Raya Raya 2009 – Episode Before Eve

Raya datang lagi!

Preparations for this year was abit terlambat. Miss Ain was busy refraining herself from food, drinks and especially gossips (extremely hard) before she realised Raya was just a week away.

Terperanjat beruk lah Miss Ain!

What else can you do in ONLY one weekend other than to embark on a Kueh Marathon! 4 different type of kueh in one weekend is no joke. Each kueh supply have to last a month at least and it has to be supplied to 3 families. Pening you know. Dah macam Jamie Oliver in the kitchen!

Making kuehs in your 30s is gonna cost you a fair bit more compared to making kuehs in your 20s. Why? Because your neck, shoulders and back will start to ache 1/3 way thru the kueh making. Therefore apart from the cost of ingredients and the higher monthly utilities bills, you have to set aside an amount for your spa rendezvous.

Now part shopping pulak…

Every year 80% of Miss Ain’s Hari Raya preparation shopping will be done overseas. Tak lah jauh pun…at JB jer. Some stuffs are cheaper there as compared to Singapore. Or rather most stuffs are cheaper there. Miss Ain went to 3 different places to shop.

First stop: Tesco. Buying drinks at Tesco is cheap!

Tesco oh Tesco

1 litre of Chrysanthemum Tea or Soya Bean => SGD$0.37 ONLY
1.2L of Coke, Sprite, Mug Root Beer, 7 Up, F&N Ice Cream Soda and many more => SGD$1.09
Buttercup Butter => SGD$2.29 (limited to 10 sticks per pax…use your creativity if you need to buy more than 10 sticks)

Borong! 60 bottles of soft drinks (1.2Litres)...Raya sakan OK

2nd stop: Angsana.

Angsana@Carpark...This is the only picture of Angsana Miss Ain took

Home decor stuffs here are reasonably cheap compared to Geylang Serai in Singapore. Considering you get to shop in the comfort of an aircon building, it is a definitely a much better shopping experience. There are also more variety of Baju Melayu here at Angsana compared to Geylang Serai and the designs here at Angsana are definitely one of the latest in trend.

3rd stop:Jakel. Carpet at a bargain! A good friend recommended to Miss Ain. Pre-requisite required at Jakel: Bargaining Skills

Miss Ain: Yang ni berapa bang?
Abang Carpet: RM250 ni dik
Miss Ain: Mahal nyer…yang tu pulak berapa bang?
Abang Carpet: Yang tu quality dia tak berapa bagus…jadi harganyer rendah sikit RM180
Miss Ain (pointing back to the first carpet): Yang ni tak boleh kurang lagi ke bang…kurang lah…abang ni handsome…kasilah kurang…kiter lagi budget ni bang…kesian kan lah kiter
Abang Carpet (assumingly pleased with the “Abang Handsome” title): Ok lah…kasi RM200
Miss Ain (trying to get the base price): Kalau beli dua berapa bang?
Abang Carpet: Dua RM360
Miss Ain: Kalau gitu kalau saya amek satu RM180 boleh lah bang? *smiling widely*
Abang Carpet: Tak boleh lah dik…dah kira murah tu

Miss Ain starts to bring Abang Carpet around the warehouse and ask him about other carpets that she had no intentions of buying and then back to the first carpet after the Abang Carpet looked a little tired.

Miss Ain: Bang murah lagi lah bang…boleh boleh boleh?
Abang Carpet (with a tired and tak kuasa look): Ok lah RM185 last price.

Kesian Abang Carpet…but this technique was proven to be effective when bargaining. You may try to use this technique the next time you bargain.

Disclaimer: Use this bargaining technique at your own risk. Miss Ain shall not be liable for any medical bills incured during bargaining.

Bercakap tentang hal hal shopping ni, Miss Ain would like to direct you to this topic about Hari Raya – Melayu Keliru .