Friday, June 24, 2011

It's Been Ten Years Since ..



Yesterday, June 23rd, marked our 10th wedding anniversary. Frankly, I never cease to wonder that we have managed to last this long, considering the odds, of which there were many.

Any of you out there who have ever embarked on a second marriage following the collapse of the first, for whatever reason, would understand perfectly where I am coming from.

The exes, the kids from both sides of the divide, the in-laws (and 'out-laws' too), the mutual friends (some taking sides, some valiantly trying to maintain the status quo);  that's the kind of excess baggage (and I mean this in a positive way) we drag along into our second.  

I still remember the biting words of someone close (a family member, in fact) who rudely dissed our union, then in its first year, with a dismissive "... alah, don't even know if this will last five years..."

Well, it has been a decade since and we are still here, alive and kicking, the going still great. No thanks for the withering vote of no confidence, though.

As a woman, when you remarry at 47 you know darn well the direction you are taking. At least I did. You didn't marry for lust; you marry for companionship.

I had interesting monologues with God long before meeting Pak Abu. Truth be told, remarrying wasn't on the cards at all; I had no intention of giving my growing daughters a stepfather.

But I did ask Him, if there was jodoh for me yet, to bless me with a companion who could guide me into becoming a better Muslimah because I had been a lousy Muslim for the longest time.

Although I was tired of being one, starting over was tough. It wasn't easy to wean yourself off  'la dolce vita' (the good life) even if you knew it was for a better one.

This was because duniawi was real, something I could relate to, as opposed to the hazy notions of akhirat, qiamah, syurga and neraka; such was syaitan's hold on me.  

I had no doubt that Allah swt listened, for, here I am, where I want to be. And I guess I can speak for Pak Abu too because we share the same goal.

We have to continue working on this second chance that we have been given, to make it work and last, till death do us part. Insyaallah.

The Dinner

As in the past (here and here), we made our way to La Risatta in Medan Damansara for an anniversary dinner. We had hoped for a quiet evening, but the restaurant was chock-a-block with yuppie (and noisy) patrons.

We ended up sitting on barstools at a high table; it was uncomfortable, to say the least. Fortunately, before the main course arrived we were moved to proper seating.

Whatever the condition, the restaurant remains in our good books; the food was excellent and the service topnotch, as usual.

We kept coming back because of their seafood zuppe; it's rich and absolutely delicious. 

Last night's sampling included fried calamari with tartar dip, sauteed mushrooms, gnocci & peeled prawns, and the usual garlic bread.  

For dessert we decided to try their napoleotani creme brule; it came in three little dishes of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, respectively. I'd definitely order it again.

We noticed business had improved much after they renovated last year.  It used to be so-so and we had liked the laidback atmosphere then. Now everything seemed so hurried.

Pak Abu said we should consider another place next year, just for a change. Perhaps... 

25 comments:

Fauziah Ismail said...

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary, Kak!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Mabruk! Mabruk!
Aunty Puteri and Uncle Abu,
May you happily ever after and forever and ever and ever...... Time for pulut kuning and beef rendang, eh? purrr....meow!

Your feline family,
Angelina, Tom, Nicole, Michael, Nikki & Brad
Mama & Dad (nak tumpang juga)

mekyam said...

happy TEN to you and pak abu! congratulations! :)))

tokcik said...

congratulations

Wan Sharif said...

First you write "I never cease to wonder that we have managed to last this long"..
then you write "I can speak for Pak Abu too because we share the same goal i.e. to continue working on the marriage to make it last till death do us part. Insyaallah."
Like that haa.. you do not need to wonder lah Non?!
I hope to emulate you on "to continue working on the marriage to make it last "
See.. I am also on the second marriage only I started earlier when I was 37 and have chalked 20th Anniversary last month;))

rohaizahabas said...

salam ulang tahun ke 10 buat kak kama dan pak abu,
Semuga kehidupan akak berdua terus di rahmati Allah dunia dan akhirat.

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Congrats to u Puteri & Pak Abu....so what did u have after dessert?....hehehe....after dinner mint? :))

Cheers!

Kama At-Tarawis said...

tommy - aawwww...!

ummisara said...

kak,

Happy Anniversary....semoga terus diberkati & dilimpahi rahmat Allah S.W.T....

mamasita said...

Happy 10th Anniversary Puteri..
May you both be very happy companions right till the end.Ameen.

Unknown said...

..it was a malam jumaat, Tommy, so after the creme brule, it was fitting that the finale is creme de la brute..hehehe..but congratulations, LadyK..regards to PakAbu..he's looking good..good for another 10, or 20, or 30 as against pakmat once weakly...make it pulut and rendang at the next 10..

..correction, lady..at 47 we marry for lust and companionship..we marry for our lust for life...and if we have a companion to share this lust..then its better..as it is getting better for both of you..so cheers..I have more to say..but I think I will blog about it...so cheers..

Anonymous said...

Well done.

Derebar

Kak Teh said...

To one of my favourite couples -Happy anniversary and may there be many, many more! There will always be the prophets of doom, the sour grapes, the nay sayers - prove them wrong, chin up, and soldier on hand in hand into the sunset!! Lots of love from both of us and the cats.

Pak Zawi said...

Puteri and Pak Abu, Congratulations happy aniversary. It is not for the detractors that you have to prove wrong but for your own self. May this marriage last forever.

D said...

congrats, kak puteri! second chances are always sweeter, I think...

May Allah bless you both!

MA said...

Congratulations to both Kak Puteri dan Pak Abu...may both of you find happiness and companionship in each other forever.
Bab excess baggages and all the troubles of blending tu ler yang buat I tak berminat to go around the block again...hehe. But, never say never kan? Mana tahu besok masa tengah jalan kaki tiba-tiba tersepak batu and change my mind pulak..:P

Unknown said...

Puteri Kama (dan Pak Abu),

Happy anniversary...a tenth one too ~! Secocok...sehati se jiwa! begitulah pemerhatian saya each time bertemu Puteri Kama di sisi Pak Abu.

Apabila seorang memulakan kata2, seorang lagi bagai tahu, perlu di sambung atau perlu mendiamkan diri. Begitu memahami~!

Di alam pekerjaan, biasanya, the second job won't last~! But that is because, second job is always a decision made for desperate reason...to get out of the first one!

Your jodoh, has been an answer from your prayer...dan Allah sentiasa memakbulkan doa yang membawa kebaikan kepada Ummat Nya...

Together, we hope you will stay happy every after~!

sitiaishah said...

Tahniah & Ucapan Ulangtahun Perkahwinan.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Fauziah, Cat, Mekyam, Tokcik, Ayoh Wang, Ezza, Tommy, Edelweiss, Mamasita, Pakmat, Derebar, KakTeh, Pak Zawi, D, MA, PakPin & Siti... Thank you for the kind wishes and thoughts.. am touched..may God bless you all.. :D

Fadhil said...

My wish for you Kak Kama, is for another happy ten years with Pak Abu, insyaAllah...

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Ameen to that, Oldstock. can't wait to meet up with you come Sept, insyaallah..

Syazlin Sazali said...

Both of you are such a lovely couple. Moga diberkati hingga ke akhir hayat auntie :)

Kama At-Tarawis said...

syazlin - thank you for the kind wishes my dear..

Shahieda said...

Congrats Sis Puteri & Pak Abu! Hopefully one day when I'm brave enough, I'll try it again the second time around :)

Kama At-Tarawis said...

sha - and when you do, rest assured you'll hv a happy, fulfilling one.. :D