must have wondered what the fuss was all about.

Everyone crowded into Ah Kong's room in order to sing the birthday song.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Ah Kong, happy birthday to you!

The birthday cake was specially ordered for the party.

The confectionery had even given enough candles for a 99-year-old birthday boy!

Da placed in Ah Kong's shirt pocket an ang pow (red packet) from us.

Ah Kong is a very tall man and he has 5 children (2 sons and 3 daughters).

Other than the birthday cake, there was also agar-agar for dessert.

Here is a slice of the delicious birthday cake. Happy birthday, Ah Kong! With long life, He will satisfy you! The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you always.

Shaloam,