My Life Is An Open Book

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud/ The Daffodils

2012-01-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;

A poet could not be but gay,

In such a jocund company!

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

~William Wordsworth (1804)~

Summer Tales ~ Edinburgh - Lake District - Birmingham

2012-01-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

21/7/2010

Today we bade farewell to Scotland and continued our journey back to London. Like our journey up north where we spent a night in Manchester, we spent a night in Birmingham for our journey down south.

We left Edinburgh at about 9.00 a.m. and took pictures of other tourists attractions around Edinburgh. There's so many that I wanted to go to but realistically, travelling with children, we were short of time so I guess it was suffice that we got to take pictures. Overall, I was just mesmerized with the ancient building facades amidst a city.

Palace of Holyrood House

Souvenir shop

Our next destination was Lake District. I wanted to go to Lake District because of Beatrix Potter and because many famous English writers/poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge actually stayed there and was inspired. Everyone we asked said that we HAVE to go to Lake District to experience the beauty of nature. On our way to Lake District, I requested that we stopped by Rosslyn Chapel, which gained its popularity in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.

"Rosslyn Chapel - often called the Cathedral of Codes - stands seven miles south of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the site of an ancient Mithraic temple. Built by the Knights Templar in 1446, the chapel is engraved with mind-boggling array of symbols from the Jewish, Christian, Egyptian, Masonic and pagan traditions.

The chapel's geographic coordinates fall precisely on the north-south meridian that runs through Glastonbury. This longitudinal Rose Line is the traditional marker of King Arthur's Isle of Avalon and is considered the central pillar of Britain's sacred geometry. It is from this hallowed Rose Line than Rosslyn - originally spelled Roslin - takes its name." ~from Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code

Renovations at Rosslyn Chapel

I must have felt the same excitement as Robert Langdon upon reaching it. Unfortunately, it was undergoing massive renovations so I only get to take picture from afar. Throughout the journey, we saw some magnificent landscape and we as usual take pictures of fields with cows, horses and sheeps *jakun*. We reached Lake District National Park at about 1 p.m. and dark clouds were visible. We were praying for a rain-less day as most of the activity around Lake District are outdoor activities. With regards to the place, I think no words nor any of the pictures will do justice to the beauty of Lake District. It's just so beautiful..Rafiq said that he'd never imagined such place existed. No wonder all the writers and poets lived there!

Cows and sheep melepak

Since I cannot put in words how the magnificent beauty of Lake District took my breath away, I shall make reference to Wordsworth famous poem "I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud", which I will post in my next entry. As a background, the inspiration for the poem came from a walk Wordsworth took with his sister Dorothy, around Glencoyne Bay, Ullswater, in the Lake District.

"When we were in the woods beyond Gowbarrow Park, we saw a few daffodils close to the water side. We fancied that the lake had floated the seed ashore and that the little colony had so sprung up. But as we went along there were more and more and at last under the boughs of the trees, we saw that there was a long belt of them along the shore, about the breadth of a country turnpike road.

I never saw daffodils so beautiful they grew among the mossy stones about and about them, some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness and the rest tossed and reeled and danced and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the lake, they looked so gay ever dancing ever changing.

This wind blew directly over the lake to them. There was here and there a little knot and a few stragglers a few yards higher up but they were so few as not to disturb the simplicity and unity and life of that one busy highway. We rested again and again. The Bays were stormy, and we heard the waves at different distances and in the middle of the water like the sea." — Dorothy Wordsworth, The Grasmere Journal , Thursday, 15 April 1802

Our first stop at Lake District was the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. It is the only official Peter Rabbit attraction in Lake District which showcased the life and work of Beatrix Potter. What was funny was the fact that Rafiq thought that there was a connection between Beatrix Potter and Harry Potter. When I mentioned that she wrote Peter Rabbit stories, he went, "Ahhhh.." I also told him that one of the reasons I wanted to name our daughter Jemima was because of Beatrix Potter's character, Jemima Puddle-duck. Although there were six parts of the attraction, we had to do a 'touch & go' visit because we were running out of time. After taking some photographs, we had lunch at the Beatrix Potter Tea Room. We had sandwiches and a lovely pumpkin soup surrounded by Beatrix Potter's drawings painted on the furniture.

With Miss Potter and her characters

Next on the agenda was the lake cruise. Since there are many beautiful lakes around lake district, the cruises ranges from 45 minutes to 2 hours covering famous lakes like Windermere, Ullswater and Grasmere. On our way there, we saw a signboard leading to one of the waterfalls in Lake District called Aira Force Waterfall. We had to take the 45 minutes cruise as time wasn't on our side. We truly enjoyed the scenery and natural landscape and thought how lucky it was for those people residing around lake District. It was surreal!! Agung sungguh ciptaan Allah!

Best nyer kalau tu rumah kita..hehe

After the cruise, we let the kids run around the park while we sat on the grass admiring the beauty of the place. We bumped into other visitors who told us how lucky we were to have such a beautiful weather when it has been raining non-stop 3 days earlier. Alhamdulillah.

This is life!

We wished we could stay in Lake District forever but we had to make our way to Birmingham as we had promised my friend Ayu that we would stop by for dinner. Ayu is my SMDU friend whom I haven't seen since she got married in 2005. Actually I totally forgot that she was studying in Birmingham until another friend, Cheq, mentioned it. If not, it would be lovely to spend the night at her house and catch up. But I found out on Ayu's whereabouts after I booked a hotel in Birmingham. Anyways, we arrived at Ayu's house in Selly Oak at about 8.00 p.m. Ayu served us with a lovely beriyani meal and a tiramisu dessert. It was nice to see her because when we were in school, we were so close. She used to lepak a lot at my house while waiting for her father to pick her up. It was then that I realised how I truly missed her. We filled in the gaps about what's happening in our lives whilst our kids played. We left her house at about 10 p.m. and upon reaching Travelodge, there was nothing else to do but sleep.

-TO BE CONTINUED-

Summer Tales ~ Edinburgh - Stirling - Edinburgh

2012-01-25T01:55:00.000-08:00

20/7/2010

After a long journey the day before, we were expecting a late start to Stirling but luckily the kids woke up at 7.30 a.m. We got ready and left for Stirling at 9 a.m. The only reason I wanted to go to Stirling was because of the National Wallace Monument - thanks to my English History lessons during A-Levels and the power of Hollywood by portraying this legendary man in the movie Braveheart starring Mel Gibson.

A little bit of history: Over 700 years ago, Scotland was ruled by England whereby tyranny and terror dominated. Occupied and oppressed, the Scots sought a hero to challenge the cruelty of King Edward I. When the two countries faced each other in the Battle of Stirling in 1297, Scotland was led to victory by William Wallace, one of Scotland's greatest national heroes. William Wallace fought for Scotland's independence up till his death. During his fight for independence, Wallace was betrayed by a Scottish knight in service to the English king, and arrested near Glasgow. He was taken to London and denied the status of a captured soldier. He was tried for the wartime murder of civilians (he allegedly spared "neither age nor sex, monk nor nun"). He was condemned as a traitor to the king even though, as he correctly maintained, he had never sworn allegiance to Edward and was executed. During his time, the punishment for the crime of treason was that the convicted traitor was dragged to the place of execution, hanged by the neck (but not until he was dead), and disembowelled (or drawn) while still alive. His entrails were burned before his eyes, he was decapitated and his body was divided into four parts (or quartered). Accordingly, this was Wallace's fate. His head was impaled on a spike and displayed at London Bridge, his right arm on the bridge at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, his left arm at Berwick, his right leg at Perth, and the left leg at Aberdeen. Several hundred years later in the 19^th century, statues commemorating Sir William Wallace were erected overlooking the River Tweed and in Lanark. In 1869, the 220-foot high National Wallace Monument was completed on a hill near Stirling. This huge tower now dominates the area where the Scots fought their most decisive battles against the English in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries at Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn.

When we reached Stirling, the Monument was already visible as it was on top of a hill. It reminded me of Mordor in Lord of the Rings trilogy. We parked our car at the designated carpark, thinking that we couldn't drive up. There was actually a coaster service which we didn't know about so it was a good exercise climbing up the woodpath pushing two strollers. When we arrived on top of Abbey Craig, the view was simply breathtaking. All I could utter was, "Subhanallah". The fact that the Monument was still standing after 700 years was also surreal!

The National Wallace Monument greeting us from afar

Semput weyyy!

The National Wallace Monument

Running around while waiting for Babah

As we couldn't all go at the same time, Rafiq went up the tower first. He spent about 1/2 hour up there and was gushing about how amazing it was. When I wanted to go up, Faiq wanted to follow me. At first I was reluctant as I obviously wouldn't have the energy to carry him up so I just prayed that he would walk up and down all the way.

There were about 4 sections to the monument. The first floor was dedicated to Sir William Wallace, where his remarkable story to free Scotland was told. The sword he used in the Battle of Stirling was also on exhibit. On the second floor, there was a tribute to all the other Scottish National Heroes from Robert the Bruce to Adam Smith. The third floor was dedicated to the history behind the construction of the Monument ~ when it was commissioned, the controversies surrounding it until its completion in 1869. After 246 narrow, spiraled steps, you'll reach the top of the Monument with a 360 degrees panoramic view of Stirling town.

The walk up and down

The sword used in the Battle of Stirling

The Hall of Heroes

Reaching the top

The Monument's Crown Rooftop

The view of Stirling Town from the Monument

I've conquered you National Wallace Monument

Initially Faiq gave up at the first floor and wanted to come down but I insisted that he climbed up till the end. It was worth it! It was truly a humbling experience to know what people did to fight for their country. When we came down, we went to the souvenir shop and bought ourselves the certificate which states that "We have climbed the 246 steps of the National Wallace Monument".

Tour guide in kilt

When we were up there, we got this brochure about an outlet factory in Stirling so we decided to go there for an unplanned shopping spree. On the way there, we took pictures of the Stirling Castle, the Church of Holyrude and the Old Town Jail. We arrived back in Edinburgh at about 6 p.m.

Stirling Castle from an old cemetery

Closer view of Stirling Castle

Stirling Old Town

Sherlock Holmes?

Old Town Jail

Rowers Club

Church of Holyrude

Stirling Mills

Layan diri sementara tunggu Babah shopping

After performing our prayers, we went sightseeing near our hotel. We walked along the Royal Mile, where we got a glimpse of the Edinburgh Castle. Walking along the Parliament Square, we passed several statues of Scotland's past rulers, St. Giles Cathedral and the Law Courts. We later went for dinner at the Holi Spice Restaurant which served Indian cuisine. It was 9 p.m. when we reached the hotel so while the kids slept, Rafiq and I packed for our journey the following day.

Edinburgh Castle

Let's go to the Royal Mile

Statue of Adam Smith in front of St. Giles Cathedral

Bagpipe players

Souvenir shop along Royal Mile

Street performer

Finally at the hotel and tired

-TO BE CONTINUED-

It's Been A While

2012-01-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

It's been 3 months since I last posted anything on my blog. Back then, the excuse was no time/ no internet. Now that I have both, it obviously shows that I'm plain lazy..hahaha. Ok..will start doing justice to my blog :o)

Blackbird Singing In The Dead Of Night

2011-10-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

My current obsession is this song, Blackbird by the Beatles. I started liking it when Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) sang it on Glee in the episode Original Song. He sang it in memory of Pavarotti, the Warblers singing bird which died suddenly. While I was searching for the song in YouTube, I also came across Cameron Mitchell's version of it, which he sang in The Glee Project. Enjoy!!

BLACKBIRD ~ THE BEATLES

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night
Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Double Celebration

2011-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

One of my close friend's Zetty, celebrated her 34th birthday today. It was a double celebration for her as today also marks the union between her and Zahir @ Kelvin Ong Abdullah.

Semoga panjang umur, murah rezeki dan kekal bahagia hingga ke anak cucu! So happy for both of you!

Outstation On 1st Ramadhan

2011-07-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

I have to go to Bangkok for a conference on 31 July, which happens to be my 7th wedding anniversary. I would've been thrilled if it was not during Ramadhan, or much earlier before I'm bound to go on study leave. Oh well, I'll probably enjoy myself when I'm there's. I'll be going with my colleague, Noorsham.

In the mean time, I'm kinda panicking because I have yet to receive my letter of offer om UPM. I hope it'll come soon!!

Summer Tales ~ Machester - Edinburgh

2011-07-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

19/07/2010

We checked out from Travelodge at about 9.30 a.m. The only reason we stopped by Manchester is because of Old Trafford. Rafiq is a huge fan of Manchester United. The rest is history.

As we approached the stadium, we saw many restaurants and shops bearing the name of Manchester United players. I really can’t imagine Rafiq’s excitement as we went for the stadium and museum tour. There were about 30 of us in the tour group. We experienced the story of MU in all its glory and get to visit the trophy room, a memorial for the players who died in the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, the players changing room, walked through the players’ tunnel and of course the football field. Rafiq took loads of pictures and when our tour guide asked MU related questions, I wasn’t surprised when Rafiq could answer all of them correctly. Die-hard fan I tell you!! I think you can tell from the pictures how over the moon he was :o)

All smiles from the start...

In memory of the players who lost their lives in the Munich Air Disaster on 6 February 1958

The Players Changing Room

I'm not really a fan but I'm just a good poser :o)

Peek-a-boo!

Owh..tour guide! Lu nak marah lantak lar!! Janji wa dah pijak rumput padang nih! P.R.I.C.E.L.E.S.S!!

Tak habis sengih :o)

GGMU!!!

I was in there!

Sir Matt Busby ~ Scottish football player, MU legend

The happiest man in the world!!

Indeed it was a dream come true for Rafiq. I think we spent a good 3 hours there, including at the souvenir shop. We left Old Trafford at about 1.00 p.m. As it was already lunch hour, we stopped by Rusholme for some take-away briyani lunch. Then, our four hour journey to Edinburgh began. It was raining along the way. We stopped by at one of the rest areas to eat our lunch and it was funny when suddenly the rest area smells of curry. We continued our journey and we enjoyed driving along a scenic route to Scotland. The scenery and landscape was simply magnificent..Subhanallah!! Before we arrived in Edinburgh, we passed by a small village of Broughton and we decided to stop by for tea. In that rainy cold weather, sipping hot tea and having berry crumble and apple pie was heavenly!!

We continued our journey and arrived in Edinburgh at about 7.15 p.m. We were amazed at how old buildings were the main feature of such a big city. The sight of a castle in the city was so majestic as we made our way to Hard Rock Café. After snapping some photographs, we headed straight to Travelodge Edinburgh Central. Since it was already 8.30 p.m., we just rested and called it a day at about 11 p.m.

~To be continued~

Welcome to Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle on top of Castlehill

I'm a sucker for such facade!!

Statue of King George IV on King George's Street

Doesn't this remind you of The Eye of Sauron/Mordor

Room with a view

Goodnight Edinburgh

Welcome to Sean Connery's crib...NOT!!!

Jakun with sheeps

Laurel's Cafe, Broughton

Apple pie with ice-cream

Hot tea + Berry Crumble = BLISS!

Gung Ho-ness Explained

2011-07-19T18:21:00.001-07:00

I think one of the reasons why I am still so gung-ho about my summer holidays last year is the fact that I haven’t finished writing about it. In conjunction with the first anniversary of our trip, I’ll be blogging about my untold stories, as it happens 365 days ago!

365 Days Ago (Part 5)

2011-07-18T03:28:00.001-07:00

365 days ago...

We visited Oxford University, got to see ‘Hogwarts’ and was summoned for illegal parking.

We saw Englishmen play cricket at their cricket club.

We saw cows, horses and sheeps as we drove a long the highway.

We played along the stream with ducks and visited the Cotswold cottages at Bourton-on-the-Water.

We arrived in Manchester.

365 days later, at 6.30 p.m. I'm still at the office and will probably be here till at least 9 p.m.

365 Days Ago (Part 4)

2011-07-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

365 days ago...

Rafiq and Amran went to Barking to pick our rented car.

We shopped till we dropped at Bicester Village.

We had spaghetti dinner at Sujack's and met his wife and kids for the first time.

365 Days Ago (Part 3)

2011-07-16T02:14:00.001-07:00

365 days ago..

We went to King's Cross Station looking for Platform 9 3/4.

We went round and round Tottenham Court Road looking for Argos.

We went to Harrod's, took a stroll around Hyde Park and let Faiq play endlessly at the Princess of Wales' Memorial Park.

We had dinner at Khan's Restaurant in Bayswater and received stares from commuters as we boarded the last tube at 11.30 p.m with our children fast asleep in their strollers.

All Is Well

2011-07-15T01:12:00.000-07:00

My appointment for medical check-up at Klinik Kesihatan Putrajaya was today. Everyone told me that it'll take half a day to do the blood/urine test, X-ray and eyesight test. I was hoping that it'll end early so I could watch the first Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 show at Alamanda.

Suffice to say, I made it in time. I have been reading Jan, Liza and Zalia's tweet about it and I honestly was bracing myself to watch this final epic. The end of a journey. It ends here. After 10 years, there'll be no more Harry Potter movies.

Of course I read the book and I know how it ends. But it's hard to explain the emotional attachment I have towards it as a fan. I cried buckets at all the expected scenes. And when the movie ended, I cried because I felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend. A friend you've had for 10 years. A friend you'll never see again. It was the same feeling I had when I read the last line of the book. If I'm feeling all this, imagine what the casts must have felt. I think I will cry again when I see the "Behind The Scene" shows.

I'm really happy with the movie. I'm glad it ended how it did. KUDOS to David Yates, J.K. Rowling and the others for being such talented directors of the Harry Potter installments, evoking such emotions within me and other viewers.

And thank you Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley (I want to mention everyone but I don't think that is possible), for the 10 wonderful, beautiful, fun and magical years which we looked forward to with much anticipation. I don't think I'll ever feel this way about another book/movie ever again.

It all ends here. All is well.

365 Days Ago (Part 2)

2011-07-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

365 days ago...

My jet-lag strickened children woke up at 2.30 a.m. UK time demanding for food.

My children had their first bath in UK at 6.00 a.m. because they couldn't go to sleep.

Aira fell in love with Chuggington.

We bought our Garmin at Surrey Quay.

We (except Rafiq) went on our first trip on the tube via Jubilee Line from Canada Water station.

We spent the whole day in Oxford Street and shopped at Mothercare, Primark, Marks and Spencer, Hamleys' and started living on M&S Brioche Rolls.

365 days ago (Part 1)

2011-07-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

365 days ago, we were having breakfast at KFC KLIA.

We were going to board the 10.00 a.m. flight to London.

365 days later, I still can't get over that fantastic summer.

I wish I could turn back time.

Or at least be on leave to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Instead of being stuck in a meeting! :op

*wishful thinking*

The Sudden Demise

2011-01-04T07:51:00.001-08:00

It was indeed shocking to hear about the sudden demise of my friend's ex-wife today. Apparently she had gone for a holiday overseas with her 2 elder children, had fever and passed away in Dubai on Monday. Luckily, they had a friend in Dubai so the kids, aged 10 and 8, had someone to take care of them whilst waiting for their father to arrive. I felt a pang of sadness towards Safura and Haziq, it must have been tragic to have lost their mother while on holiday. And for their 4 year old youngest brother, who bids his mother goodbye 2 weeks ago!! Kesian sangat!!

To abang Hazri, I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you'll be strong for the sake of your children. Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas roh Ieja dan semoga dia ditempatkan di kalangan golongan beriman. Al-Fatihah.

So Long 2010! Welcome 2011!

2010-12-31T07:10:00.001-08:00

Another year has passed. A year which has all in it - the good, the bad and the ugly! All in all I think it has been a very good year, the highlight being our trip to UK which I have not finished blogging about! Will make it a point to complete my Summer Tales.

So long 2010. Looking forward to what 2011 has to offer!

Happy New Year!!

Goodbye

2010-11-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow my maid, Cicin, will be going back to her hometown for good.

Having sent back two previous maids before, I was praying to get a good one as I was 7 months pregnant at that time. Rafiq and I instantly had a good vibe about her when she got along with Faiq the first time they met.

She knows her chores without being asked to do so, she took notes when my mother taught her how to cook during my pantang, she never "berkira" when she is at my parents or in-laws house, always lending a hand irregardless of whose child she had to attend to.

She takes care of Syamima like her own child, and Syamima dotes on her.

Tomorrow at 1.30 p.m. she will be leaving us. As I checked her bag, I got sad when I saw her constantly hugging and kissing Syamima. We then apologised to each other and I thanked her for taking care of our household for the past two years. I do hope that she will come back and work with us.

I wonder how Syamima will take her absence. As of now, she is slightly feverish.

I hope the person who replaces her will be as good as her.

Goodbye Cicin. You'll be dearly missed!

The Loss

2010-11-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

My Mak Long passed away on 22 November 2010 at about 10.00 p.m. She was 81. Her death came 1 1/2 months after my Pak Long's death. Both of them passed away in the months of Eid, my Pak Long in Syawal and my Mak Long in Zulhijjah.

She had undergone a stomach operation and her health had deteriorated from thereon. I never visited her in the hospital. The last time I saw her was during my Pak Long's tahlil.

Alhamdulillah the funeral went well.

"To Him we belong, to Him is our return. Life in this world is only a sojourn."

Al-fatihah. Semoga roh Mak Long ditempatkan di kalangan golongan orang-orang yang beriman.

Amin.

Boey's Wedding

2010-11-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Photos taken during my cousin's wedding. Masa tuh baru tahu nama penuh dia adalah Izham Hadree.

TASHA'S RECEPTION

BOEY'S RECEPTION

Congratulations Boey & Tasha! Semoga kekal hingga ke anak cucu!

Diwali Weekend

2010-11-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

I (supposedly) took leave on Diwali weekend as I had booked a 3-room apartment at Permaisuri Resort PD. However, because I had some work to complete before going off for my 6 weeks QA course in INTAN, I went to the office anyways. The plan was to leave by 12 noon but I ended up having to do work and left at 2 p.m.

Since Rafiq was working, I drove with Cicin and the kids. I left AD at 3 p.m., booked the tennis court at Bandar Tun Razak Sports Complex, set up the Garmin and was all set to go. After some major bimbo moments, I ended up passing the Sungai Besi toll at about 4.30 p.m. (I'm not so keen to share what the bimbo moments were).

We arrived at Permaisuri Resort at about 5.45 p.m. Permaisuri Resort is situated near the army camp and is a fairly new place. It has a huge pool and a private beach. I was very satisfied.

We checked-in and got ready to go to the pool. Since we arrived late, we only managed to spend about an hour there. Oh well, esok masih ada. We got ready for dinner and waited for Rafiq. Rafiq actually came by an express bus and took a cab from Seremban to PD. When he had arrived and freshened up, we left for Pasir Panjang for a seafood dinner. There, I had the best assam pedas EVER! It was so thick with the correct amount of spicyness..gosh, my mouth waters as I'm typing. The only drawback was the service which was very slow. Other than that, the food was decent. We watched tv for a while before calling it a day.

The following day, we spent the morning at the beach and the pool. We even bumped into our family doctor there. What a small world!! We checked out at 12 noon and made our way to aunty Leela's house in Melaka. Rafiq decided to take the kampung and toll-less route to Melaka so we got to see the beautiful tile stairs which is the highlight of the kampung houses in Melaka. We arrived at about 1.30 p.m., ate the Diwali delicacies prepared by aunty Leela and left at about 3.30 p.m.

On our way back, we saw a recently occured accident, involving a Rexton. I think the driver must've been driving fast. Luckily there were no fatalities. The victims were in their Diwali attires and it was sad to see a pregnant woman and a shaken toddler by the road side. The traffic was good and we arrived at DU at about 5.45 p.m. and left for home after Isya'. We were all dead tired but we sure had loads of fun!

It's Been A While

2010-11-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I last updated my blog.

I am currently attending a six weeks course in INTAN.

I expected that I will be able to blog as anything away from the office is good news but it's actually tiring.

Anyhow, will post pictures of my cousin's wedding reception, Faiq's concert and Aidil Adha soon!

Ciao!

RV

2010-11-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

Off late I've been eating a lot.

This is the latest eating galore...

Coffee Bean's Red Velvet cake.

Taken with Cinnamon French Toast Coffee.

BLISS!

7 Sins of Chocolate

2010-11-10T08:53:00.001-08:00

As the name suggests, it is indeed SINFUL!!! And comes with a cute packaging too!!

Here's what made up of the 7 layers. It starts with a layer of smooth chocolate ganache, a layer of chocolate cake, topped up with light and dairy milk chocolate mousse, a dusting of cocoa powder, a sprinkle of crunchy pure cocoa nibs for texture, and couverture pearls resting comfortably over the top!

The chocolates simply melt and linger in your mouth.

Get it from Delectable by Su at The Gardens or Pavillion at RM12.

Get well soon, Sir

2010-11-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

Our PM tweeted as follows:

I have been advised by my doctor to avoid all public functions due to chicken pox.

Read more about it here.

Get well soon, sir.

Untold Stories

2010-10-31T04:09:00.000-07:00

1. Quarter Final - Final matches of ATP Malaysian Open 2010 at Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil

2. Kushairil & Lin's Bollywood Wedding at Hotel Singgahsana on 101010

3. IGEM duty from 12-16 October 2010 at KLCC

4. Lunch with UiTM mates at Tiny and Rizal's

5. Sabrina's 11th Birthday at BTHO

Fatigue

2010-10-31T03:13:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday Tennis Day for the Khans followed by lunch cum playtime at Kajang.

Hasilnya....

Anak-anak terbongkang kepenatan....hihi!

My 33rd

2010-10-31T03:07:00.000-07:00

Alhamdulillah, last Monday I celebrated my 33rd birthday.

A birthday prayer for myself, which I googled.

Thank you Allah, for giving me another year of life.
Thank you for all the people who remembered me today by sending good wishes.
Thank you for all the experience of this past year;
for times of success which will always be happy memories,
for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness,
for times of joy when the sun was shining,
for times of sadness which drove me to You.

Forgive me
for the hours I wasted,
for the chances I failed to take,
for the opportunities I missed this past year.
Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,
and through it, with Your blessing and Guidance, to bring good credit to myself,
happiness and pride to my loved ones,
and joy to You.

Amin.

Of Ringtones

2010-10-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

Early this week, the Hitz.fm Morning Crew discussed the topic of the ringtones set for your contacts. I am the kind of person who sets ringtones for everyone – my hubby, my family, my circle of friends. It is definitely useful for purposes of identification. The reason of choosing those songs to the group is based on the songs I have on my handphone.

So these are the ringtones set on my handphone :o)

Hubby – Toploader’s Dancing in the Moonlight

Home AD – Faiq singing Mari Mengenal Malaikat

D.U family – Spongebob Squarepants’ final score

Kajang family – Black Eyed Peas’ Mas Que Nada

MGHS friends – Dora The Explorer’s theme

SMDU friends – Maroon 5’s Won’t Go Home Without You

MSM friends – The Simpsons’ theme

UiTM friends – Spongebob Squarepants’ theme

KWP friends – Amazing Race’s Theme

Bosses – Star Wars Imperial March theme

My RnL and DPA friends all have different ring tones which are taken from Sony Ericsson’s tunes selection. My general ringtone is I Dream of Jeannie’s theme and the tune for my sms alert is The Temptations’ Build Me Up Buttercup.

Proud Mom Syndrome

2010-10-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Today is Faiq's kindy open day.

We all went at about 11 a.m.

His teacher said that he has improved a lot. It can be seen from his results. He may not be the best student but he has learned a lot this one year.

I am so proud of him!

Well Done, Faiq Khan!!

Hari Raya and Lantern Festival Celebration at Bintang Damai Kindergarten

2010-10-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Bintang Damai Kindergarten organised a Hari Raya and Lantern Festival celebration on 24 September 2010. Parents were welcomed to bring/donate food so I cooked fried macaroni for the kids. Faiq wore his baju Melayu and since I didn't attend the celebration (it was held on Friday morning) and I sent Faiq quite early, I only got to take a photo of Faiq and Harez.

Later that night, the kids gather again for the Lantern Festival. It was supposed to start at 8 p.m. but working parents arrived after 8.15 p.m. We had some snacks before the teachers requested the children to line up and light their lanterns. I was amazed that there are now battery operated lanterns. Ahhh..the victim of modern technology. I heard Faiq conversing in English with his classmates. Faiq lined up beside Rikshen, and I heard the cutest conversation:

Rikshen: Faiq, you hold my hand so you are my bestfriend.

Faiq: You are my bestfriend too.

As we were about to walk, it started drizzling so what is supposed to be a walk around the taman ended up as a walk around the padang. It started raining very heavily when we finished walking so the teachers had to cancel some activities. We went in the school to allow the children to play before leaving at about 9 p.m.

I had a great time and I bet the other parents and especially the children enjoyed themselves too!

Syawal 1431H With Nina

2010-10-23T23:08:00.001-07:00

Took the opportunity to celebrate Syawal with Nina as she came back from Dubai for the festive season.

The first meeting took place at her house. I informed the rest of the Keliwonz about it but since this year's Hari Raya holiday was long, it was understandable that no one else could make it. I went there with my kids and maid as Rafiq had some errands to run. Nina's mom cooked briyani for us, which was absolutely delish. We chatted for about an hour before it was time to leave when the kids got restless.

The second meeting took place at Silver Spoons at Kota Damansara. Shazz, who owns Silver Spoons is also our MSM chums. It's really a wonder how many turned up during an unplanned meet. Initially it was just supposed to be me, Nina & Dina (and Shazz of course) but we were later joined by Zaza and Aden. We ordered a lot and it was funny when Shazz told us that the cooks commented, "How many people are eating? We only see 3 people but the order is a lot!!" Hahaha! So normal for us to be serakah. We exchanged stories and insults and we had so much fun.

Hope to do it again the next time Nina or Nurul return home :o)

To my readers, sudi-sudilah berkunjung ke Silver Spoons at The Strand, Kota Damansara!!

Belated Syawal Pix

2010-10-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

That's our Syawal this year. Looking forward for another Syawal next year, insya-Allah.

Tennis Look-Alikes

2010-10-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Source: MSN Home

Confused? Even if you mistaken them for the other, they're both famous people anyways :o)

Marat Safin - Eric Dane
(normally when there are look-alikes, one will be the ugly version of the other but I can't decide which for these two coz they are equally HAWTTTT!!!!)

James Blake - Chris Daughtry

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Muhammad Ali

Jose Acasuso - Ben Affleck

Andy Roddick - Sean William Scott

Fabrice Santoro - Emilio Estevez

Nikolas Kiefer - Collin Farrell

Rafael Nadal - Josh Hartnett

LAST BUT NOT LEAST..(these ones really made me laugh!)

Roger Federer - Quentin Tarantino

AND

Justin Henin - Haley Joel Osment

In The Still Of The Night

2010-10-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

Source : MSN Homepage

When the sun sets, a different world comes to life.

London Eye, London

Pont Sant Angelo & St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai

Hong Kong's Neon Maze

The Skinny Bridge, Amsterdam

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

City Hall, London

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur

Subhanallah, God is Great!

Have A Great Trip, Miss Rose

2010-10-18T03:27:00.000-07:00

Miss Rose and I met up during lunch today to discuss the final details of her UK trip. Taught her how to use Garmin.

Have a safe, great and fabulous trip, Miss Rose. I am so looking forward to hear your wonderful stories of your "balik kampung" trip!

I so envy the feeling you have when you walk out of the building, knowing that at 10 a.m. tomorrow, you'll be flying off to London. See you when you get back!

Grieving on Her Birthday

2010-10-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

Today is my sister in-law's 30th birthday. Her birthday came 4 days after her father's death on 13 October 2010, which was 3 days after her brother's wedding reception.

Uncle Mukhtar collapsed at the clinic he was working at sometime before Maghrib. He was 64. Prior to that, he and his family was watching his son's wedding reception's video.

I can't begin to imagine how she is feeling on her 30th birthday. Sadness, grief, sorrow and a sense of emptiness of losing someone dear to you.

Her latest FB status read as follows:

"Dad, the hardest part to swallow is that the world continues to move evethough you're gone. I miss you :( Innalillah. Thank you everyone for the well wishes. I am hoping that time will heal me though I doubt it."

Insya-Allah, time will heal you, Ina. It may take a long time, but you'll get there. Letting go of the pain does not mean that he is forgotten. Be strong for your mom and Ilham. In the mean time, do remember that we'll be around for emotional support.

Even though your father is no longer with us, I hope you will find comfort in knowing that you and your family have given him the best gift of life which is love and simple joys in life like making him proud of your achievements, being happily married and allowing him to be a loving grandfather to Ilham.

Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return. Semoga roh arwah Uncle Mukhtar ditempatkan di kalangan golongan yang beriman. Al-Fatihah.

Serupa Tapi Tak Sama

2010-10-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

Having big feet has many disadvantages. One of it is your choice of shoes are very limited.

But I don't mind buying this particular shoes, as I find it comfortable and kinda cute.

Dulu maroon, sekarang hitam. Yang maroon has shown signs of aging, the obvious being the missing ribbons..hehe!

When I bought the maroon shoe last year the brand was Itti and Otto, now it's called Rins & Roy.

p/s: the new black shoes have caused blisters and stinging sensation at both my buku lali. Ouch!! Tapi takpe, me like the ribbons :o)

A Treat For Myself

2010-10-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

It's my birthday this month so I deserve a treat...hihi

What's inside the box?

Yummy macaroons in blueberry, blackberry and chocolate!

p/s: Orange macaroon is safely in tummy!

Loving This Bag

2010-10-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

Cute, ey?

Purchased from Small Talk with the Moon :o)

Today's Story

2010-10-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

This whole week, all my works were put on hold because we had to prepare for today's meeting.

The meeting was in Shah Alam. There were supposed to be 25 attendees, excluding us! The first attendee came at about 10.45 p.m. In the end, only two people turned up! After waiting for almost 1 1/2 hours, the meeting was called off! Apparently there was a communication breakdown. It was really frustrating! Such a waste of time, energy and resources. Initially, we were scared that our boss will be pissed. Luckily, he was ok with it. Probably because he knew we had done everything on our part and the Chairperson was on our side. Phew!!

We arrived at Putrajaya at about 12.20 noon. I had make plans to have coffee with Rose in Alamanda. Both of us had eaten so we could spend more time discussing over coffee. I bought a Summer Stack cake which was yummy and cafe latte. We then made plans for Rose's trip to UK which is happening in two weeks time. So SYOK!! I wish I could follow her (over lar kan??!) I really had a great time and it really compensated the frustration of the cancelled meeting in the morning. I also need not rush as the meeting I was supposed to attend in the evening was cancelled!!

Great food, great company, fun planning...BLISS!

Snake on Trailer Causes Fatal Accident

2010-10-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

SEREMBAN: A 66-year-old man was killed in a bizarre accident along the North-South Expressway near the Rasah exit after a python landed onto the windscreen of a trailer.

The driver of the trailer then braked in shock and swerved onto the road divider along the expressway before crashing into the guardrail during the 4.15am incident.

A car travelling behind the trailer then collided into the vehicle, killing one of the passengers inside, known only as Subramaniam.

The victim, who was travelling with three others, died on the spot. The others in the car escaped with light injuries and were sent to Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital here for treatment.

The python was also killed in the accident.

Source: thestar.com.my

---------------------------------------------------------------

Condolonces to the families of those who perished.

I'm just wondering where the snake came flying from.

And the thought of it is just too freaky!

The Passing

2010-10-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

My Pak Long passed away on 30 September 2010 at about 11.45 p.m. He was 78.

His health has deteriorated since he was first admitted to hospital on 1 Syawal.

My only regret was I didn't make a subsequent visit after visiting him on 2 Syawal at Kajang Hospital. This is the third death of my dad's siblings. My dad lost both his brother and sister in the space of one week in November 2008.

Alhamdulillah the weather was kind during his funeral. According to Rafiq, everything went well at the cemetery.

"To Him we belong, to Him is our return. Life in this world is only a sojourn."
Al-fatihah. Semoga roh Pak Long ditempatkan di kalangan golongan orang-orang yang beriman.

Amin.

Summer Tales ~ Oxford-Bourton on the Water-Manchester

2010-09-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

18/7/2010

It was a long drive as we will be travelling to Manchester, which is about 4 hours drive from London. We planned to leave at 8 a.m. but Faiq and Aira woke up later than their usual 6.30 a.m. alarm drill. We finally left Brunswick Quay at about 10 a.m. with many thanks to Amran and Alina who actually packed a few stuffs including food for us.

Even though it was Sunday morning, there was still a slight traffic going out of London. Our first pit stop was Oxford city. Our destination in particular was Oxford University. The University of Oxford, a university located in the English city of Oxford, is the third oldest surviving university and the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back as the 11th century.The University grew rapidly from 1167 when King Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. It was like a dream come true to be there.

We parked near the Oxford University Park and decided to walk around there. Faiq was sleeping and it started drizzling when we were walking. Actually the university was so huge that we didn't know where the park will lead us. Luckily, we met up with two nannies who was on the way to Carfax. I read that a tour of Oxford is essentially a tour of the of the colleges, and a good starting point is Carfax. This is an old centre of the city, around the pedestrianised area, where the four main streets meet. When we arrived, we saw a group university tour which was starting in a few minutes so we went for it. Our tour guide was a chirpy lady called Debbie. I think there were about 20 of us who joined the tour.

Our tour started at Exeter College, one of the 38 independent colleges in Oxford University and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street. One of the famous undergraduate from Exeter College is JRR Tolkein. Every college in Oxford has its own emblem, quad, a chapel, a dining hall and dormitories.

I can't remember where else we went but we definitely saw the Radcliffe Camera, Wren's Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford's Bridge of Sighs and Bodleian Library. The highlight of the tour was of course when I get to visit the building which potrayed Hogwarts in Harry Potter.

The tour ended at about 1 p.m. Debbie told us to bring the kids to River Pitts Museum as they feature dinosaur fossils and all things that fascinate kids but we were running out of time so we only get to see the oldest tree bark outside the museum. When we got back to our car, we were slapped with a traffic summon for illegal parking. Darn, 35 pounds melayang begitu sajer! But it was nothing compared to the experience we had visiting Oxford.

We then made our way to Bourton-on-the-Water. At first we were torn between visiting Stratford-upon-Avon and Bourton-on-the-Water but we decided on the latter as suggested by my former boss and Amran. On the way there, we passed by a cricket club and saw that there were people playing. Rafiq, being a sport enthusiast just had to stop and enjoy the moment. It was surreal..hihi. We arrived at Bourton-on-the-Water at about 3.00 p.m. Regularly voted one of the prettiest villages in England, Bourton-on-the-Water has more than its share of Cotswold houses and cottages, many of them three hundred years old, some dating back to Elizabethan times four hundred years ago. Set on the River Windrush, it has all the ingredients of fairyland: miniature footbridges over streams and under willow trees, sweet smells in the perfumery, a motor museum in a barley mill, a model railway and a model village. It was indeed very lovely and there were loads of people enjoying their picnics, Faiq happily played in the stream and chased the ducklings, while the rest of us sat on the grass. We walked around the village, went to the souvenir shops and had Fish and Chips. We were so mesmerised, we didn't want to leave. But unfortunately we had to and we left at 5 p.m.

The scenery along the highway was lovely - acres of field with horses, cows and sheeps. I could sense that Rafiq was tired so we stopped at the R&R for coffee. Finally we arrived in Manchester City at about 8 p.m. Manchester city is the central business district of both Manchester and Greater Manchester. As we entered the city centre, we were greeted by the sight of the Wheel of Manchester (similar to London Eye/Eye on Malaysia). Our only destination was Hard Rock Cafe for memorabilias. We then headed off to our hotel, Travelodge which is situated at Trafford Park. We arrived at the hotel at about 9.30 p.m. For a budget hotel, we were very satisfied with the service and amenities. I think we only paid 35 pounds for a family room and it was very comfy. We had mushroom soup and maggie mee for dinner. I must've dozed off at 11.30 p.m.

~To Be Continued~

Cuak

2010-09-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Each time phone ID tunjuk Home A.D., mesti berdebar-debar.

Sebabnya, maid takkan simply call tanpa sebab.

Tadi Cicin called at 2.30 p.m. informing me that Faiq is not back from school yet.

My heart skipped a beat.

Call school to ask about him. The sound of the 10 seconds ringing tone was deafening.

Alhamdulillah, his teacher informed that he was in school. Apparently the school van didn't come to pick him (and his van mates) up. The teacher yang selalu hantar dia balik pulak went out for an errand.

Of course, tidak le terus jump to conclusion. I knew he was probably in school. It's just that he's never been that late.

And I got really scared.

Summer Tales ~ London Part II

2010-09-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

16/7/2010

The plan for today was to go to Argos at Tottenham Court Road to purchase a car seat for our road trip the following day. We were informed by Amran that there was an interruption to the Jubilee Line service so we had to take an alternative route. It was a good experience as we get to go on the overground train. It was a windy day as we walked to the overground station. Meanwhile, the interruption turned out to be a blessing in disguise as well as we get to go to King’s Cross St. Pancras station. Why there? Because that’s where Platform 9 ¾ together with a trolley going half through the wall is. Being a Harry Potter fan, I simply have to be there. And we weren’t the only ones. There were a number of Potter fans there too. King’s Cross and St Pancras International Stations stand adjacent to one another and share the same Underground Station. Kings Cross stations main use is for services up the East Coast Line to Scotland via York and Newcastle. There are also some suburban commuter trains to just north of London from King’s Cross. St. Pancras International is most famous for being the Eurostar train terminal in London. Frequent services run to Paris and beyond. There are services to the East Midlands of England via Luton, towns like Nottingham and Sheffield.

Anyways, after taking photos, we took another tube to Holborn and proceeded to Tottenham Court Road. I don’t know what went wrong but we couldn’t find Argos, even after asking for directions twice. So we lost some time there. We stopped by a café for tea and scones before finally finding Argos. After that walked along Charring Cross Road, passing Licester Square (where we saw a Malaysia Kopitiam) and headed to Covent Garden Market. There has been some type of market on Covent Garden for more than 300 years but the name actually derives from the covent garden that occupied the area until Henry VIII’s Dissolution. At the centre of Covent Garden lies a cobblestone piazza and superb steel-and-glass market pavilions to house flower, fruit and vegetable stalls. The markets were moved to new quarters and in the early 1980s Covent Garden was refurbished into an area of restaurants, shops and cafes. After strolling through the markets at Covent Garden, we went to Hard Rock Café at Old Park Lane to purchase some memorabilias. Our next destination was Harrods at Knightsbridge but we first stopped by at CIMB to visit Alina at her office and perform our prayers. Our shopping list at Harrods are the lunch bags, fridge magnets and Lola Red Velvet Cupcakes, as recommended by Alina. Then we headed to Hyde Park for an evening stroll along Diana’s Princess of Wales Memorial Walk. Whilst Rafiq and Amran went to Argos to pick up our car seat, Faiq played at the Princess of Wales Memorial Playground. The playground consist of all things kids love ~ a huge ship with slides and rope, sand and water. Faiq played like there’s no tomorrow while Aira sat in her stroller and ate her biscuits. We had to leave as the playground closes at 7 p.m. but since near the playground there were a few carousel, I let Faiq go for a few rides.

After feasting on the cupcakes and taking some photos at Hyde Park, we headed to Khan’s Restaurant at Bayswater for dinner. Khan's has just entered its Thirty First year in the business, and is still one of Europe's largest and most popular Indian restaurants. Khan's was founded in 1977 by Mr. M Y Khan and is still to this day run by the same family. A few house specialities include Fish Curry, Methi Gosht, Chicken Tikka, Butter Chicken, Bombay Aloo and Mutter Paneer. Everything was yummy! Alina joined us halfway through our dinner. After dinner, we went into a souvenir shop and took the last train from Bayswater to Canada Waters at 11.30 p.m. People on the train must be thinking how we are such irresponsible parents, taking our children out late at night but hey, it’s not everyday that we get to go to London so we better make full use of the time. We probably arrived at home at almost midnight and all of us went directly to bed.

17/7/2010

By this time the kids have already adjusted to UK time so they didn’t get up as early as 5 a.m. I woke up and made breakfast. At about 9 a.m., Rafiq and Amran went to Barking to pick up our rented car. While waiting for them to get back, Alina walked me to Tesco before going to the gym. I bought some food for our journey to Bicester Village. It’s not easy managing two kids alone, that’s for sure. Rafiq and Amran arrived back with our rented car at 12 and by 12.30 noon, we made our way to Bicester Village. Aira refused to sit in the car seat so I had to hold her. We prayed that we will not bumped into any police, if not we will surely be fined. We arrived at Bicester at about 2 p.m.

Just one hour from London, Bicester Village is a dream destination for designer outlet shopping and the super smart shopper seeking luxury at desirable prices. Supreme luxury, innovative style and beautiful craftsmanship are the hallmarks of Bicester Village’s 130 exclusive designer brands, available at reductions of up to 60% all year round. For a die-hard shopper, they probably need the whole day to shop there. I’ve more or less identified the places that I want to shop. Furthermore, if the place that I want to shop at is full of people, I will try to get out of there as fast as possible sebab rimas. I think we managed to go in most of the shops in 5 ½ hours. Asalkan dapat tengok barang and compare harga sket ok lar. Ikutkan hati memang la nak beli semua tapi kena ikut kata wallet juga..hehe. While Rafiq went and look for his stuffs, I let Faiq play at the playground.

On the way back, we stopped by at Ealing Common to visit Sujack. Met his wife and kids for the first time. We even get to meet Sakinah’s mom and grandmother who were also there. Faiq and Aira enjoyed themselves as there were so many toys around. We had a spaghetti and pizza dinner. That was when Faiq started jumping and Jemi’s camera rolled off the sofa. We knew that it was beyond repair when the lense wouldn’t shut and out came a funny sound. Bengang yang amat coz we were planning to take all the scenic pictures with Jemi’s camera. Nak buat cemana kan? Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Mana ler tahu sekali bawak, then tertinggal ke hapa..lagi terkilan. We left Sujack’s house at about 10 p.m. On the way back, we gotta see a night version of tourists spots which were beautifully lit like Tower Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral. We arrived at Brunswick Quay at 11.30 p.m. We finalized the packing for our road trip and slept soundly.

~To Be Continued~

Summer Tales ~ London Part I

2010-09-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

14/7/2010

My day started at 5 a.m. Woke up early so I’ll have ample time to wake the kids and for Cicin to get them ready. Faiq, was a little bit cranky. Our taxi driver arrived early, but we left Kajang at 6.30 a.m. Both kids slept on the way to KLIA. I couldn’t believe that the day for us to go to London had arrived. I think we’ve been planning since April and since I broke the news to Faiq, everytime I told him we were going out, he would ask, “Kita nak naik kapal terbang ke?”

We arrived at KLIA before 8 a.m. After checking in, we went to KFC for breakfast. After letting Faiq and Aira play at the play area for a while, we boarded on the train to the international flight terminal. We tried to make Faiq and Aira eat the motion sickness pill. Faiq was fine but Aira couldn’t take the bitter taste and almost vommitted. Her expressions were very funny that I think I laughed most of the time instead of soothing her. I blogged and update my FB just before going through the gates. Finally we boarded on the airplane.

Both Rafiq and I were kinda nervous as both our children are flying for the first time and it was a long distance flight. 13 hours!! We hoped everything will go smoothly. Faiq kept asking when the plane will take off. Aira made a fuss before take off as she was uncomfortable with the belts but miraculously, both children fell asleep when the plane took off. Rafiq said that we should get as much sleep as possible to avoid a bad jet lag but I wasn’t sleepy and was too excited. Alhamdulillah, nothing major happened during the 13 hour journey..except that Faiq locked himself out in the toilet and cried (I think he learnt his lesson for going by himself!) We took Aira for a walk upon sensing that she was uncomfortable and needed some stretching. Faiq amused himself with inflight games that most of the time he drove us up the wall when he kept wanting to change games. We took him to the back of the plane so that he could see the scenery outside. He seemed fascinated with the clear blue sky and the cloud but it only lasted for a while before he requested that we go back to our seats so he could continue playing games. At last we touched down at Terminal 4 Heathrow at 3.30 p.m. Faiq was upset with something and then he started crying followed by coughing and vomiting. Nasib baik tak banyak but berbau la. Tension je semua orang yang tengah tunggu nak disembark from the plane.

While waiting for Aira’s stroller, we could see that it was drizzling outside. At the customs checkpoint, Rafiq declared that we brought along meat floss, which was then confiscated. I think everything was done by 4.45 p.m. and we waited for our cab which was supposed to pick us up at 5.00 p.m. While waiting for the cab, Rafiq went around the airport looking for cheap handphones and satellite navigation. Unfortunately there was none. Our cab finally arrived at 5.30 p.m. As soon as the cab moved, I started taking pictures of the buildings in UK and even got the opportunity to take pictures of the Houses of Parliamen, London Eye and Big Ben from afar as we passed one of the many bridges in UK. Rafiq and Faiq fell asleep in the cab and finally we arrived at Brunswick Quay. We were greeted by Amran, who showed us his apartment on the second floor. Whilst Amran and Rafiq attended to our luggages, I put the kids to sleep. Amran then served us his home-cooked curry mee which was marvelous.

We then freshened up and chatted with Amran about our flight and our plans for tomorrow. Alina came back from work at 9.00 a.m. and kami berborak until midnight before calling it a day.

15/7/2010

Alas, the thing that I had been dreading for happened. The kids’ jet lag! Since both Faiq and Aira had slept since 6 p.m., the decided to wake up in the wee hours of 3.00 a.m. I tried putting them back to sleep but to no avail. He said that he was hungry so he ate his cereal at 4.30 a.m. Prior to that, I performed Subuh payers, which started at 3.15 a.m. and ends at 4.30 a.m. 5.00 a.m. in UK feels like 7.00 a.m. in Malaysia.

Faiq took his bath at 6.00 a.m. and he slipped in the tub, which probably woke both Amran and Alina up. Since it looked like they won’t be going back to sleep, I re-heated the curry mee and also toasted some waffles and crumpets for them to eat. Amran and Alina got up at about 7.45 a.m. and got ready for work. He explained to us our tube routes and even gave us an oyster card each. We left Amran’s apartment at 9.00 a.m. and headed to Surrey Quay Shopping Centre which was about 7 minutes walk from the apartment. We went to buy on-the-go food, like brioche rolls, fruits and juices. Rafiq went to a handphone shop to purchase a 29 pounds handphone, to Curry’s Digital for Garmin and I headed to Mothercare when I spotted one. We were in fact going to the Mothercare store at Bond’s Street later but I just wanted to check the items in case there was none at the other store. We left the mall at about 10.30 a.m. and headed to Canada Waters Tube Station.

Eventhough I’ve been to UK about 11 years ago, this was my first time on the tube. Our destinations were Bond Street and Oxford Street and the agenda was shopping. We shopped at Mothercare, Primark, Marks & Spencer and Crabtree & Evelyn. If I have all the money in the world, I’d purchase everything..hehe. Everything was on sale, except for Marks & Spencer so I didn’t buy much there. Turned out that the sale will only start the following week. We even bought a stroller for Faiq, knowing too well that if he is tired, he would refuse to walk and we don’t think we are able to carry him. He happily sat in his new stroller, which at times proved to be inconvenient especially at tube station with no elevators. By the way, since we wanted to save time, Rafiq and I went on separate ways at Marks & Spencer. He took Faiq and I took Aira. Rafiq almost lost his pouch at Marks & Spencer. He can be so careless sometimes. Luckily, he found it hanging by one of the pants racks. If not we would’ve lost our passports and all our money. Alhamdulillah, syukur sangat.

By the time we left Marks & Spencer, it was almost 5 p.m. There were so many people, tourists and locals who were coming home from work. We were warned to be extra careful as there were a lot of pick pockets. We witnessed two incidents, which happened so fast..the only thing we saw was people falling down. Anyway, when we left M&S, that was when we realized how hungry we were. Both Faiq and Aira ate brioche rolls and biscuits the whole time. They didn’t complain but we felt bad as we didn’t have a proper meal. We stopped by at a halal food stall opposite Debenhams and bought some hotdogs and Fish & Chips. After we ate, we walked along Bond Street and window-shopped at a few more stores.

Since the whole day had been about us adults (Faiq commented: Babah ni, asyik-asyik beli baju, beli seluar..hehe!) we made a stop at Hamleys Toy Store in Regent Street. Hamleys is the largest toy shop in the world. It consists of seven floors all devoted to playthings, with different categories of toy on each floor. Seriously, Faiq was about to doze off but I told him not to fall asleep and as soon as we stepped into Hamleys, he stood up and started exploring the store. If I were a kid, I’d go nuts in Hamleys. There were so much toys and the promoters did a good job in persuading people to purchase the toys. They never seemed run out of words to say. Some even sang to get people interested. Faiq wanted a yo-yo, played with one of the demo toys and wanted to purchase it but we told him that there were 4 more floors filled with toys. On the top floor, Hamleys had specialized toys like Harry Potter wands and brooms. Even I was tempted. Finally, Faiq settled with a remote control helicopter. By 8.00 p.m., most of the stores had closed so we walked to Piccadilly Circus, took some photos at the Statue of Eros and went on the tube at about 8.30 p.m. The ride on the tube was challenging as we had our shopping bags and there was no elevator to the tube station. Luckily, most of the people were helpful and they helped us carry the strollers down the stairs. Both Faiq and Aira slept in the tube. On our walk back from the Canada Waters tube station, we bumped into Alina, who just got back from work. We must’ve been on the same tube! Amran bought kebab for dinner and we retire early as our whole body ached from walking the whole day.

~To Be Continued~

Hospital Visit

2010-09-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

My Pak Long was admitted to Kajang Hospital yesterday. I don't know what is the exact cause but it has got something to do with his leg. According to my cousin, he and my Mak Long was taken to the hospital in an ambulance after Maghrib yesterday. Apparently he was only warded at 4 a.m. today. To be 78 and having to wait that long must be torturous. My Mak Long wasn't warded and was referred to another clinic as she had respiratory problems.

This afternoon, Rafiq and I went to visit him. My cousin, Kak Yati and her children were there too. He didn't know who we were. He looked so old and frail on the hospital bed.

We were there for about an hour. I almost cried when he insisted on taking his own lunch. And when he realised that he couldn't, he asked his daughter, "Yati suapkan Bapak boleh?" It was so sad. And another sad moment was as we were leaving, he wanted to change his clothes, thinking that he could follow us back.

Get well soon, Pak Long. I will pray for your speed recovery.

Syawal 1431H

2010-09-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sempena hari baik bulan mulia ini, saya dan keluarga ingin mengambil kesempatan mengucapkan selamat menyambut lebaran yang bakal menjelang dengan mendoakan agar Syawal tahun ini membawa keberkatan, kerahmatan dan kebahagiaan untuk semua.

Saya juga memohon keampunan dan kemaafan, maklumlah dalam kita bermesra ada terkasar bahasa, dalam bergurau ada terlanjur senda, dalam berjanji ada yang belum dikota, dalam berbicara ada yang menyinggung rasa.

Kepada yang pulang ke kampung halaman, berhati-hatilah di jalan raya. Ingatlah orang yang tersayang, biarlah lambat asalkan selamat dan beringat-ingatlah untuk 'buckle up'.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA, MAAF ZAHIR BATIN

The EON Raya Advertisement

2010-09-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today I emailed the Keliwonz to wish them Selamat Hari Raya. As usual, the one who will come up with a merapu email is none other than Cik Dang Keliwon Marangpeparukepundenparangskeper. Her email ended as follows:-

"Sebagai mengakhiri warkah ini, saya ingin menyanyikan sebuah lagu. Dengar baik-baik yeeee

"hari raaya hari yg mulia... sungguh bererti kepada kita... tua muda miskin dan kaya... menyambutnya dengan gembiraaaaa... berhati-hati di jalanrayaaaaa... semoga annnnda selaaaamat tiba... kunjungi teman sanak saudara... bersama gembira di haari rayaaaaa... salah dan silap kiranya ada... bermaafan sesama kitaaaa.. ucapan selamat hari raya dari eon untuk semuaaaaa... ucapan selamat hari raya dari eon untuk semuaaaaa..."

The thing that struck me the most was how the EON Raya song, which was featured in the 80s, still sticks in my mind. Even if Dang had not written it on the email, I would've remembered it.

The power of catchy adverts :o)

I can't believe it's the end of Ramadhan. It passed in a breeze. We will be having our final sahur at Khan's Mahal.

Nuraizah Has Left The Building

2010-09-08T02:06:00.001-07:00

...for Aidilfitri holidays!!

Yeehaaaa!

Majlis Berbuka Puasa Tahun 2010 - Perjumpaan Keliwon-Keliwon Jelita Kebangsaan

2010-09-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

This year, while planning for our annual iftar, Dang came up with a proposal of the event, namely Majlis Berbuka Puasa Tahun 2010 - Perjumpaan Keliwon-Keliwon Jelita Kebangsaan. She even came up with the objective of the majlis i.e. "Penyatuan Ummah dan Pengeratan Silaturrahim".

This year we decided on Tony Roma's at Mid Valley. Dina had booked a place for 15 people, which was reduced to 14 as she herself couldn't make it. I arrived early, shopped a little and waited at our table at 6.15 p.m. to secure the booking.

As I was the first to arrive, I managed to browse through every item on the menu to make sure that I ordered the right one. Then I saw a familiar face..Ain and her hubby Anas, who were also there for buka puasa. At about 6.50 p.m. Dang arrived, followed by Shima, Julie, Iderk and Dida, who brought along Ikram and Kahlil. Aden arrived at about 8 p.m. Oh well, better late than never!

So 14 pax turned out to be 8 pax. We ordered our food and chatted. Kahlil was a good boy, as he had Ikram and his Ultraman figurines to entertain him. Our iftar was filled with the usual kutuk mengutuk and laughter. I think the funniest part of the night when Julie pronounced LV as ElWee!

The menu

Ikram, Kahlil, Dida, Iderk, Julie & Dang

Me, Aden & Shima

The glorious foods I feasted on

Keliwonz yang memeriahkan majlis

Our iftar ended at about 9 p.m. We bade and hugged each other goodbye and wished everyone a Happy Aidilfitri. Aden and I went for coffee and I ended up going back at 11.30 p.m.

I had a great time and am looking forward for our next meet up session. Hopefully we all get to meet up when Nina comes back for Raya.

Happiness Is...

2010-08-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

..when you have two granddaughters sitting on your lap :o)

Get the Hint!

2010-08-26T02:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had iftar with Rose at Putrajaya Marriot. Since we have finished our meals and have loads of gossips to share, we decided to hang out at the lobby.

As we were chatting, suddenly one makcik came and smiled at us. She asked us if we could spare a bit of our time and started yakking about the products that she is selling. I think between the both of us, we nicely declined 10 times by saying we were not interested but she still went on and on and on. Finally, we just had to get up and leave just so she would shut up! Ish!

With due respect to people doing direct selling, we know that your motto is never to give up. But I think you should draw the line and know the art of body language. When people roll their eyes, looked away, do not show interest and decline 10 TIMES, you really should move on.

Besides, despite being told 10 TIMES and the numerous expressions and body language, the fact that you interrupted our conversation and kept yakking away was just plain rude!!

Another Answered Prayer

2010-08-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Alhamdulillah, another prayer answered.

Syukur kepada Allah S.W.T yang telah memakbulkan doaku! I am happy beyond words!

Insya-Allah, with this opportunity, I will do my best in my studies :o)

Hungry Ghost Festival

2010-08-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

As I watched burning incense and joss papers, my memory box did a blast from the past.

It happened 7 years ago.

I was involved in an accident and had to commute to work with LRT. My LRT stop was Taman Bahagia. I don't know about the service now but back then, if you miss the bus, it may take an hour till the next bus arrives. There were burning incense and joss papers as it was the Hungry Ghost Festival.

To kill the boredom, I decided to text Jan's brother, whom recently followed us to our karaoke session.

He asked me if I wasn't afraid to go home late at night (it was about 9 p.m.) during the Hungry Ghost Festival, and my answer went along the line of, "takde makna nyer..."

I dunno how it started but suddenly all our text messages consists of song titles. One song I remember was Matchbox 20's Unwell coz we still get teased by Jan about that.

That was probably the beginning of our relationship, back then..7 years ago!

Mini Me

2010-08-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw the funniest thing ever.

We had iftar at Kajang and was on our way back. Faiq was riding on his bicycle when suddenly, a baby frog started jumping towards him.

He was shocked, and then he got off from his bicycle and started screaming and jumping. Practically terloncat-loncat sambil menjerit!

That is so me, in the form of a little boy! What can I say, Faiq is Mini Yong!

And for him, this will probably be one of his series of "embarressing-childhood-stories-my-Mom-keep-telling-people-about".

8 Ramadhan 1431H

2010-08-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Alhamdulillah, dah 8 hari kita berpuasa. How time flies.

I so want to update my blog and write my Summer Tales before it fades but never have the time. Will make time this weekend.

I have yet to visit any Pasar Ramadhan this year. Semalam sempat singgah beli bubur chacha kat a stall near my house.

My MSM chums have finalised our annual buka puasa gathering. So the Keliwons will meet on 2 September. I am so looking forward to that.

That's all folks!

Faiq's 5th at DU

2010-08-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

Last week, my sisters planned a birthday celebration for Faiq at D.U. It was a birthday cum anniversaries celebration (for my brother on 24 July, ours on 31 July and my parents 2 August). Initially I wanted to buy a fruit tart from Delifrance but because we were short of time, I ended up buying Baskin and Robbins ice cream. My sister in-law made bubur lambuk and rendang ayam.

Let's go to Atok's house

Is, Feera & Faiq

Ilham Muneerah

Blackcurrant cake from Cake Sense

Macam-macam gaya nyanyi birthday song

Make a wish!

Atok & Mak Tok with the 5 grandchildren

Main lagi

We had fun but unfortunately we had to leave early as Faiq had not finished most of his homeworks.

Moving On ~ NOT

2010-08-14T00:45:00.001-07:00

It's been a month but it feels like it was only yesterday...

SIGH...

Faiq is 5!

2010-08-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Faiq is 5 today!

5 years, 1,500 + days spent with him.

No doubt there will be shouting matches between me and him every day..when I wake him up, when I ask him to do his homework and go to sleep.

No doubt he drives me up the wall when he repeats his requests for Mentos, Vitagen etc .

No doubt I go crazy when he bullies Syamima.

No doubt his naughtiness had led to me pinching and spanking him.

But he melts my heart when he sang songs like Ibu and You Are My Sunshine to me.

He melts my heart when he softly says "Thank You, Mama" after I scratch his back before he goes to sleep.

He melts my heart when he apologised to Rafiq for playing roughly when Rafiq was sick in bed.

Faiq, I may be so garang to you that the only thing that reminds you of me is our shouting matches. I may be cranky back from work and let it out on you, But do know that you are the most precious thing to me and I love you with all my heart! Semoga Faiq menjadi seorang insan yang beriman dan bertaqwa yang akan menjadi kebanggaan Mama dan Babah!

AMIN!

THEA'S BABY BOY

You will always be my baby boy
You don't have to worry not any more
You will always be my pride and joy
I'll be by your side forever more

For you I've a real pain cos I'm away but my baby
Watch you in darkest days I'm right behind you
In these hard times see I will guide you
Promise you is what I do, is what I do
You're in my heart even when we're apart
You're my life, my love, my all
I'm here for you no matter what you do
I'll be your light, I will see you through

You will always be my baby boy
You don't have to worry not any more
You will always be my pride and joy
I'll be by your side forever more
For ever more...

Favourite Toy

2010-08-12T00:18:00.000-07:00

Guess who's current favourite toy is Aunty Yong's giraffe rattle-cum-teether?

Harez sleeping with his favourite toy :o)

He wasn't interested in it when I gave it to him 6 months ago. He was more interested with watching tv at that time.

And for the record, I didn't put it in his cot. The photo was taken by his mommy :o)

Cute, eh?!

Kids’ Playdate cum Mommies Gossip Session at Zalia’s

2010-08-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, before I went on my vacation Zalia had suggested that we (Zalia, Fara, Raz and I) get together for a playdate for our kids. It would be an opportunity not only for our kids to get acquainted, but also for the mommies to catch up. We decided to have pot luck tea at Zalia’s.

So after Akisha’s birthday party, we went straight to Zalia’s. I had packed Faiq and Aira’s swimming attire..just in case there’s room for swim time. I stopped buy at Delicious, Jalan Tun Razak to buy a Spinach and Mushroom Quiche (which were YUMMY by the way!). Since everyone was busy and we are in the 21st century, buying food for potluck would be equivalent to actually making them, as stated by Zalia (I CONCUR 100%!!)

Anyways, surprisingly I was the first to arrive. We were greeted by Zalia and 9 months old Harez who looked too cute in his Spiderman comic t-shirt! Faiq and Aira played with bubbles at the balcony while the mommies chatted before Raz arrived with Trisya and Fara arrived with her team ~ Layla Sania, Lily Saira and 7 months old Lara Sufya, whom I met for the first time! Rafiq had to entertain himself as no daddies were around except him.

Let's play while waiting for the rest!

Let's play together

Harez & Mommy

Raz & Trisya

Lara Sufya

Time soruuuu!

Anak-anak pun elok je makan

It was indeed surreal to see all of us there with our children. The children played while we catch up on the latest happenings in our lives. Raz just received her MBA scroll from UM, Fara is desperately looking for a maid, me with my vacation story and Zalia who is a content stay-at-home mom. Of course our conversation will stop half way most of the time as we had to tend to our kids. I find it funny that Faiq seems intimidated by the presence of so many girls. I think he didn’t play as much as he would liked to and he even ended up picking up the toys voluntarily..huhu! Unfortunately, the kids didn’t get the chance to go to the pool as it was drizzling.

It was almost 6.15 p.m. by the time we took a group photo (sebab kesiankan Rafiq yang dah tertido on the couch). The picture was really funny because Trisya pulled Saira’s hair and Aira cried throughout the process and stopped immediately after we finished posing. Faiq pulak refused to be in the "girl power" photo. We then kissed each other goodbye and hoped to see each other for iftar. It was a well-spent Saturday evening with family and friends :o)

Us and our kids

Salam Ramadhan

2010-08-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

“Wahai orang-orang yang beriman ! Kamu diwajibkan berpuasa sebagaimana diwajibkan atas orang-orang yang dahulu daripada kamu, supaya kamu bertakwa”. [al-Baqarah: 183]

Selamat menyambut Ramadhan, bulan yang penuh barakah, rahmat dan maghfirah.

Semoga dipermudahkan dan diterima segala urusan dan ibadah kita diampuni segala dosa, dan dilimpahi rezeki halal yang tak terhingga lagi diberkati.

Di kesempatan ini saya juga memohon ampun dan maaf agar segala amalan kita tidak terhalang dan diterima dengan sempurna. Mudah-mudahan kelak dibuka kepada kita semua pintu syurga tanpa sempadan.

Amin.

Happy 3rd Birthday Akisha Khan

2010-08-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

Akisha celebrated her 3rd birthday on 6 August 2010 and Kak Na (Kak Ida's sister) hosted Akisha's birthday party at her house, as she had invited some surau people for a majlis tahlil before lunch.

We left AD at 1.15 p.m., when it suddenly rained!

Knowing that there will be bad traffic following the normal route to Kak Na's, we took the long-winded route and arrived at Kak Na's an hour later.

Kak Na is an excellent chef and it's always a pleasure eating her "hasil tangan". She made lamb briyani, beef kebab, salad and bingka durian. Jan and Kak Tine baked red velvet cupcakes and Sheperd's Pie. Everything was yummy!

Food, glorious food!

At about 2.45 p.m., after everyone had their lunch, Kak Ida took out Akisha's birthday cake. There were 2 dinosaurs and a princess on the strawberry chocolate cake, proof of her brothers' influence..hihihi!

Akisha's birthday cake

Birthday Girl, Akisha Khan

Make a wish and blow the candles, Akisha

As Akisha looked sleepy, we opened the presents as soon as everyone had their cake. Kak Tine assisted Akisha with the event (ada hidden agenda..hahaha!). Akisha received a look-alike doll (coutesy of Bobo), Dora's bag (courtesy of Kak Tine), cash register (courtesy of Lala) and a cooking set, a blouse and pants (coutesy of Yours Truly).

Akisha's pressies

Kak Tine assisting Akisha with her pressies

Akisha and her pressies

We left K.Na's house at about 3.15 p.m. as we had a kids' playdate cum mommies gossip session to attend. That will be in another entry!

August-Born Birthday Celebration at Tadika Bintang Damai

2010-08-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Faiq's school organised a birthday party for all the children celebrating their birthday in the month of August. It was therefore a joint birthday party for Rizq, Faiq, Fariz, Harez and Alicia.

The birthday children were requested to bring their own birthday cake. I bought a blueberry cake for Faiq and prepared a party pack for the children :o)

The party started at about 9.15 a.m. I brought Aira along as one of teacher's suggested it. I hadn't thought about bringing Aira along..maybe because at that time she hadn't taken her bath yet.

The children gathered at the play area and sang birthday song for the birthday children. After everyone had blown their candles, the children shared the cake with the rest of their schoolmates.

Birthday children getting ready with their cakes

Birthday children and their schoolmates

My handsome birthday boy, who will turn 5 on 12 August 2010

Singing the birthday song

Blowing his candles

Yusuf helping Harez to blow the candles

Cutting their cakes

Let's feast on the cakes!

Tribute to Boss

2010-08-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

Family day cum tribute to my boss who will be retiring on 19.08.2010.

Tuan Haji Japar yang telah banyak berjasa kepada Sektor Air

Sektor Air juniors

That's me singing I Just Called To Say I Love You..hehe

Our 6th on 31 July 2010

2010-08-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Last week, on 31 July 2010, was my 6th wedding anniversary :o)

6 years since we took our vows.

6 years since we started our lives together.

6 years down the line, we are blessed with 2 beautiful children and wonderful memories of our lives as husband and wife .

With that I am thankful to Allah for the 1822 days spent with you.

And looking forward to spend the rest of my life with you!

HAPPY 6th ANNIVERSARY!

For you wake one day,

Look around and say

Somebody wonderful

Married me.

- Fred Ebb

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 13

2010-08-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

Faiq fooling around with the camera

Watching Chuggington before leaving for Heathrow

Settling claims

We're going home!

Delayed flight :op

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 12

2010-08-06T06:12:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at Cafe Nero

Near McDonald's

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

..and I am reminded of the scene in Night at the Museum!

Lola's Red Velvet Cupcakes

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 11

2010-08-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

At Brunswick Quay, for our boat ride to London

Faiq with Uncle Bro

London Eye

Ice-cream on a hot summer day ~ heavenly!

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

No offence committed, just wanna picture with you Officer!

Mogok

Westminster Abbey

Feeding pigeons at St. James's Park

Guard on duty at Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

Trafalgar Square

National Gallery

St. Paul's Cathedral

Charter a double decker bus for your wedding, ok?

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

'Weightlifting' on Tower Bridge

St. Katherine's Dock

Alina & Amran

Dinner at Whitechapel

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 10

2010-08-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

There's no photo of Day 10 as it was a short and tiring day!

We just went around London, FYI!

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 9

2010-07-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Legoland Windsor

Ride on the Hill Train

Longboat Invader Ride

Vikings' River Splash ride

Jolly Rocker ride

At Pirate Training Camp

Knight's Kingdom

Pirate Falls Dynamite Drench ride

Mini Land

Windsor Park

Windsor Castle

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 8

2010-07-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

Modern looking building in Edinburgh

Palace of Holyroodhouse

Rosslyn Chapel, which gained it's fame when it was featured in Da Vinci Code

Lake District

Simply beautiful

With Ms. Potter and her characters

Where we had lunch

Ultraman and the Swans

Lake District River Cruise

At the park

Dinner at Birmingham ~ courtesy of Ayu & Ali

Our children getting acquainted

Us with our kids :o)

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 7

2010-07-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

Wild flowers

National Wallace Monument

Before climbing the 246 spiral steps of the monument

In one of the halls on the way up

Panoramic view of Stirling from the top

Faiq reached the top of the monument too!

Stirling Castle

Bagpipes anyone?

Stirling Old Town

Church of the Holy Rude

Stirling Mills

Bagpipe players in front of The Hub

Along Royal Mile

Faiq & Aira: Bila la nak stop jalan-jalan nih?!

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 6

2010-07-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

Glory, glory Man United

Excited!

Players Changing Room

One happy supporter

Raining all the way to Edinburgh

Berry Crumble with ice cream and tea. YUMS!

George Street, Edinburgh

HRC Edinburgh

Room with a view

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 5

2010-07-29T00:09:00.000-07:00

Destination: Manchester

Pit Stops: Oxford, Bourton-on-the-Water, Cotswold

London traffic on Sunday morning

Oxford

Oxford University Park

River Pitts Museum

Oxford city

Exeter College, one of the 38 colleges in Oxford University

JRR Tolkein, former student of Oxford University

Exeter College Chapel

Yeay, I'm at 'Hogwarts'!!

Englishmen playing cricket at club

Bourton-on-the-Water

Syok main air

Happy Aira

Fish & Chips

Wheel of Manchester

HRC Manchester

Family room ~ Travelodge Manchester

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 4

2010-07-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

Bicester Village

Dinner at Sujack's in Ealing

St. Paul's Cathedral at night

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 3

2010-07-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ready to roll out

Platform 9 3/4 at King Cross Station

Scones with jam and cream

Covent Garden

Street performer

Apple Market at Covent Garden Market

Paintings on tiles

Harrods

At Hyde Park

Princess Diana's Memorial Playground

Dinner at Khan's Restaurant at Bayswater

Summer 2010: Photoblog - The Best of Day 2

2010-07-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

Sunrise at Brunswick Quay

My first (not Rafiq's) tube ride

Double decker bus and black cab at Bond Street

Leka makan chips

Fruit stall

Peak hour at Oxford Circus tube station

At Hamley's