Lapse II: Early Birthday & New Archbishop

I had a birthday do at my sister's place since I couldn't decide on a restaurant. Had it on the 5th, four days before the actual date. Mum cooked a big dinner, with special contributions from my sister, SK and Apollo. Sis made a huge pan of seafood paella yang tahap dewa. The surface was so thick with seafood that one couldn't see the rice. SK recently returned from Vietnam, so she made rice paper rolls with grilled pork neck. Yum! Apollo made dessert, which was an impressive Oreo cheesecake. Love the crust! And I had a surprise guest for the dinner too-- Cutipie and her darling son Cam. Of course KH was there too and he brought a big apricot butter cake from Suanson. A very traditional choice of cake. :P. Had a merry dinner especially since I whipped up a large jug of Mojito. Ended the night with an Instax photo shoot, so everyone had a souvenir from the event.













Hari Raya Haji marked the episcopal ordination of Most Rev. Julian Leow, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. Took over the reins from Archbishop Emeritus Murphy Pakiam. The ordination was held at the Church of the Holy Family, Kajang where he was a well-known priest. We joined the throng in Kajang town early in the morning. Managed to secure parking at one of the many suggested parking lots away from the nexus of activity. There were lots and lots of people (ferried in by lots and lots of buses) and most of the seats were already taken. Luckily we found seats with shade and a decent view of the big screen. And a problem with the huge turnout was the lack of toilets. Although there were port-a-potties, it wasn't really enough. Even the guys had to queue for long, can you imagine the ladies? The solemn ceremony ran for four hours! But it was very grand with a large number of bishops from all over giving their blessing. Among the interesting parts of the episcopal ordination were the Apostolic Letter (a mandate from the Holy See), Book of Gospels (the Gospel is held open above the head of the Archbishop), Investiture with Ring, Miter, and Pastoral Staff and Seating of the Bishop (the Archbishop is invited to sit in the bishop's chair). At the end, the newly-appointed Archbishop went around giving blessings to the congregation. We didn't stay for the speech and escaped the crowds.

Lunched at Restoran Satay Malaysia (Nyuk Lan), which is famous for its crowds, satay and bad manners. While the server was wiping the table, SK in her 'infinite patience' already started to order. The guy snapped, "Cannot wait first ah?!". Fuiyoh. The satay wasn't bad and they had authentic ketupat in woven leaf cases which gives the rice a distinct aroma. The grilled chicken wings were good too and perfect for snacking while waiting for the satay. Cooled off at Alamanda Putrajaya after lunch. Surprised that it has become more upmarket with Mont Blanc and Coach. Banyak orang kaya di Putraja? In the evening, had a gathering with Gratitude (and his mum) and KT at Donutes. A great way to end the long weekend before flying back to Singapore again.