Life...As It Goes

Leaping Salmon

2011-10-30T05:03:00.002+08:00

The first time I heard about leaping salmon was many years back when watching National Geographic with my Dad - it is so intriguing watching the salmon fighting its way upstream to spawn and sadly to die as well. I also remember seeing physical changes to the salmon as it makes its way from the ocean to the spawning ground.

So, during my first Autumn in Dundee when I heard that there are a few spots in Scotland where we can watch leaping salmon, I was so excited but somehow I couldn't make it then.

Anyway, I finally managed to do so last Wednesday (Oct 26, 2011). And what an experience it was! Though there are are few spots throughout Scotland, we went to the closest to Dundee. It's at Buchanty Spout somewhere not far from Crieff (What a lovely town it is!). I think it is one of the best kept secret Perthshire ever have. I am still very tired of the journey as such, do enjoy the photos.

The sign to Buchanty Spout

It's an awesome view, trust me!

Our first leaping salmon!

The second!

The view from the bridge

Till then - Enjoy your weekends :-D

Look who's talking....

2011-10-20T06:47:00.000+08:00

Just as I was about to lie down and have my own me time that fine Saturday afternoon, Aqil and Damia rushed into my room.

"Are you married to Baba?" asked Aqil snuggling beside me.

"Of course I am!" I said

He sit up, faced me and said, " If I am a boy and married to a girl and a baby come out, will the baby knows the boy and the girl is married?"

"Ok. I get what you mean..."

"Exactly!That's why I never know if you are married to Baba. I never see it!"

Goodness me! Just what are they learning at school nowadays?

I haven't yet quite getting into responding to him when Damia who pulled herself closer to me started asking.

"Do you love Baba?"

"Yes I do."

"Are you happy with him?"

"Yes, I am."

"Do you know that if you are ever fed-up with him you can divorce him?" (Well, she's asking me this so gently and so full of innocence.)

I was shocked actually but I simply asked back

"Will you define divorce for me, please."

"When a party brought a flower to another party and say I'm sorry, and the other party who supposed to answer said No, then you get a divorce." She responded triumphantly. I don't know if I have to cry or to laugh - I mean seriously!

Oh my Dear God! What are these young children exposed to nowadays? Is it simply freedom of speech? I can't remember discussing marriage or divorce with my parents when I was 5 or 7 - I don't even think about these words. And I can't imagine what trouble I will get into if I do ask these or even suggest these topics when I were at that age!

Anyway, I am very glad that I didn't faint that day. Is it because we are lenient with our children that they know they can discuss anything with their parents. That reminds me of what happened a week ago. I was in the kitchen with my husband preparing lunch when I asked my eldest to go to the shop and get me a copy of the "People's Friend" magazine - oh yes, call me whatever you like but I love this magazine. 10 minutes later he pushed open the kitchen door, magazine in hand in what I can described as shock and anger, "Oh my Goodness!I think I lost my virginity!" Both my husband and I were so shocked we cannot respond immediately.

"You're gone for 10 minutes and lost your virginity?! What happened?" I finally asked when I finally found my voice - better be an explanation.

"There no People's Friend at the Cooperative so I went to Nisa! I was flipping through the magazine, yeah, and not one! but two! Can you imagine? Two magazines with topless women as cover! Oh my God!" he rushed the words with one breath in pure disgraced.

Oh Dear! One of these days both my husbands and I are seriously in for heart attack! I'm not entirely sure nowadays which is more shocking - to be a child or a parent. At times, I felt so exhausted by these children, I started to wonder if they are really mine? Ours?

Anyway, in case you are wondering about Damia's suggestion, my husband and I are still very much in love with each other. You can ask him. He's beside me now.

Till then :-D

Ramblings ........ Oh No!

2011-10-18T05:08:00.001+08:00

Salam & Great Evening Everyone :-D

Again, it is a very long while before I am here again but Thank you Kindly, for those who visit this space of mine. Today, I reached home early - not because I turned over new leaf like it's my new resolution or anything but because I have to attend my daughter's Parents' Evening. Since my husband works evening, I have no choice but to go - at least before the teacher thought that my daughter has no Mum! Damia joined this school on September 5 this year and I have never been to her morning coffee, assembly, etc,.. So, today is the first for me to meet her class teacher - Mrs W.

My slot was set at 5.30 p.m. So, in order not to be late I left the office at 3.15 p.m - acting like the irresponsible employee who couldn't care less if she meets the deadline (that's on the surface - deep down, my mind was in turmoil!). The first part of my journey - by underground from Hyde Park Corner to King's Cross St Pancras went well. As I stepped into the National Railway station, there was a lot of people waiting and queuing! My heart skipped a beat! Not again! The train to Bedford is delayed due to signalling problem! Gladly, after about 15 minutes, the train finally approached. And 15 minutes later it stopped! This can't be happening! Not on the day when I was about to meet my daughter's teacher! I was getting very restless when the train was moving again! Thank Goodness!

Well, you see, I am the kind of person who should not be left alone without anything to do. Such, I always carry a book with me so I can read during my train journey. Now, as it happened, I didn't carry any book at all. Not even a note book to write something on. Reason behind this is, other than my love for reading and so-called vocabulary enriching, to stop my mind from wandering.

You see, as I don't have anything to do - though I did try to close my eyes to catch up on sleep - forget it! after 3 minutes, pretending to sleep can be very tiring - so, my mind started wandering. It is already 4.18 and I haven't even reached St Albans yet... Hmm... and the bus interval to where I stay is every half hour. Oh Dear! Looks like I don't have time to fetch Mia from home. Maybe I can just turn-up on my own - put up a string of apologies to the teacher for not having time to get my daughter in order to keep my 5.30 slot? Another thought comes to mind - what if Mrs W is not convinced that I am Mia's Mum? And she refused to discuss Mia's development at school with me? What if she thinks that I am an impersonator? What if she thinks that the real Mia's Mum paid me to go instead of turning up herself? I mean just in case Mia is doing very badly at school. To help ease my mind, I text my husband - as usual there's no reply. So I text my friend at the office, " Is it alright to turn up without my daughter?". "It's ok." came the reply. "Won't the teacher thought I am an impersonator or paid to go?" I asked. "Actually I have never been. Not sure!" You should by now why I love my friend/s! :-D

Just as I was trying to figure out what to say to the teacher, there was an incoming text - just a simple "Yes" from my husband. Oh Dear! At the rate the train is going I can say goodbye to my 5.30 slot. But somehow, by some twist of luck - more likely just trying my patience, I managed to arrive at Luton Station at around 4.30. I rushed out, walking like a madman (madwomen in my case!) to the bus stop. But, you see, the short cut to the bus stop is through a shopping mall. And woman being woman - though I was hard pushed I managed to dropped by Boots to purchase 2 concealers - I know you must thing that I am mad! For that few moments at Boots, I was.

Not a few steps after I left Boots, my phone rang - Oh no! My home no!
"Yes?!"
"Mum, where are you?" came the voice of my eldest.
"I am on my way to the bus stop, Darling! Why?"
"You know your slot is at 5.30, right?"
"Yes Darling. Why?"
"Well, it's 5 to, now. you better be quick." like he knows of his Mum's detour!
"OK. I am running now - there's a bus at 2 past! I'll be there Darling. Just tell Damia to get ready, OK?"
And I was running - I mean really running like my-life-depend-on-it kind of running! Especially when I saw the bus was about ready to leave. I made it somehow! By the skin of my teeth!

Maybe, it is good for you to know that both Damia and I managed to make our slot. I won't discuss in detail what Mrs W informed me about my daughter but she said I should be extremely proud of her. And for Maths, she is doing Year 4 work despite being a Year 3. Well, I just hope she keeps up the good work!

Till then :-D

2011-08-20T15:59:00.000+08:00

Ramadhan Kareem Everyone :-D

I received through my office email a few days ago a message from a friend of mine in KL ,"when are you going to update your blog? It has been a long time!" Oh Dear, if he knows that I am practically killing myself to cope with everything!

The children is on Summer break now. As my beloved husband landed himself in a part-time job (evening job), I am technically on flexi-hours. Well, over here if you have school going children, you can actually opt for flexi-hours. I said "technically" as on paper, my office hour is from 7.45 a.m to 3.45 p.m. It is just that somehow, though more often I arrived the office before 7.45 in the morning, I found it hard to leave at 3.45 p.m not that I don't want to! Just how could I simply leave everything especially when it is only done mid-way? Beats me even thinking about it!

A lot happened since my last entry - the saddest being the passing of my M-I-L after nearly two years battling with the Big C - never being one asking to be pampered she fights through until her last breath - leaving us all in her sleep. No more bubbly chat, no more asking for recipes, no more expecting her here this Autumn.....planning a trip up north and no more expecting the exceptionally tasty food she always prepared for us... This Eid, there'll be no more calling her seeking for her forgiveness and prayers - she's in our memory now with a very special place in our hearts. May she be in peace with her Creator, in His loving embrace...Amin...

For us who were left behind, life has to go on. Until the day when we too will be summoned...

Back to my friend Idzni's (the Irish guy) email. He was asking about the Ramadhan over here - besides no Pasar Ramadhan and no mums and aunties, sisters and brothers to tumpang berbuka - Well, we go through our Ramadhan very moderately really. And since there are a lot of Muslim populations here in Luton, our Tesco and Sainsbury put up Ramadhan Mubarak posters and stocked in more Halal Meat and Halal Chicken" sections - and though we cannot get stall-bought mee goreng, kuay teow and the like, we still can buy the ingredients and cook them ourselves - Bury Park is never short of briyani, pilao and kebab - we have Halal KFC here too. As for Tarawikh, we have Islamic Centre, Jame' Mosque and no less than two others - all in all, it is about the same except perhaps the length of fasting that we have to do daily now that it is summer - the early days of Ramadhan, it is from around 3.40 a. m to around 9.00 p.m but I am really glad my Damia has been fasting in full except for the days when 1. it was so cold and her tummy ached, 2. she accidentally took the offer of peanuts from her brother Aqil (cheeky!) and cried when she realised what she did; 3. yesterday when her tummy ached and her Dad asked her to break her fast. All-in-all it is quite well done as she's only 7.

Eid? Maybe this time I will take a day leave. If not, I will go to work imagining in my head the song "Dari Jauh Ku Pohon Maaf" from the moment I stepped into St Pancras. Or maybe "Dendang Perantau"? Well, that depends really. Oh yes, talking about Eid, I have yet to give my Sister the details for the Baju Raya that I need for the Office's Eid Reception! Wait aah... Along! I love you :-D

Till then! Have a Great Ramadhan and a Great Weekend Everyone :-D

Source of image : Moon over Uni of Dundee from the Dundee University website

Last Weekend

2011-06-07T05:54:00.001+08:00

It was a very fine Saturday last weekend. The weather was really really good and since I decided not to go to work, we have quite a fun Saturday together.

Since moving down here, our Saturdays were no longer filled with trips to the farms or sea side like we always did when we were in Dundee. Anyway, after reading from the newspaper a fruit farm located around 30 minutes from where we stay started opening its door for strawberry picking - so, we decided to check it out. And what fun it was! For not only the fruit farm also has an adjoining area for car boot sales, it has a good size play area as well - of course the children are overwhelmed! So, let me just share some of our photos!

Ready for a good harvest. But where are the others? Well, they never learn that you can get good strawberries at the nearer plot. Even in this case, they always thought that the grass is greener in the farther field - in this case, the strawberries are redder at the farther plots

Post harvest

Farm Worker - under protest?!

Danish! How do I get down?!!!

Hmm.... Not a high as I imagined!...

Where do I go now, Danish?

All four in the various stages

Here I go...!

Join us Mumsie!

Kids and climbing goes hand in hand.....

So, where are the parents? Just waiting while enjoying the strawberries?... Hmm.... no wonder the abdomens are getting bigger!

We are on top of the world!

Nope! This is not the Statue on top of the Empire States Building! Nor a participant of the Olympic run

Busy up there? What? congestion? Hmmm....

Well, it is just a few hay.....

When we reached home, still with the fruit-picking spirit, the children asked their father if they can pick the cherries to which their father succumbed to. Well, the photo below, though it looks like we are nicking the neighbour's cherries, we're not! Take a careful look of where the tree is. It is our side of the fence. It is ours - errr... our Landlord's actually - but mind you, we were given the permission. You see, there are more ripe cherries at the branches where it grows to the neighbour's side of the fence.

Father & son team - trying their hardest for a good harvest! It is dangerous for the Father to climb the ladder and "rest" against the fence. Err.... let's just say, it is not good for his health - such the service of the Son was very much required.

Why do you have to go to the other side?

So, these are the result of our pickings last Saturday. And in case you wonder what become of the strawberries? Well, here it is ....

Turned into Strawberry Cheesecake

Care for some? :-D

Hope you have enjoyed your Saturday like we did! Sunday? Well, that'll be a different story....Cheers!

Here They Are...

2011-05-23T02:38:00.001+08:00

I have two sets of children - the going pre-teens and the kids. Well, I don't know if there are such classifications but there are 4 years gap between the younger pre-teen and the elder kid. If there is one thing that I found I am not "quite getting at yet" with my two sets is communication. No! Don't get me wrong - We are very close to our children but somehow their jargons make us feel so lost and of course, old.

The other day after a few cuddles, I asked Aqil, "are you my Baby?", Danish butted in and said "No, he's not, he is a dude!" "No, he's not - he's actually still a toddler - a 60 months old baby if you like." I said. "No! I am not a toddler! I am a kid!" declared the kid in question. "I don't care," I said, "you will still be my Baby - all of you are my babies!" Hakim apparently couldn't take it anymore,"Oh shush Ibu, get a life..!" in what he called his "grown-up" voice. You see what I mean?

A few months back we watched Shutter Island. I was saying, "Why do they have to go through that hassle of getting to the island by boat? Can't they just hop on a helicopter?" To which Damia said, "Helicopter is not invented yet during that time." You see? Now who's the mother? I used to be the one giving that line to her.

Last week, Danish accompanied me to the office so that he can enjoy a few hours of peace and quiet - to revise for his Science test. around 4.00 pm my collegue Aidil announced, "It's already 4 hours.I am leaving shortly." To which I responded,"Funny how our hypothalamus works - somehow it is set to 4 hours, and we sort of "not here" anymore - our in-built alarm clock is working it seems". Of course Danish added, "I thought hypothalamus is your wake up system". "No it does not only just do that!" I defended myself. "I learn that at school Ibu" "Oh yes, and I took Biology as one of my subjects in my Degree" (Mum can be so sad nowadays especially in the defensive department). "OK. Let's google it." And as it is of course it says among others,

Quote."The main function of the hypothalamus is homeostasis, or maintaining the body's status quo. Factors such as blood pressure, body temperature, fluid and electrolyte balance, and body weight are held to a precise value called the set-point. Although this set-point can migrate over time, from day to day it is remarkably fixed" Unquote.

Well, I rest my case. Yesterday, we have a skype session with my Mum and many of my nieces and nephews and their children. It is a very happy occasion. It is a relief to see one's Mum looking happy and we talked about nothing - well, if you asked me, I can't really remember anything very serious in our conversation. We let the children sing for their Granny and told her things they did at school, showing her their certificates won at school. Oh yes, we were also discussing some business proposals with my nephew, Said. Well, I hope he didn't forget the research that he has to undertake.

Everything went well until Danish blurted to his cousin, Khansa' (to be frank, both of them are fond of each other, hence the frequent teasing between them!), "language, Khansa', language" said him. "what did I say wrong?" asked Khansa'. "You are an English teacher, c'mon, you know where you make your mistake." Danish kept on, Finally, not taking it anymore, Khansa' just blurted out,"Damn you!" And we take it in good manner. "You are sick, Khansa'" said Danish,... another of their jargon. "Sick?" To which I have to butt in. "It means, Cool, Khansa. It gets into my nerves when they first use that word. Not a single connection, but that's it!"

Hmmm... I am not sure really whether how I tackle the "language" problem with my kids are right. But we are always very close with our children. We talk about everything - though sometimes the topic are not to my taste, but I get along. I want soo... much to be their Mum and at the same time their friend. I want them to come to me first when they encounter any of those teenage problem or problems... such, I have to instill in them the feelings that they can trust me. To build this, I need to understand them and to be in constant communication with them. Praise to the Al-Mighty for all parents who has done the right thing in bringing up their children. It is a hard hard work.

Till then.

(Sources of images : cartoon from Wikiedu; hypothalamus from psychedu; lavender with bumblebee from fireflyforest.com)

City? Nope!

2011-05-14T15:27:00.002+08:00

Many times I was asked why do I not move down to London. I put in long hours, I have 4 schooling children and by staying where I am now, the journey to and fro can take around 3 to 31/2 hours each day.

Well, my answer will always be I cannot afford to live in London. This will normally be followed by, "But the fare is expensive, isn't it?". To which I answered, "Yes it is but still, expensive it may be, when I add all my core expenses like my rental, council tax, utility bills, my broadband, tv license, etc,..., it is still much cheaper than staying in London". But sometimes other questions will follow, "But if you move here, there will be more opportunities for your husband to get a job" to which I almost asked, "and who will take care of my children, then?" which I didn't.

Anyway, there are many reasons why I do not want to stay too close to the City other than it simply is beyond my means. Sometimes I also wonder, why can't people just mind their own business without prying into others. My choice of where to stay has nothing to do with them and I sometimes wonder if I were to follow their suggestion to move down, will they contribute to some of my monthly expenses? I know they will never ask me again if I do that but well,...

Come back to the main issue. Our house is basically close to everything - By everything, it means a GP, a pharmacy, grocery store, schools (nursery, junior and secondary), laundry, chippy (during emergency), two convenient stores, a charity shop (most important to satisfy my reading desire), a large park - all these within 5 to 10 minutes walk. And when at other places, it is difficult to set an appointment to meet a GP, here, we can simply call in the morning and normally we are already sitting in front of the GP at around 10.00 a.m or 11 a.m at most, same day. So why should I leave?

Yes, I admit, there are times when the thought of having to endure the one hour or so journey home after a long day (errr... night) is sooo... daunting and discouraging but still, it is a very minor problem.

To be frank, among the more important reason is that I am simply not a "City" person. I enjoy a peace and quite setting (like a library? my daughter asked). I couldn't really stand the hustle and bustle of the City. To me, it is all right as a "work" place but not a "stay" place. But that doesn't mean I do not like civilisation. Those are two different things.

Like last week, as per every Sunday we went to a Car Boot sale. Not the one at Leighton Buzzard as it is closed due to the forecasted heavy rain. So, we went to the one in Tring, Aylesbury somewhere in Buckinghamshire about 30 minutes away- oh I just love the countryside with trees lining the road and farms along the way - it is heavenly to me when I see miles and miles of rapeseed, acres and acres of sheep farms. We stopped at the Wilstone Reservoir and enjoy the peaceful scenery, we dropped by Burbourton and walked along the canal with narrow boats moored by its sides. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but it is for us or at least it is for me).

Sources of images : canal boat from telegraph.co.uk; poppy anemone from gardenplants.org.uk

Oh Really?

2011-04-27T07:31:00.006+08:00

We had a 4-days weekend last week. And as if that is not enough, it will be repeated this coming week. Hopefully the good weather will be as good as it was too though the temperature dropped from 28 Degrees on Friday down to 16 degrees on Monday.

We went to Stratford-upon-Avon for a day trip - just to stroll by the River Avon - too bad - we forgotten to charge out batteries, so no photos. The children ran around happily like wild bunnies. People everywhere - sun bathing, boating, river cruising - everyone sharing the warmth of early Summer - by right it is only Spring. But we didn't stay that long. It is very hot and after strolling along one side of the River, we decided to find somewhere shady to pray and to have lunch. Over here, basically, whenever we were out, we will just pray anywhere - anywhere as in, under the trees, somewhere in the parking area (grassy area preferably) or any space under the stairs - as long as it is clean, no problem. Compass pointing the Qiblat is very easy to carry - no problem at all - praying mat? OK if we remember to bring it along. If not? No problem - the field will do. Or perhaps our outer jacket - Oh C'mon!

Anyway, sorry for having diverted from what I was planning to share. I had quite a long conversation with my Sister last Sunday. Among the many topics, we were talking about rice. I was telling her that before I left Malaysia (or Bolehland, borrowing the term from DrSam of Archive of Time), the price of a 10kg AA was around RM30. And I was quite shocked when she said it is RM41 now. Wow! And the so-called healthy rice is at RM6 per kg? Oh Dear! What is happening really? So when I told her the price of rice over here, she was saying, "You are better off there, really." You see, currently the price of basmati rice is at £5 per sack of 5kg. And if you purchase 3 sacks, the price is £10 - it is 3 for 2. And believe me, rice is among the items that are always on sale. I am not quite sure why - as the staple food of this country is not rice. Is it to keep the stock moving? Or is it because rice is considered perishable? Perhaps you can tell me - But whatever the reason is, it is quite comforting as we are among the minority household who eats rice quite regularly - Well, we always purchase a 10kg rice on a monthly supply.

Now, when I am thinking back about the price of rice in Bolehland - it is quite disturbing isn't it? For whatever sake it is, Rice is a staple food. Why is the price going upwards and not down? Something wrong with the distribution line? Though only 45% of the Bolehland's rice is supplied domestically, it still does not seem right. What quality of life can be enjoyed by those with lower income bracket if they are struggling to purchase their staple? Forget chicken, fish, etc,... If I tell you that we can get 3 baby chickens for £5 here and a kg of chicken wings for £1.99, will you believe me? You have to because it is true.

Anyway, if the price of rice is so high, what is the price of Nasi Lemak now? I can only imagine....! Oh Dear!

Good Evening Frank!

2011-04-16T07:26:00.000+08:00

Hmm... I am quite unsure whether I should share this story. I do not know how I will be thought of after I share this with you. You may think that I am a bit crazy or perhaps, at least a little insane (am I barmy?). But before I share with you whatever that I wanted to share, let me ask you a question. Have you at any time meet a person and think that he looks like a George or she looks like a Lina or something? Sometimes you just feel like a certain name should suit this person - have you? Or not? No? Not at all? Well, then, I may be in the verge of insanity.

You see, I sometimes have that feeling. Please don't think that I have been giving people names that I feel they should be named along my train ride everyday - well, I will be running out of names before I reached St. Pancras from Luton - regardless of some can share the same name.

Anyway, let's get back to what I wanted to share. There is this Security Officer on night duty at the building where my office is. Every sense of me is telling me somehow, he looks like a Frank, and so before my brain can stop my mouth from addressing him, I called out "Good Night Frank. You take care." I know! I know! I should have checked with my colleague. But since he is always on night duty and I am almost always the last to leave the building, I always forgotten to ask. And good natured as he is, he never try to correct me. (You see what I mean when I feel that he looks like a Frank?) He will always respond, " And you!" Sometimes we engaged in a small talk but all the while, he is Frank. And so, what's the problem, you may ask! Nothing, really..... until the night before I suddenly feel that I need to check with my colleague if my guess is correct. I sent a text to him and he responded, "You mean the guy who is on night duty? But his name is Brian...!" Of course he text me more than just that, but let's not share it. So,... my hunch is not right after all. You see, the problem is, I have been calling him Frank since last August.....! Hopefully, it is still not too late to make amends - So, tonight, as I emerged from the elevator and saw him sitting at his usual place, I put on a big confident smile and finally said, "Quite an early night tonite, Brian - you take care now and have a Great Weekend!" "And you! Let's just hope the weather is as good as it was last weekend." he called out in his usual good natured manner. He deserved justice, that man. Perhaps he is saying "At last!" or may be I am really getting barmy!

By the way, you have a Great Weekend too! :-D

My Back Garden

2011-04-14T06:47:00.003+08:00

It has been quite some time before I really explore my own back garden - narrow and small though it is. Despite always wishing that I can spend more time in the garden - digging, weeding and whatever it is that needs to be done in a garden, the cold weather always put me off. Now, last weekend the weather was really great. It was beautiful. The air is crispy (if you can call air that) and fresh and nicely fragrant. Aah...! The feeling of fresh air!

Anyway, let me walk you through my long and narrow back garden :

The flowering apple tree - looks like it will be quite a harvest so long as we manage it on time

Close-up of the soon to be budding apple

My flowering grass

Another flowering grass

My vegetable patch - that's the broad beans

Well, maybe I will share more snaps when it gets prettier in Summer. Anyway, just so that my tiny patch of front garden (if it can be called so) not feels left out, I will share with you the snaps of my red and yellow ramunculus. Excuse the yellow ramunculus. I have yet to transfer it.

Hopefully the weather will turn out to be better. I can't wait for every plants to be flowering and bearing fruits. Well, when the rosehips are flowering and of course my begonias are in full bloom, I will take you for another visit to both my tiny gardens.

A Day in Portsmouth

2011-04-11T18:14:00.055+08:00

It has been quite some time before we went for our so-called Day Out. When we were in Dundee, we always went for a short trip every week - not necessarily far but just to enjoy the countryside, looking for farm shops or looking for the best Fish n Chips (so far, the best is still Marco in Arbroath!) or just having some picnic by the beach (our favourite is Stonehaven and to some extend St. Andrews) or in the woods (the Hermitage for example).

Anyway, Luton is not within easy reach of the beach, such, the request for a day at the beach by the children resulted in us contemplating whether to go to Brighton or Portsmouth. Since we have been to Brighton, the decision was soon made.

And of course our first destination is the beach front :

At last! After nearly 8 months, we finally get to the beach!

Happy Faces :-D

A hovercraft landing

No! This is not a Mascot

Oh Dear! A nice car (Lotus Elan?) But so so well-fitting pants!

Merry-go-round

Father-Daughter Team

The famous landmark of Portsmouth

The Tower

The Tower from the back

Well, of course when you reached Spinnaker Tower, you just have to check out the Gunwharf Quays - in it?

A Hectic Week

2011-04-11T03:17:00.007+08:00

The previous two weeks have been hectic. I put on long hours and worked Saturdays and Sundays too. The firm which I worked with participated in a career fair held here in London. Our HR Director came all the way from Head Office and it was a big annual thingy - though this is my first.

We held three and a half days of interview sessions at the office. As I was told that there were students in the previous year who came very casually, I was quite taken when this time round all of them came with a full suit - looking seriously in need of a job! Some seemed lost, not knowing what to expect.

One asked me, "Why do I have to go through this writing assessment? I do not like to write". Hmmm... too bad. As I explained, we do need to write proposals, memos, reports, etc..., she started cursing herself for she said, she had "expressed" her dislike of writing to the Interviewer and seeing that her chance going down the drain.

Another asked me what I do in the Firm and when I informed him, he asked what qualification do I have. When I told him I earned a Master's Degree, he went "What?! Even a PA with this Company has a Master's?" The nerves of that boy. Wonder what he will be saying if he knows I am planning to further into my Doctorate, hopefully soon.

Well, now, one quite a disappointment for us is when among the students shortlisted for interview was a straight A student with a CGPA of 4.0. However, he didn't pull it out during the interview. Well, I wish him luck, maybe he is the Academic one - not the one who oozed confidence and capability of efficient communication.

And on the Sunday when we have to be on duty at the booth, the response was overwhelming. We were practically on our feet the whole time only stopping for breakfast and lunch. Seeing those young eager faces asking the right questions, just made my day no matter how exhausting it is - and sort of a consolation for spending a whole sunny Sunday indoor!

For those successful candidates, you should have received your Conditional Offer Letter by now. Congratulations!

Simply Stories

2011-03-01T08:04:00.001+08:00

Last year while rummaging through the books which were for sale at 20p each at Menzieshill Library in Dundee, I came across books written by Ms Read. But juggling between classes and exams and completing my dissertation, I didn't really get into reading them. And as soon as I submitted my dissertation, we were already packing our things to move south, and my husband with his good intention, sent most of the books (the children's story books, novels) to the Charity Collection Centre - well, coming to think about it, not just books but clothes and shoes as well - my poor boots - well, if you have been following my blog, you will know that I am so fond of boots. He really defined travelling light very well. So, light indeed our journey south was - that we need to buy almost everything back!!

Anyway, now one of my favourite pastimes (which is hard to come by) is "visiting" the charity shop closed to where we live. It carries a lot of books and with a lot of varieties too. Now that I put in at least 10 hours a day at work (plus another two hour journey to and fro), I really am for leisure reading. Books keep me company during my train and underground rides. And recently I came across Ms Read again. Though not the same collection that I bought earlier, I decided to purchase both "Market Square" and "The Howards of Caxley". Verdict? I like them both.

Actually, when I was much younger, I love crime and mystery books starting with of course Enid Blyton, then Agatha Christie (does not matter what others think of them but I do like Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple), a bit of Ngaio Marsh (my favourite is the "Scales of Justice"), then I followed every John Grisham's books up until "Skipping Christmas". Along the way, I tried Danielle Steel starting with "The Promise" but two of my favourites are "The Message from Nam" and "Wanderlust". There was also a Sidney Sheldon's season - the first being "The Other Side of Midnight" up till "Tell Me Your Dreams". Next Jeffrey Archer (I like his short stories collections); then Paul Coelho. In came Sophie Kinsella with her "Secret Dreamworld of A Shophaholic" and the string of the Shopaholic series - well, I also enjoy her stand alone novel especially "The Twenties Girl". Next, Alexander McCall Smith with his "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series. I also followed his "44 Scotland Street" and the "Isabel Dalhousie Mystery" series though not as completely as the The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I also fell in love with Jordan Lacey series by Stella Whitelaw. I have read all but "Fold and Die". And somehow, I came across Katie Fforde - I still have two of her books which I have yet to finish reading - "Life Skills" and "Love Letters" - I guess I am a country girl at heart - most of her books which I read were set in a country.... Oh my Goodness! Where was I? Hmm.. I was about to share something about Ms Read books wasn't !? Hmm... old age is catching up! I really forgotten what I was about to share with you just now..... tell you what, I will, when I remember.... Have a good week ahead :-D

Of Waiting and Oh.....!!! How Windy!

2011-02-05T20:05:00.000+08:00

Waiting is such an agony! And we have been in such agony for 8 weeks - Not knowing our fate. Not knowing which way our plan should go - well, it is just that without knowing we just cannot plan or anything - we could not even start to plan anything. Such agony it was! And of course with that kind of 'torture', one just does not feel like adding any entry in one's blog.

Well, we have been waiting for the decision on our visa extension. And Syukur Alhamdulillah it was approved and we received all our documents plus the permit two days ago. And what a relief that was. Now we can settle down a bit. We can tell the children that they can expect to continue with school. Hakim has to really start studying and practising for his SAT. He will be going to Secondary School after the summer term so we hope he can get a satisfying result. Danish can look forward to move to the new school building in March. That will be a big relief to him as it will only be a 15 minutes walk from home - At least 15 minutes is quite bearable to walk in the cold windy weather as compared to the 30 minutes walk now - he keeps on convincing me that after 10 minutes he will be warm enough. Well, actually, it's quite true, in fact if you walk fast enough you almost feel like fainting when your body gets warm and you are wearing one too many layers of clothing. You will start cursing yourself for wearing too many but once it gets windy, you start thanking yourself again for being sensible for wearing a few layers! Hmmm... the weather is that unpredictable! Oh dear me! How do I get to go on about weather now?

Talking about the weather, it is currently very windy here where we live. From the forecast the west south-westerly wind is blowing at 20 - 22 miles per hour. But when you listen to the wind, you worry if the next blow will take your roof away with it and think perhaps it is 40 mph instead! - not to mention the whistles and rattles that managed to wake you up from sleep thinking perhaps someone is seriously breaking into your house.

I have to wade through to get into the car as I reached the train station just now and when I opened the door it rudely pushed me inside and I really have to get both my legs inside the car as quickly as I can in case, just in case, the fierce wind cut them both off with the help of the car door which became extra heavy! Ohhh! How troublesome!

Anyway, windy or not we have to brave through this weather as we have been braving all the weathers all these while! :-D

What is important, Mum?

2011-01-29T06:58:00.000+08:00

Tonight I reached home around 9.30 - my earliest since the New Year. I had my dinner and was just about "dumping" myself in my favourite corner of the sofa when Damia came "dumping" herself right next to me.

"Ibu, can you show me how to print? she started asking.
"I will but later, Darling." I responded.
"Ibu, is energy saving important?" she asked again.
"Yes, Darling, it is." Heaven knows where this is going to, I thought.
"Ibu, what else is important?"
Little that I know that I was going to be caught by a six going on seven-year-old.
"Being polite, being clean,...." I answered almost absent-mindedly. Then when she answered back, I was almost ashamed with myself, for she said,
"But Ibu, I thought Love is the most important thing of all."
And with that, I looked at her. With different eyes this time.
"Yes, Darling. You are right. Love is the most important thing."
"What if people have no love, Ibu?"

Now, it's time to think properly before giving an answer.

People with no love? Will they necessarily be cruel? Mean? Heartless? Will they search and search for love? Well, I seriously have no answer to that. At least not yet, not tonight. Maybe I can get away tonight for she was busy watching £1,000,000 Drop after receiving no response from me. But, I know I cannot get away for long. Between tonight and tomorrow night, I will have to come out with an answer. Till then... let me have my forty or a hundred twenty winks. For to be frank, I have yet any clue for the best answer. Moments later when I felt something warm resting on my shoulder, I can't do much but kiss her forehead and cheek and whispered in her ears that no matter what I will make sure that she will get the most important thing of all - all her life - LOVE.

Of Cravings

2011-01-24T06:49:00.003+08:00

I do have cravings from time to time. The most recent, a marmalade. Marmalade? You may asked. I was re-reading a book by Alexander McCall Smith the other day when there was a mention of marmalade. It brings me back to the time when I was reading "Alice in Wonderland" many, many years back and was wondering (at that time) whether I pronounced the word correctly. Well, since then, I do enjoy marmalade from time to time. I can't really say I love it but I do enjoy whenever I have access to it. Unlike jam or honey or even peanut butter where you take a spoonful directly into your mouth, you cannot do the same with marmalade, the bitterness puts you off - at least in my case. Anyway, bitter or not I really enjoy it whenever I allow myself to it- a simple indulgence more like.

So imagine my disappointment a fortnight ago when my newly bought bottle of thick cut marmalade rolled from the grocery bag as we opened the back of the car and crashed into our tiled lawn! I almost felt like crying when it happened right before my eyes! Anyway, this week I bought another and hmm.... how heavenly it was!

Talking about marmalade, most people will have it with toast and coffee; in Alexander McCall Smith's book, the characters took it with oatcakes. I am not too choosy, I can spread it over cream crackers; toast, or even over fairy cakes!!! when this happened I will try to stabilise the sweetness by taking hot tea without sugar - I normally take my tea with sugar.

Well, before I dispose myself for the night, let me share with you some facts on Marmalade :
Why it is called Marmalade?

According to legend, French-Speaking Mary Queen of the Scots, wasn’t feeling well. She requested for her servants to make her a medicinal concoction made by boiled oranges. Soon, the kitchen room was bursting with activities, servants rushing to get her the medicine,while shouting Marie Malade, which is french for Mary Sick though leading to marmalade.
Of course it is just a legend! Marmalade was created long before the Scottish Queen was born! Marmalade comes from the Portuguese word, Marmelada.

And yes, Marmalade has a long association with the Scottish city of Dundee, where there is a factory named the Dundee Marmalade.

The traditional citrus fruit for making marmalade is the seville orange. It is higher in pectin than sweet oranges and the peel has a bitter taste which gives the bitterness in marmalade.

Good Night Everyone :-D

(Sources of image : dundee marmalade from www.crossroads-market.com; Alice in Wonderland from www.the-office.com; seville oranges from www.bbc.co.uk)

Of Holidays & Hitchin Market

2011-01-03T05:22:00.000+08:00

The children are still on holiday. Since last weekend was a long one for me, I spent a lot of time with them (after all these while!). As usual for children, they are not always good - they can be very peaceful - all four of them in harmony or you can sometimes think you are in a war zone when they are not in their best behaviours. More often than not, I just let them be - as long as there is no harm done. But at times, I did wonder whether they are really my children - especially when Damia was belting out "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" in the most saddest, melancholic manner on top of her voice - Goodness me! I just hope the neighbour won't be complaining one of these days. She's going to be six soon but imagine how it is when she turns into her teenage years! I don't even want to think about it...Nope! She can take time reaching there...

A Mushroom?

But that is quite nothing as compared to when everyone have piled into the car for outing - which was seldom due to the cold weather - just as everyone settled, nicely tucked in their respective belts, suddenly a soft cry can be heard. "What is wrong?", "Why are you crying?" And came the answer,"Hakim said I looked like a mushroom!" And how good it felt to give Hakim his well-deserved spank! But, of course that was only in thoughts - Hakim is safe, for then! And just as we reached our destination, somebody was saying "I need to go now!". "Didn't you go just now? Before we left? I thought I asked all of you to go before we left the house?" And we just shook our heads and depending on the gender, one of us will have to accompany him or her. And just as we thought it will be smooth sailing, someone will announce "I'm hungry, can I have something now?" "We just had our breakfast before we left". "But I'm hungry." Now you really have to grit your teeth and take a deep breath. Hmm... those are just little examples. Parenting is tiring - it drains you of all your energy. But anyway, let's not talk about that - I will frighten those who are going to start a family. Anyway, despite all that - they can give you joy - an enormous one at that! Trust me :-D

The blue & white striped stalls are where the car boot is held

One of our favourite outings every weekend is the Hitchin Market. It is an award winning market which opens every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. It is a general market as well as an Antiques & Collecters market every Friday. Every last Saturday of the month, it holds a Farmers & Crafts Market. But on Sundays, it's always Car Boot sales - though it is in the form of hard standing stalls. When we first discovered the place, the children were so... excited asking if we can go there every weekend. So, we have been frequenting Hitchin Market since.

The St Mary's Church

The car boot at Hitchin market offers diversified items - books, toys, knitwear (a full length knitted coat priced from £3 - a bargain?), cds, dvds, art & crafts, sewing materials, textiles, fruits and vegetables, clothings, handbags - really, you never know what you can find - that's what the children (and their parents) like here. Some of the stalls are selling brand new items too! Our trips here brought back some dvds, tablecloth, toys, shoes (a brand new football boots, really at £3), books and of course vegetables and fruits - especially chestnuts - hmm... yummy!

Hitchin Town

It is not quite unlike George Street in Luton, really. But maybe because we are here on Sundays, it is not at all busy. Not quite sure on other days of the week. Today is especially quiet. Maybe because most people are still on holidays. Next week, if we are there early enough, we may get bargains on brand new items - you see, some people took their unwanted Christmas gifts to sell at the car boot sale. I am on the look out for a new containers for sugar and herbs - Hakim accidentally broke the cover of the sugar container - and a letter opener. Hope I have some luck next week.

Till then :-D

Source of School Holiday image : dailymail.co.uk

Enter 2011

2011-01-02T01:45:00.001+08:00

The snow had disappeared. It is quite warm now. Today, it is forecasted to be between -1 to 5 degrees. There's a promise of the sun sharing its rays with us today - a big relief. We woke up much later than usual. It's time to look forward to a new day. The earth looked washed through. Was it raining last night?

Looking back as the curtain fell over 2010, I think I have had a good year. Not that it was easy though. Last year saw me juggling between going to classes while taking care of the children. There were times when I have no choice but to bring them to School. I was grateful to the Lecturers then for understanding - when I came to the lecture with one or two children trailing behind me. More grateful when thay make them feel welcomed. Aqil always have to follow me - And he became quite famous too at School. Overall, it was very tiring. Juggling between studying and parenting are real hard work. Not to mention days when I have to go for discussions to prepare for presentations and days of lab work ... I am glad I managed unscathed. And somehow I managed to graduate.

2010 is not without its share of sadness - lost of a family member, a family member being diagnosed with level 3 of the Big C, another fell and in stroke - But we have to stay strong and to be even stronger. Only prayers for Mercy from the Al Mighty makes it a bit easier to shoulder.

Since we are practically on our own makes us one very close-knit family. We depend on each other to survive. We tackled obstacles together and understood how important it is for us to stay together no matter what we have to face. We were grateful for what little that we have for we can't afford to be lavish. But none of us complaint. We made the children learned that they can't always have things new and to praise the Lord with everything good that come our way no matter how small.

Now I look at them with very different eyes. These 5 team members of mine, who sacrificed their comfortable life to go through difficult times with me to support me chasing my dream - they are real gems to me. They provided me with the much needed strength to move on and fired the determination when I almost gave up. For that, I Thank You, Darlings....

Happy New Year Everyone :-D

A Long Long Weekend

2010-12-30T07:42:00.000+08:00

Christmas fell on a Saturday and Boxing Day fell on a Sunday (naturally) and as a result we have Monday and Tuesday as bank Holidays too. So! After all these while, I have a very very long weekends. How I embrace it! Anyway, I planned to go to the office today but have when I checked today's train scheduled, I have to change my plan. The trains will start its normal journey after 12 - before that it will take 1 hour 45 minutes. If I start my journey after 12, it will be at least 7.00 pm before I reached home. Let's just stay - I do need the long break though!

On Christmas Day, due to the cold weather (sorry, I am using the photo taken on a different date just to indicate the coldness), we just stay at home - too cold to go outside, we are even too lazy to move. We spent that day playing games and watching TV. On Boxing Day, which is more promising as the sun rose a bit and it feels quite warm (it's 1 degree that day, but we have managed to somehow feel quite warm with anything above zero!) so we joined the many shoppers going to Arndale! But, Goodness me! There were soooo...... many people and we finally just bought one or two tops for Mia & Aqil, a pair of shoes for Hakim and a bedlinen and hurried for home. After all, we hardly go shopping expect for scouring car boot sales for books and toys - this is our first real shopping after moving down here.

Monday spent buying groceries for the week and a new pencil case for Danish. That was all he's asking for (well, Danish is like that - among my children he is the one who hardly ask for anything - he is happy with whatever we gave him. Even when asked, he will always say "I don't want anything, Ibu" which makes it quite difficult at times). That afternoon (which looks like well into the evening from outside) we spent making blackberry muffins but since everybody is excited, the muffins were attacked once taken out from the oven so - there's no photos.

Aqil & Damia

Today, we started out quite late - after deciding that I should not go to the office due to the transport. Again, it's to Arndale - this time buying a duvet cover and some paper supplies for our Arts & Crafts project at home.

Actually, we planned to make some cupcakes as a way to spend some family time but since it was already late when we came back, we decided against it. We made two books instead, :

Mia proudly showing her book made of the hard paper found in the newly opened bed linen, some tissue paper as the cover, coloured papers, some stickers and pieces of wool

Mia's book when opened

Aqil's book

Aqil's book has butterfly shaped pages

Well, hopefully my children are happy. It has been sometime before we spend time doing arts and baking and reading poems and books and watching TV together. I was glad for the long, long weekend. I enjoyed mine. Hopefully you enjoyed yours too! Cheers, Mate! :-D

Of Friends & err... Dogs? Hmmm...

2010-12-28T05:49:00.002+08:00

From time to time my daughter Damia will ask me when we will be going back to Dundee. When I asked why, the answer will be "I miss Dundee so... much...I miss my friends." Not that she has no friends here. She is quite an agreeable young child and somehow, she will make friends quite easily. And once she makes friends, they are hardly out of her mind regardless of distance. Among the friends which she will always mention are Balqis, Dina and her best friend at school Divya. Here are some photos of Damia and her friends - to cheer her up a bit.

Dina, Balqis & Damia in front of Stirling Castle

Just what do they have in mind?

Oh Dear - It's entertainment right from Loch Lomond!

I'll be sorry if I miss this - a pop group in the making?

Damia and her classmates on her last day in Dundee

Kellie, Kelly, Divya, Ilsa, Damia & Katherine

With her Class Teacher, Mrs Young

As for Aqil, he has his share of close friends too! His closest since we reached Dundee is Fathi. They went to the same Nursery School as well. When we told him he's going to go to school here at Whipperly Infant School, he was so... happy that he thought he will be meeting Fathi again. He was sad in the beginning of starting at a new school. It took a while before he settles in. Last Tuesday when we were rushing to the Mobile library I heard him yelling to his friend "Emily! We are going to the library! Are you going too?" Well, my little boy has grown up a bit! Anyway here are some snaps of Aqil with Fathi & Ajim.

Aqil & Fathi at Loch Lomond

Having a heavy discussion it seems

And not forgetting Ajim - well, I am not sure what happened but it looks like one is crying and one is smiling happily. However, I have a feeling it's something to do with these dogs below :

Well Ajim, they may be huge but they are harmless enough - they won't let their hairs tangled easily will they?

An Outdated Entry (which started of nearly 2 weeks ago!)

2010-12-27T05:02:00.000+08:00

Much that I wish to update my blog every day, I just cannot afford it (read as Fat Chance). Work takes most of my time plus the two hour journey to and from work. I am sorry if that sounds like I am complaining - I am not. In actual fact I am very grateful - not just for having a job to go to everyday and get paid at the end of the month but also for everything else - It is just that it will be nice to have some me-time by writing my thoughts and my story - the way I see things each day. On my journey home, I always have in mind what I want to key-in to my blog but when I reached home I will eat my dinner, change to a more comfortable outfit and reach for my red felt blanket - and I am already too tired to even watch what's on tele, let alone updating my Blog.

Anyway, the Year-end is just around the corner, Christmas is coming soon but when I was passing through the shops around Knightsbridge the other day (on duty, mind you), I hardly seen the usual Christmas crowd. Maybe everyone decided on a last minute shopping this year? Hmm... Either that or the economy is as bad as is portrayed or the weather is not shopper-friendly. Oh yes! we have not so kindly weather lately though the past week is rather promising. But there are words that the coming week will leave us caved in snow - let's just see.

On another note, as it is nearing Christmas, schools will be holding year-end concerts and nativity plays. And so it happened it is Aqil's first play. He was one of the three shepherds

A very nervous Aqil

But this time, unlike the year before I was not present during the Nativity Play. Only my husband. Now, I am not sure about the impressions from other people about us letting our children involved in the Play. As it is here, the teachers will make every child involved. As for me, I take it as an opportunity for the children to learn and compare. We are from very diversified religions and cultures and this is the opportunity to open discussions between us and our children. We discuss cultures, we discuss religions, we discuss the differences and more importantly we teach our children to respect the others' beliefs, cultures and religions because that is an important part of being human - Till we meet again :- )

Our First Snow in Luton

2010-11-27T20:41:00.001+08:00

I was trying to get an extra dose of sleep this morning when I heard Hakim rushing into our room, singing "It's snowing, it's snowing, the old man is snoring!" Then I recalled the forecast, "snow expected this Saturday,..." Hmmm... so, it snows this morning though not that heavy.

I tucked myself back inside the blanket and snuggled beside my sleeping partner. It has been very cold for the past week. Last Wednesday, I got off the train at St Pancras hardly feeling my legs. But not wanting to stop the flow behind me I concentrated in forcing some mechanisms in my grey cells to remind me to put forward a step before another. Somehow I managed to reach the office having no idea whether I still have both my feet intact. Yesterday was even worst. The train I used to take was cancelled and it was some 20 minutes that I have to wait, standing in the windy morning, shivering in the cold - I can almost hear my teeth clattering. My fur-lined gloves provided no comfort at all. My fingers were all numb and I felt tears running down my cheek. My fingers are not just numb - they were biting cold and very painful - I could even imagine part of my capillaries and cells turning into icicles. You have no idea how glad I am when the train finally pulled up in the station! And it was not until we reached St. Albans that I can take out my gloves and inspect my hands - at least I still have all ten fingers and I started rubbing them together - still painful at first but at least slowly they warmed up. And how glad am I that I do not have to go to work today - the first day of snow!

Anyway, I can't sleep anymore. And as usual on Saturday both my husband and I will stay a bit longer in bed - we talk - about anything and everything that crosses our mind. I love our sessions. Just the two of us. From downstairs we can hear the children talking, playing - time where they can express themselves clearly! i.e. No Parental Guidance time. It is not a crisisless time either for they do fight with each other, they yell and get cross with one another but still it's their time. Sometimes during this time they can be very quiet too - mostly due to each is drowned in their own work - Danish reading, Hakim on the PS2 playing football imagining he is Steven Gerrard, Aqil on the Netbook and Mia either reading or drawing or painting or doing some craft works. I always love it when they are in this kind of harmony. But normally it will end in War. There will always be one who step into the other's barrier - it can happen without any physical interference - a simple unintentional comment will do. But this morning - maybe due to the snow (perhaps), this human sanity and order last until both of us came down. And except for minor hiccups, harmony is still leading. Great! I love Saturdays like this errr.... except for the minus temperature.

Looks like we will spend the whole day at home today. As I am writing this, I can see from our window that the sun is coming up. The forecast mentioned about it being sunny at 3.00 p.m. Well, it is still another1 and a half hour before it is three and yes, the snow is melting. Suddenly, there is a little hope - perhaps we can go to Hitchin tomorrow - we need to get some boots, not to forget some hats as well.

Oh yes, did I mention that today is my Birthday? Well, Have a Great Weekend everyone! :-D

Another Museum Visit

2010-11-17T07:26:00.001+08:00

Our Sunday began with us starting the journey to one of the car boots about 6 miles away from home. However, our satnav was not cooperating well. It led us to a residential area which sans the car boot set up. Frustrated, we left and decided to go to Stockwood instead - we love going there really!

Fortunately, other than the normal exhibition (which we have been visiting for 3 times at least!, there was another exhibition - Photograph of the Year. Hmm... we were after all in a better position - comparing car boot and museum :

(i) Museum is free (though we do contribute some donation); car boot : 30p - 50p entrance fee for adult (depending on where - the one in Errol is free)
(ii) Museum is fully sheltered; car boot : it may rain while you are bargaining
(iii) You gain new & invaluable knowledge at the museum ; car boot : you do too; there's a lot of books which price is a fraction of the same brand new - not only that you can get past issues or even out-of-print copy not to mention the rare books - I am always in the look out for books from the yesteryear; also, at the car boot sale, you can get a lot of information from the seller - I always like chatting them up - they are real sport!
(iv) The children can try on costumes and play pretend and not feeling guilty about it unlike at car boot - this depends really, I do feel guilty when I ended not buying - those hopeful faces....

Anyway, the above were my list actually more to heal my wound after not being able to go to car boot sales for already three weeks now! Booo HuHu! :-(

But we do have a good time at the museum as you can witness from the snaps below :

Trying the transport of yesteryear. Mia, turning a sour face as she wanted to sit where Aqil is

Baba and the Penny Farthing. Can you imagine how to get on the seat? A step ladder? Hehehe...

The Hobby Horse. Will be difficult to control I believe.

And the snaps below are of the children trying some of the costumes worn by the ladies and gentlemen in the Era :

Hmmm... two cowboys and a cowgirl!

My young unladylike lady giving a pose!

Oh yes, by the way, I mentioned earlier about the Photography of the Year Exhibition. The theme is Nature and Wildlife. What I can say is that, I really really fell for the patience of the photographers to get the right light, right movement, right timing and everything right in order to capture exceptionally fantastic pictures. To be fair to them, I can't share with you the photos but two of my favourites are :

(i) an eagle snatching a starling by its paws. Simply fantastic!

(ii) a salmon escaping the grabbing paw of a bear! Heavenly!

But, no matter how much fun we have, there'll sure to be a 'tragedy'. I believe you can make a guess of why this boy is crying (hence the red nose - nope not a reindeer just yet!), don't you?

I hope all of you had a Great Sunday too! Cheers! :-D

Saturday at the Museum :-D

2010-11-14T03:12:00.001+08:00

One of our Saturday "Family-Day-Out" is our Museum trip. Today, we went to the Wardown Park Museum about 3.5 miles from home. Autumn is clearly visible now. Not just in my back garden but everywhere. most of the trees in my back garden are sans leaves at the moment. The apple tree is in a sorry state - branches and two too-ripe apples left. For now, I have no desire to climb.

Oh yes, back to our day-out, we are quite lucky because there are a number of exhibitions on at the Museum - the Ancient Greek , Hat (Yes! Hat) and Luton Life Exhibitions. Enjoy & Have a Good Sunday

The Entrance to the Museum

Mia dressed in a Greek girl costume and her Baba

One of the things that I like about the museum here is that there will provide costumes for the children to try on. Amazingly, the costumes were just left in a box (unguarded) and none of it goes missing! It will be very nice if the same concept can be applied to the museums back home. For sure it is interesting - because the children can try on our traditional costumes or any costumes at all depending on the exhibition at no extra cost.

Hakim in Archiles' costume, 'King' Aqil and Mia

Some of the ancient items on exhibit

Trying the different hats. Baba does look queer in a top hat

Danish putting on his cowboy act!

Taking a break

The instruction to walk on the sheep wool below to see whether the wool can be changed to felt by exhibition-end

A pair of tired-looking Mom & son

An Embarrassing Moment....!

2010-11-06T20:20:00.002+08:00

For the past week I was actually feeling under the weather! I mean really2 under the weather. Throbbing pain in my head which just refused to go away (I was already preparing if it is some sort of tumour! Cheh!). Truth is I always experienced that kind of throbbing pain on the left side of my head. Sometimes it lasted five minutes, sometimes half an hour but the most recent seemed just to stay. I woke up, took some medications and went back to sleep. Even when my Boss called last Wednesday, it was my husband answering the call. I was sleeping and it was only 7.00 p.m. And that was not the first time I slept that day.

As I was saying in my previous entry, I was feeling unwell since Sunday but I still brought my children to the Circus. I was actually shivering throughout the show. So Monday, my husband brought me to the Medical Centre which is about 10 minutes walk from our house. When we got to see the Doctor, there was another person in there - a youngish guy. "I hope you don't mind. This is Thomas, he is a 3rd year Medical student. If you do not want him to be here, I will ask him to leave" said Dr. Sims. We told her we were quite all right with him being there. Dr Sims examined me - I have viral fever, sore throat and soon will get flu - great! So! What went wrong?

Well, before I tell you, let me just bring you back to a little bit of my background. Prior to resigning from my previous job, I was actually the person who sort-of handling the administrative part of the London operation of the Bank which I worked for - so, I am actually among others, very familiar with the Human Resource aspect of the local staff of the Branch. So, when I said, it is embarrassing, it is very embarrassing!!!!

Right, let's continue with my story. Dr. Sims was asking me where I worked at and what my job is, so, I simply told her that I worked at Central London as a PA cum HR Administrator. There I was, feeling as weak as weak could be and before my brain can actually stop the orchestration between my vocal chord and the mechanism of opening and shutting my mouth, I heard myself asking, "Is there a possibility of getting a medical chit or sickness certificate?" which of course was the wrong thing to ask. But the damaged was done. I was at that moment a disgrace to the HR profession (those familiar with UK labour law at least) to whom I should apologise - I mean really apologise - Sorry....

So, Dr. Sims apologetic as she sound was explaining to me, "Well, actually the law here is that you are allowed self-certification sick leave up until one week." Yeah,.. yeah... tell me 'bout it... ".....but if you are still unwell after that, you can come and see me again upon which I will issue you the sickness certificate. But of course, if the company you worked with requires it, I will issue one for you but I am afraid I have to charge you." Nothing that I don't know actually... But since I was already in that position, I decided to play along, "Thank you for telling me that Dr., I think there is a lot more for me to learn. I am still in the handing-over stage, no wonder I seen some of the Self-Certification Forms - now I know what it is for." "I am sorry if I sound like teaching you..." said Dr. Sims. And great. Now both of us were feeling guilty! "So, I guess I know where to get hold of that form." I said. "Yeah..." said Thomas the Medical student "with the HR Dept which is yourself!" Yeah, rub it in! But, well, we (my husband included) just laugh it off. Hey! Now if that's not diplomacy, what is?!

HAPPY WEEKENDS EVERYONE!! :-D

(Sources of Images : mimosa pudica from www.rain-tree.com; passion flower from foxhillnursery.net; cupcakes from www.faircake.co.uk)

Do You Have A Craving?

2010-11-02T19:02:00.001+08:00

At times, I have cravings for, let see..., it could be ice cream perhaps (though in my normal days I don't really have a second thought about ice cream! Or Creme Brulee! Last year it was a bowl of Prawn Noodle - that's when I thought of Kuala Sepetang or even Pak Li Kopitiam; Next, was a plate of Penang Char Kuey Teow (doesn't matter if it is not from Penang itself, coz we can still get it from Mid Valley or even closer to Shah Alam) and very recently, as I was poring over the new FSA's Liquidity Standards, I suddenly thought of Mee Hailam - Can't really find the equivalent in English - noodle with beef or prawn, garlic, pak choy or sawi (no equivalent as well), pepper, soy sauce and beef stock? Not sure...(please correct me if I'm wrong) . But with that in mind, I sent a text to my husband, "What's cooking?". And he replied with "Surprise.. the best meal I've ever cooked". Well, my Mee Hailam forgotten and I thought no more of it until I left for home that night. Gladly I had a book to keep me from guessing what it was that he cooked along the way from Hyde Park Corner to King's Cross and from St Pancras to Luton.

My children were all excited when I reached home, "Ibu! Baba cooked a very delicious meal! I wish he cooks it everyday!" said Mia. The others were quick to agree. And then the moment of truth. Nope! Not Mee Hailam but ....

Nasi Ayam - Chicken Rice and the works! Crispy roast chicken; Soup; Homemade chili and garlic sauce; Soy sauce (for some reason the soy sauce was left out below);

The works - somehow the colours gave me the feelings that I am eating a good balanced diet! Hehehe!

The excited faces of the children over Nasi Ayam

So! I didn't get my Mee Hailam that night. But, the Nasi Ayam more than made it! The roasted chicken - moist in the inside and crispy on the outside, soup so.... light and delicious, the helpings... ah! all of us had more than one helping that night! Such Bliss! Only thing is I have to watch out for my belly. There is no way I can grow taller - I am just hoping that all those good food won't make me wider or heavier either. Well, though I enjoy the juicy pear I surely do not want to end shaping like one! Hellllppppp!!!!

Well, Do you have any craving? :-D

Image of ice cream from Carvel.com

About Time & Spending Sunday

2010-11-01T21:37:00.001+08:00

Up until 12.59 a.m. on Saturday we were still in the British Summer Time ("BST"). Then at 1.00 a.m. we have to turn the clock back an hour, back to the Greenwich Mean Time ("GMT"). So, we gained an extra hour, technically at least!

Autumn in my backyard

It is autumn now and it will get darker earlier very soon. It is getting colder too. And I dread the thought of having to go to work during the winter months - I have to invest in a good coat and a good pair of boots soon to see me through the cold winter mornings and nights. None of my current boots can last through the wet winter as the pairs that I managed to save from my husband's charity drive are both made of suede. Oh Dear, where was I?

Actually I started off this entry last Saturday night - thought I will continue Sunday. But, since we are on Virgin Media and there were some line problems expected to be rectified by 10.00 a.m. tomorrow, we went to top our Vodafone to get online! Hmmph!

Anyway, I was feeling under the weather yesterday but since I owe my children a treat for behaving nicely and not complaining about not going anywhere during half-term break (since Mummy is still under probation and can't take the day off), I put on a brave face and brought them to watch the American Circus. Too bad we were not allowed to take any photos in the Big Top.

I was glad that we brought the children there. They really enjoyed the show. At least I felt less guilty about not spending half-term break with them. To be frank it was my first "life" circus. The showpresented those must-haves as far as circus is concerned - acrobatic acts; quick change; plate spinning & juggling; bungee presentation; trampoline; globe of death (yeah! the ghostrider thingy); sword & dagger balancing act; trampoline act; magic show; hula hoop and the wheel of death. In between the show, the clown acts took place. Well, all-in-all it was very entertaining. The children were wondering why there was no animal act. Well, perhaps it has to do with the Animal Cruelty Prevention movement, but hey! They fully enjoyed the 1 hour 45 minutes show!

Our Sunday

2010-10-25T06:24:00.000+08:00

If you know England, you will know how the weather behaves. Not in the best behaviour but still, a good day could be a very, very good day. Or it could pour in the middle of a good day or it could just change from a good to bad day. As such, most people (us included) rely on weather forecast. Though, when one has plans for the day, one prays hard that the forecast is wrong. But, imagine how hard it is, if everybody's prayers are granted? But, whatever the weather is like, we will never let it dampen our spirits - especially on weekends.

Normally, Sunday is our car boot day. The children will be very excited and got ready with little persuasion. They already have their own "List of Things to Buy" in their heads. And after breakfast we will all pile into the car and leave for Pulloxhill some 9 miles away. But, Pulloxhill Car Boot sales ended last week. They will re-open next July. So, this morning, since the weather was ok (though quite cold), we were game enough to try a different car boot. But, our 8 miles journey was not rewarded - when we arrived, the car booties were packing, ready to go home! Should go earlier next week!

So! We decided to go home. Just before we arrived, we dropped by at Stockwood Park. We saw the American Circus caravans at the park. We have been meaning to bring the children to watch the circus, maybe next week. I will let you know if we do. And as the sun was up, we let the children ran lose in the park.

Aqil is actually shivering - not because of the weather but because he's scared if he'll slip and fall

But he's OK just "hanging around"! Hmmph....!

Mia - pretending she's on a real horse. Aqil - happier knowing he's back on the ground (errr... not quite!)

Actually, going to Stockwood Park has become our Sunday must-do activity. What we like about the place is that it always have some kind of exhibitions going on. Even if they do not, we will just go and bring the children to the play area at the Discovery Centre or simply picnicking! One of the displays that I like at the Museum is on Transport - Many many coaches from the era gone by were on display - not sure if they still are - but, that time, we forgot to bring our camera along, such I can't share them with you. But if still on display next week, I'll share with you some photos and interesting information on the coaches. And just to wrap up our weekend activity, Mia, Hakim and their father sowed the bean shoot - sowed on a container as it is supposed to be an indoor kind of vege. Hmmm..... very domestic for a vege, isn't it? well, hope all of you have a Great Weekends. We did! :-D

Rambling of a Mum ... Oh No! Not Again!

2010-10-24T05:26:00.000+08:00

It is more like a task now this updating blog thingy. No. Don't get me wrong! I love to see this blog "growing". I have expressed many many thoughts, shared many stories and I have made many friends through it. It has become a part of what keeps me sane. I always thought that I can keep this tiny little blog of mine better once I completed my studies. But, there was hardly any gap between completing my studies and having to go to work - and the hours I keep at work! No! I am not complaining about work either. Yes. I keep long hours. But at the moment when the economic outlook is not that pretty, I have never forgotten to express my gratefulness to the Al-Mighty that at least I have a job and can keep my family going. Syukur Alhamdulillah. So?! Coming to think about it, do I really have any problem? Hmmm... I have a good loving family who accept me - imperfections and all, we have enough food to go round, we enjoy our Saturdays & Sundays together, the children have books they can read, toys they can play with - doesn't matter if the books and toys came from charity shops or car boot sales), we have a good cook (Thank you Dear - I am sorry that there is no fishing lake around here for us to go and catch that lovely rainbow trout!) and err... we also have a tiny vegetable patch which we hope will supply our kitchen with all our vegetable needs and maybe we can have a bigger patch and can start supplying for Farley Hill market at least .... hmm..... where was I? Sorry..I am miles away.

Anyway, the apple above? The first apple that we picked from the tall apple tree which I told you about last week. I was quite frustrated looking at many of them being eaten by perhaps squirrels, birds or simple fell off - thanks to the wind, and was thinking of a way of picking them up when Danish kind of tired of seeing me looking hopefully at the apples and started climbing the tree (branches and all) and with a stick poke some of them down.

The rotten apples - it's a pity isn't it?

Those Danish managed to poke down

Though we have apples straight from the tree today, since they were not picked earlier, they do not look as fresh as they should be. But, we do not care - they were still nice and crunchy! Heaven!

Oh yes, while we were busy watching Danish, we heard a call of panic somewhere. Hmmm... well, it is this boy :

He was in panic as he cannot see how he can get down! And Ibu had to come for rescue! Why does a 4 year old always think that he can do anything?.... like the sky's the limit but in th end.... hmmmph!

Actually, before Danish started climbing, my mind had actually "climbed" the tree. I was trying to strategise where I should hold and where to put my feet, but, you see, the tree is so.... full of branches :

Which make it difficult to climb. You see what I mean?

But Danish received instructions from his Dad - which branch to hold on to; where to step on, No! No! That branch can't hold your weight! And coming down, some instructions from his Mum - opps! Nope! You can step here, I am supporting it for you or you can step on my palm - then quickly move to the bigger branch! Hmm.... are we really not the only two parents who give instructions about climbing a tree? I am sure there's more of us, right?

Oh yes, in case you are wondering about our little vegetable patch. We have a gardener looking after it now :

With her new watering can

The gardener explaining the plans she has for the garden's future. To date, we have sowed beetroot, spinach, strawberries, pumpkins, etc,...

Oh yes! What exactly was I rambling about earlier? Hmm... nothing actually. Except, it is hard to keep up with maintaining a decent blog when you have so little time to spend in front of the lappy when you only have two days to really (I mean REALLY) spend with you family while on weekdays' night you are dead tired when you reached home - that is OK actually except you are also busy with your other interest - Reading! Actually, there are pros and cons living close to a charity shop! Last week I finished reading three books - light reading books - Pray & Die by Stella Whitelaw (I am into her Jordan Lacey series now), Cat O'Nine Tales by Jeffrey Archer and Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. And today, I have just bought three other books by Sidney Sheldon - all at 10p each - The Sands of Time, Nothing Lasts Forever and Tell Me Your Dreams - I have read them before but I could not resist reading them again. Oh... it is so difficult to find time to blog!.... Jangan Marah... ah! :-D Good Weekends

Our House

2010-10-18T04:54:00.000+08:00

Hi there :-D

It's been a week since I last keyed-in an entry. Much as I wanted to keep updating the blog, I just could not find any energy to do so when I reached home after work. Life is hectic now. But, at least I can keep my family going.

Luton is getting colder now, but nothing close to the cold that we used to have in Dundee (Cold though it is, I miss it sooo.... much!). So, it is quite a pleasant weather down here. London is even warmer (comparing to Luton). Anyway, I hardly enjoy the bright daylight in London. I hardly go out for lunch. Thanks to my husband - I have the goodness of homemade cooking everyday! Thank you, Babe - I love you :-D.

My two willing gardeners

We live in the quiet part of Luton, in an area called Farley Hill. The house is just a normal semi-detached house - nothing significant. We have a long narrow garden with a tall apple tree and err... was it plum tree? (I can't be sure). Plus, a few other trees which I can't really named (at the moment). We have a vegetable patch - a legacy from the owner and thanks to them, we managed to "harvest" some potatoes and onions. Excited by the prospect and the summery Sunday we had last week, we managed to clear and prepare the patch for planting. We had a great time clearing the area.

We planned to have a vegetable garden which can supply our kitchen. Oh yes, vegetable are getting quite expensive too. And, even if it is not that expensive, to feed all six of us with enough nutrients, it will be a lot - cumulatively speaking. Although I do not really enjoy vegetable back home, it is a different story here. Vegetables are simply more fresh, crunchier, crispier and sweeter - you just have to love them - savoy cabbage, baby spinach, broccoli, just name it - they are just so.... good!

Now, with the apple tree. It is bearing a lot of fruits. However, it is sooo.... tall that we need to have a ladder to pick the apples. We have sampled the fruit - courtesy of the squirrel? or the westerly wind? or the north wind? (I am not sure which one and perhaps I was not introduced that well yet to the winds here). Anyway, back to the apples. Those we sampled were so fresh and crunchy! Only if... hmmm... I started wondering if I can borrow a "galah" from the neighbour!! Hopefully, we can buy a ladder at a very reasonable price soon, before we lose all of the juicy, crunchy fruits!

One of the other tree just by the tool shed! I don't know anything about it except that my children proposed to build a tree house between its branches. Hmmm... even if the proposal is approved, it will take a long time before it materialised. Even a tree house needs a proper planning and of course, capital. Well, hope all of you are having a great weekend, ya! Till then :-D

This is Not for Halloween

2010-10-10T04:37:00.000+08:00

These photos were taken quite some time ago. And has nothing to do with Halloween. We were still staying at the Bed & Breakfast in Willesden and Kak Ida came one afternoon bringing this pumpkin. As big as BIG is. Kak Ita and I were having a fun time calculating its life span!

I really appreciate Kak Ida's effort in bringing the pumpkin which is almost as heavy as a baby elephant from Windsor to Willesden. And she has been lucky as well when one of the kind-hearted guy offered to carry it when changing lines.

Now, this pumpkin reminds me of the gulai lemak labu, gulai lemak pucuk labu and ikan sepat, lepat labu, sira labu and all things good about labu back home..... hmmm...it's going to be labu time soon nearing Halloween. For the time being squash is good enough!

Of New School, Expectation & Unnecessary Pressure

2010-09-27T07:33:00.000+08:00

I took the day off last Wednesday. Coming to think of it, it was only a month ago that I left Dundee. And it is going to be three weeks that I have been making Luton err... Farley Hill to be exact, my home. I left early every morning to avoid the heavy human traffic using the service of either the First Capital Connect or East Midlands to St. Pancras. The journey is quite pleasant though regardless of one getting a seat or not. If you managed to get a seat, you can drown yourself in a good book - 35 minutes can cover a lot of pages. If you cannot get a seat, it is still ok. 35 minutes is not that long when you have the farms, hills and fields to soak in through your journey. But once you reached St. Pancras, it is a different story. You just want to get out of the train and walk (almost run) to get to the right line that will carry you to your destination err... office where you slave yourself for 10 or more hours.

Back to why I took the day off. It is Hakim's first day of school and Danish appointment with the school where he has been offered a place. Danish interview, well, not exactly an interview - it is just a get-to-know kind of interview. They asked questions like how long were you at the last school, what is your favourite subject, what is your interest, what do you want to be when you grow up, etc... The meeting went well until one of the teachers read Danish's report from St. Ninian when he concluded the school has some expectations for him. And it is quite scary to my ear when the teacher was saying, "Danish, whichever class or group you are in, please don't ever lower your standard to meet the others. Maintain your standard, maybe you can inspire them to up theirs, OK?" Whoa! The meeting ended with us agreeing to send Danish the next day for an assessment to determine which group he will be assigned to. Phew!

Next, to Hakim's new school. I was quite overwhelmed the way they welcomed him. They were very excited having him there, they said. And we were brought around the school. I think I want to study there too and I guess Hakim is very lucky to be offered a place there. They have almost everything - ICT rooms, patches in the garden for the students, two big halls, a science garden complete with a pond, fields,even a full time nurse and a sick bay! We were introduced to his class teacher who's a Scottish. Then we came to learn what the excitement was all about. "We called his old school and the Head Teacher was saying, 'We are sorry to lose him, he is a very smart boy!'" Oh dear!

Now, don't get me wrong here. I am glad that the teachers are happy to have at their respective schools. I like the way they have interests in the children's future - at Danish's school for example, the students were given the chance to take subjects which can cater to what they want to be when they grow up which I considered very good. I am also glad that my children are doing fine at school. But, I do not want to impose anything on them. Of course I will not lie about my feelings. As a Mom I am proud of them BUT I don't believe in creating unnecessary stress or burden on the children. When we came back from school that day, Danish was busy revising, scared he will screw up in the assessment test. And together we go through mean, mode & median, angles, a bit of algebra & doing some sample tests from the internet.

And when Hakim came back on his first day of school, he was asking my assistance to help him with his research to write a biography of Martin Luther King! You see what I mean?

My thinking is that children have to be children, They can work hard for school but it has to come with a fun element in it. Now, I know they will have more fun doing their school work if there is no pressure to meet the expectation attached to them! Well. I don't know - I just hope they are going to turn up right.

Those We Left Behind Part 2

2010-09-05T02:03:00.002+08:00

Among the first friends we made when we arrived in Dundee is Mina. It was a day after we arrived and getting ready to go to Taymills for Eid Gathering. There she was walking her dog Romar around the playground. We exchanged our "Hi Ya" and we have been friends since. We always talk to each other every time we meet. And Romar will be faithfully waiting for us to finish our conversation. Usually it will start with "Are you good?" And it led to other matters. She always have time - never does she seem disinterested in our chanced meeting (which is often).

In the morning of the day we moved out, I saw Mina walking Romar from my kitchen window. I rushed out to see her - I have to say Good Bye. So, there I was running after her. "Mina!" I called out. There she was. Turning her back. Smiling and waiting for me to catch up.

"Mina! We re leaving today." I told her.
"So, it's today?" she asked back for confirmation.
"Yes, Mina"
"I will miss all of you". She said.
"We'll miss you too - you have been part of us." By this time all my family members have reached the spot where we were talking. Aqil & Hakim as usual played with Romar. But as if he knew, he's not as playful as always.
"It feels like yesterday that you arrived." said Mina
"Time flies, Mina - it's no longer running."
"I guess you are right. Will you be visiting?"
"Of course, Mina. We love this place."
"When you are here, pay me a visit."
"We will."
"Keep in touch. I will give you my email address."
"And I'll give you mine. We'll keep in touch. If you are coming down, tell us. We'll be happy to see you."
"I will."
We talked a bit more. Took some photos.
"Go now. I'll be holding you up. You still need to do your last packing."
"Right Mina. We may come in November."
"Then visit."
"We will." And we departed.

While we were doing our last packing, there was a knock at the door. I rushed to open the door. It's Mina.
"Come in, Mina." I said
"No. It's all right. I just want to give you this." She said handling me with a plastic bag.
"It's for the journey." She said.
"Oh. Thank you, Mina, you shouldn't."
"That's all right." We hugged and she left.

I was so touched when I saw what inside the bag - six bars of chocolates and a piece of paper with her email address and phone no. Mina is like that. She used to come up with surprises. One day, I saw her carrying a bag. and she was busy waving at me. It turned up that she has a ball for Aqil and a bear for Mia. Then when she found out that Aqil liked the bear, she gave him another.

Mina lives alone with her poodle, Romar. She did her own light shopping but every week, there'll be a lady coming in to clean her house and shop for her. I never asked her where her children are but I have never seen any visiting her. There was never any children mentioned in our conversations but on some weekends, her Sister-in-law will come down from St Andrews to fetch her to spend the weekends at her place.

So far, I've received three emails from Mina. She wanted to know how we are getting on. On the last, she told us she misses us. Well, we do miss her too. We only hope that she is always in good health and happy. Till we meet again.

Those We Left Behind Part 1

2010-09-04T16:59:00.004+08:00

It feels like ages before I log in to this blog. The reality is, it was only over a week ago we came down from Dundee. My life has been like some fast forward reel. As I mentioned before I started work last Friday (August 27). Since then, it is taking the tube from Willesden Green, changing to Piccadilly line at Green Park and stopping at Hyde Park Corner, joining the many rushing out from the underground to work. It has been as early as 7pm before I left the office but most slightly more. Still, there is a lot of work to do. Life is fast-paced as far as work is concerned.

On my journey back from work, my mind kept reminiscing of life back in Dundee. The year that we spent there was a very good year though a bit marred by the coldest winter in 30 years. We made friends, we became part of a community who blends well without a care of what color, which belief or from which part of the world you came from. Everything is in a peaceful tandem. It's like we are in the company of friends at every corner. This entry may be "Belated" but here goes ....

On the day we left Dundee, friends came to visit - the women helping with last bit of packing making it much easier. The men having the last chat and helping with the last packages. How I miss them all - They are like brothers and sisters to us. United by the search of knowledge and linked by strong ukhwah. As I am writing, I can't help a bit of tears or two - not of sadness mind you, but of gladness that I and we were given at least that phase of our life to understand how it is like to be in a community so understanding, so peaceful, so amicable.

Oh yes, we do miss those we left behind - Aine, Taufik (We cannot thank you both enough - you have been such great people) & family (Aqil has been asking for Fathi); Ina, Zahir (Thank you to both of you for everything especially for taking care of Mia while we were out of town and the mengaji session - we admire your generosity so much) & family (Mia will be sending a card to Balqis soon); Fiza , Azhar (Thank you so much for everything) & family (Mia will write to Dina soon); Fa (Take Care, Sis and I pray that you have all the strength that you need), Ustaz Amin & family; Ana (please take good care of yourself - May Allah Bless you with the strength that you needed to go through), Mahzan (I know you are taking great care of Ana) and family; Nor, Zul (Thank you so much for all your great great food - we missed them already) &amp family (the next time we visit, Quratul 'Ain will not be the sleepy baby she is now! And Akak will be a lovely young lady); Elly (Be strong ya, Sis - Tell me if you have started your classes) & Mahadi (Take Great Care - she's "fragile" now and thank you ever so much for the polaroid snaps - we'll treasure them);

And all our love & good wishes for - Khamsah (The Great Chef of the North :-D), Amir (be mindful of the food, now!) & family; Ustazah Ika & Midi (before you leave do visit us); Dell, Mahiz & family (now you have a choice of Uxbridge & Luton when you come down); Shahrul, Mala (keep it up - hopefully you have every assistance needed in completing your research) & Sara; Shikin (Insya Allah we'll be back for further studies), Ustaz Nizam, Zaid (the Best Dressed Boy) & Mayam (who blends in immediately); Zaiti (Sorry for not meeting you before we left - it is so rushed), Shahrul & Maryam (the beautiful girl); Zaquan & Alisa (the sweet2 couple); Helmi (if you come down to Surrey do pay a visit, ya); Anas (Thanks for your insights on Fiat Money, Bretton Woods and the monetary system) & Hani,

And all the brothers and sisters - Azline (I'll try to update my blog - but things get very busy lately - by the time I reached home I am already for the bed), Liyana & Liyana (yes, the two of you), Amal, Izzati (both of you are great!), Siti (knows you for a short while but it is well worth it), Ibkaar, Rauhan, Vishnu and for the rest of you, do forgive if I miss anyone but our prayers to all of you - It has been great having the opportunity to know you.

WE WISH ALL OF YOU SUCCESS IN WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TOWARDS AND DO COME AND VISIT US SHOULD YOU COME DOWN SOUTH.

The Beginning of 2nd Phase....

2010-08-29T17:04:00.000+08:00

Dear All,

In the last entry I mentioned about being offered a job and having to move away from Dundee. Well, I have started working last Friday. I submitted my dissertation on August 20th and what a chaotic life I have had since! Our life is so...so... out of the normal rhythm! Packing after packing - I believe in travelling light - I do not like everything strewn everywhere in the car - so, what we did was post everything to our temporary lodging. We also have to clean the house upside down and in between, allow viewings by the interested parties - hopefully the house has a confirmed tenant by now. It is chaos but somehow we managed. Oh yes, I haven't tell you where yet? Hmm.... it's London - the Metropolitan City of London and my office is situated right in the heart of Central London itself. It is nothing lucrative mind you, but somehow the pay will make us go by and if I am careful enough, I may be able to save some towards my studying funds - oh yes! I am planning to pursue my PhD in these 2-3 years time. Hopefully, if I can managed the funds.

Having lived in Dundee for the past year and in Shah Alam many years before, London and its surrounding areas "scare" me! The part of Dundee and Shah Alam that I lived in are very peaceful - so serene and quite - I am just not used to the exciting, vibrant, colourful city - I don't think I will anyway. But I will try to take it in one at a time though it is so stressful! Yesterday, we went to Uxbridge , West Drayton and Slough to look for a place to rent. Luckily, these places are quiet and a bit like Dundee - Uxbridge especially. In and out the letting agents office we went but there is none available for us at the moment - it is quite difficult as there are 6 of us and we have to find a 3 double bedroom house, close to school both primary & secondary, close to tube station or links for my travel to work everyday, if possible, close to masjid (no, I am not kidding!). You may think these requirements are too much but no! Here, people are particular about being comfortable - so, it is not that we do not want to rent a two-bedroom house or flat or apartment but we are not allowed as we have four children. Flats & apartments - A BIG NO - most landlords do not allow that for families with more than one child. Just wish us luck, ok? I cannot wait to have a place of our own and settle down! At least it will be a bit easier - knowing that I can come home to our own place every evening.

How The Time Flies!

2010-08-14T00:15:00.002+08:00

Oh please! Oh please! Give me the strength to go through all these! It's nearly a year since we arrived here in Dundee. Things fly since. I almost complete my PG Degree (except that I am struggling - to be frank in between sanity and not quite - to complete my dissertation - By now, I guess everyone who has been following my blog must have felt that they want to throw out at my mentioning the "D" word. Anyway, it is a huge part of my waking life and also a huge part of my life when I am not - it is my worst nightmare at the moment! It is also the huge part of whether I can graduate with distinction or not, never mind my score for the exams! Hope you understand why it is consuming my life by now. Somehow, Ramadhan is here and it is a Blessing with capital "B" as I can continue working without having to cook - really. We break our fast at the Masjid.

There is a lot happening at the moment other than having to fast for 20 hours (which is ok - nobody eats too much and everybody prays, participate in Tadarus and perform their Tarawikh - so, it is a very beautiful Ramadhan as far as I am concerned). A few weeks ago, I received a job offer (Alhamdulillah) - and as the job requires me to report latest by September 1, I will again have to move my family to yet another place - yes, I have to leave before the month ends (sorry, I am not telling where yet) and that requires more actions from my side - Notice of termination to the Agent, getting the house ready for viewing, looking out for a property to rent around the area where I will be working - which is getting rather frustrating as those we were interested in (and more importantly within our meagre budget!) were taken even though it was stamped as "Just Added" in the advertisement. Oh Al Mighty, Giveth us the strength and patience to go through all this. Amin...And am I glad that my husband had resigned from his slaughtering job. At least there are two of us thinking about the many things to do within these two weeks. If left to me alone, I may "die standing" - as the saying goes!

And my two elder boys have started their own blog. Even Mia asked if she can start one too! But I asked her to sharpen her spelling skill first - well, at least in my definition, having a blog is to share one thoughts, ramblings, stories, etc,... - how to go about sharing if the spelling is not understood (I supposed those who have been reading this blog have become familiar of Mia's writing skill).

Today, my husband decided to clear the cloakroom - here, we were required to clear the house and leave it as we receive it. So, looking at the two elder children helping their father clearing everything out, the two younger asked Hakim why. And Hakim, being Hakim, answered "we are moving out".

I didn't take any notice of what the younger two were doing after that until when I see them again, they have changed into their going out gears, each with a backpack and a teddy bear with Aqil carrying an extra shirt in his hand. Curious of what they were up to, I asked them whether they are playing pretend. And I can't help laughing when they told me they're ready to move out! Oh Goodness Me - Kids.... how innocent they are....So, these are the snaps of them, ready to move out! Till then! Ramadhan Kareem!

(Image of the page from Holy Quran - islamreligion.com)

Ramadhan Mubarak (:-D

2010-08-12T13:00:00.001+08:00

Hopefully it is still not too late to wish everyone Ramadhan Mubarak. May we have all the strength and patience to go through this Ramadhan with a better understanding on this particular Ibadah. For us here, it is a longer time than usual. Our Imsa' is at 1.54 a.m. and breaking at 9.05 p.m - around 20 hours of fasting.

Alhamdulillah, our first day went smoothly though a bit tiring. I am glad that my two elder boys make it through. Yesterday, we were invited to break our fast at Ina & Zahir's house. We had dates, kuih lopis, chicken soup, ayam masak kicap and roast lamb ribs - marvellous! Tonight perhaps we will be breaking our fast at Dundee Mosque. And proceed with Tarawih.

So, again let us perform this Ibadah with full submission and hopefully it will be the Best Ramadhan ever. Ramadhan Mubarak! :-D

(Source of image : ehow.com)

Miss Blues??

2010-07-30T18:44:00.002+08:00

I couldn't find a title really. But the story has nothing to do with anything blue except perhaps for Mia's mengaji costume.

This week is the start of the mengaji ("Quran recitation") class for all the children of our little Community here. 5 of the spouses of the students here kindly volunteered to teach/guide the children - Thank you kindly to them! Bless their kind hearts. And just a nice coincidence to the coming fasting month. Most of the classes started on Monday. Danish was assigned under Ustazah Zulaikha (she is an Ustazah back in Malaysia accompanying her husband doing his PhD in hmmm.... I am not quite sure what but whatever it is it is something to do with Biology & Chemistry sort of thing... ) and Mia under Cikgu Ina (a teacher back home - Mia normally call her Auntie Ina but for the mengaji session, conveniently change it to Cikgu Ina). Hakim has yet to start his class - his Ustaz Mahiz (a Lecturer back home) has yet to set a schedule. Anyway, so far, only Danish has faithfully went to class since Monday. Mia, though excited - not only for the trip to Auntie Ina's house but more importantly, she will be seeing her beloved friend Balqis - cannot make it on Monday as she is scheduled for a dental appointment (which she is also excited about as there will be stickers afterward!) Imagine how frustrated she became when a her appointment was brought forward to the next day!

Anyway, she was so excited to go to her mengaji session on Wednesday. I have never got the chance to start her yet. So, that morning there was just enough time to print some Arabic letters and briefly went through the letters with her once before Dina (another beloved friend) knocked at the door - it was time to go.

She was so excited when she came back. Yesterday, I asked her to get ready early. And so we have time to take some snaps of her in her mengaji gear. :-D

Excuse the big head scarf (as she called it)! It's Mum's

Waiting by the window so she can see when Dina arrived to go Mengaji together

A little message to my family : To Arifah, congratulation on the offer. Hopefully things will go smoothly and you will be here in no time! :-D And to Marhamah, Fatanah & Ain - take great care of yourselves, ya :-D Do send me photos of Muaz & Mikhail! And to Farihan, have you decided yet? And Aie! Are you coming over for the presentation? And Alfi, you sure you don't want to sample the landscape & the gardens here? Prayers to Allah always! :-D

A Day Out Part 1

2010-07-28T19:06:00.002+08:00

Well, it has been quite some time now before I update my blog. Well, if anything it is my dissertation which is at fault (???). Anyway, since my husband took leave from his part-time job last Saturday, we managed a family day out. Our destination? Aberdeen.

Based on our earlier trip to Stonehaven we followed the Angus Coastal Route to Aberdeen. However, we made a number of detours. We thought of stopping at Stonehaven for lunch. But first, since we dropped by at the town of Montrose we decided to go strawberry picking at Charleton Fruit Farm before continuing our journey. Some photos to share. Enjoy! :-D

Though it is still quite early, the parking area is nearly full. We made our way to the farm shop, picked our baskets and off to the strawberry area.

A pretty start

Getting there...

Three Farm workers who rather spend the morning sleeping!

The Happy Pickers - Satisfied with the harvest!!!

Farmers Beware!!!

A basketful of strawberries

Now, to the raspberry patch

A depressed Barley farmer

Drunk in the barley field???

Beautiful isn't it?

Closer look - That's barley for you

The National Flower of Scotland - Purple Thistle

Have to stop here. Hopefully I can continue with the next part soon. Cheers! :-D

Writing Craze & Baju Raya

2010-07-18T08:12:00.001+08:00

As I entered the living room this morning Mia came and hug me and handed me a handmade card. Well, she is into making cards these days. There will always be a card for me - everyday since she started her craze of card making. But anyway, that's one headache gone - she can make all the cards she wants during this break.
She is also into 'writing' now! It has developed from list writing to card writing :

See what I mean? Translate : Dear Mum I love you very much and you take care of me. And taking me to the library and buying me things and you are the Bestest Mum.

Hmmm...perhaps once I completed my dissertation my motive should be to get her practice her spelling.

So, after hugging her back a few times and saying thank you for the card I started preparing breakfast.

Mia : What's for breakfast?

Me : Burgers

Mia : Mmmm... Yummy!
and she left the kitchen. Just as I thought she had left me alone to rule my kitchen, she came back announcing that she had taken the orders from the others and she put the list right beside the hob.

Translate : acaim (Akim) plain burger

   Danish - burger and all of the things in the kitchen

   aqail (Aqil) just burger

   Damia - burger with bread

Hmmm... kids... you just cannot live without them!

And for Along, if you are reading this, I append below the photos of Mia & Aqil in their respective baju raya which you sent along with Danish & Hakim recently. Thank you Along - We love you! :-D

My Little Lady

My Wee Boy

Oh Dear Aqil....

2010-07-15T00:05:00.002+08:00

Mia loves to do art & crafts in her spare time. She loves to draw, paint, sew, making simple books, making hats - almost anything she can think of. I am not sure how it begins when Aqil thought his sister is good enough to draw a portrait of himself.

Aqil : Draw me, Mia

Mia : I don't know how

Aqil : Just draw me, please....

Mia : But I don't know how!

Aqil : Draw ME!!!

Mia : Oh Alright then!!!

So, Aqil happily went to stand in front of the fireplace smiling at his sister's direction. And Mia tried to draw him murmuring "...I don't know how...." under her breath.

Finally, she announced "OK Aqil. It's ready!" And Aqil came running to her and...Not a second longer that he saw how Mia had "captured" him that he cried his poor heart out.

"I told you I don't know how!" said Mia defensively. I took a look at the picture and make my way slowly out of the living room where they were, suppressing my smile. Well, I better not say anything. Let them settle it themselves.

So, you want to see Mia's expression of Aqil? Here goes...

Ten minutes later, after I can trust myself not to laugh at the drawing I came back to the living room and this time, I am relieved to see that harmony has been restored.

Thank you Teacher

2010-07-06T19:24:00.000+08:00

I am so... looking forward for the school holidays. Not that I have any plan or anything like that, it is just that I can wake up a little later than usual. Oh yes! You have that right.

I slept at around 3.40 in the morning - you see, it is summer now and our Subuh prayer starts at 3.30-ish. So, I don't dare to sleep before I perform my prayer. And during school term, I normally wake up at 6.30 a.m. Or the most at 7.30. (But there are times when I overslept and both Mia & Aqil will be late for school!) It was quite embarrassing really to appear sheepishly at the door and explained that, "Sorry Mrs Ross. I overslept!" No way am I going to put the blame on my children when it was my fault! And Mrs Ross will be like "Oppsy!" and suppressed a smile. Anyway, let's stop talking about me and my sleeping habit.

Last Thursday morning, I asked Damia & Aqil if they would like to give a Thank you card to their teachers. Since I am getting a few cards on behalf on Danish & Hakim for their teachers I might as well get some for Damia & Aqil too.

So, that Thursday both Aqil & me took a bus to go to the town centre. And what a long process it was! Aqil seemed to like almost every Thank You cards on display. He could not make his mind of which to choose. It took us about an hour and the half (including two trips to the cashier and back again to the cards as he was not satisfied!), I finally managed to get him to agree to getting the same cards for all the teachers. How glad was I when he gave in. At least that part is over. I cannot recall my if my older children are as fussy as Aqil!!! I am not going to ask him to choose any card again until he is at least 16!!!

And now, let me just share with you what Damia wrote on her card. Well, three cards altogether but I only have the photo taken for one. Do you think you understand what she wrote?

Translation : Dear Mrs McCaib (Mrs McCabe - one of the Classroom Assistants), Thank you for giving me presents and taking care of me. Phooh! That's her spelling for you!

She wrote two others for her Class Teacher Mrs Young and Mrs DiPonio, the Class Assistant which was a bit more lengthy. But, too bad I do not know what she wrote for them. Since she started schooling in November, Mrs Young & Mrs DiPonio have always been there for her. So, I guess perhaps she gets a little bit sentimental when writing to them. Anyway, I caught a glimpse of the last sentence before she glue off - "And thank you for helping me with my work." Aaahhh... that's more like it!

End of Term

2010-07-03T04:54:00.000+08:00

It's End of Term. Meaning :

i. I have both Mia & Aqil with me full time effective tomorrow (July 2, 2010) until August 17, 2010;
ii. I will have to arrange to send them somewhere where there is adult supervision when I want to go the library; or
iii. I have to drag them along if I need to get some data from Datastream at the University (I do dragged Aqil to my workshops and classes too last time!);
iv. Things will get better & better after July 10 as Danish & Hakim will be arriving from Malaysia. Alhamdulillah their visas were approved - thanks to everyone who have been praying for them. Thank you very much. This means that instead of dragging two children to School I have to drag four children along. When we walk in single file I do sometimes feel like a mother duck! But, Alhamdulillah as we are soon going to be reunited. We thought we can managed to secure tickets for this Saturday but as they are going to travel as Unaccompanied Minors, there are certain arrangements to be made, such they need at least a day to do so with the Dubai office (they are flying Emirates), that, and my husband can't guarantee that he can take leave next week (we have to fetch them at Gatwick which is about 380++ miles from Dundee), left us with no choice but to opt for next Saturday.

Hmm... let me continue with the "end-of-term" story. With end-of-term came the Progress Report . I was quite touched with what written by both Danish & Hakim's Teachers and their Head Teacher in their comments. Danish & Hakim have just started schooling in January and have to leave for Malaysia on May 1. They are considered new and have not been there long but they have managed to become welcome members at school. Below are the comments but please, I do not intend to show off or anything near that. Nor do I intend to open any can of worms, I just would like to share how the teachers' comments are compared to back home.

Danish's comments from the teacher :Quote "Danish has a very happy nature and he gets on well with his peers. He is a very caring and helpful child who is sensitive to the feelings of others.

Danish is a hard working and conscientious pupil who has made excellent progress in all areas. He always tries his best. Danish appreciates the importance of completing homework to help with his learning,

Danish should continue to make good progress at High School if he can maintain this session's hard work. All the very best for the future Danish.

Remember always to "Be The Best You Can Be"Unquote.

And the Head Teacher's comments : Quote. "Danish has not been with us for very long. However, I have been impressed by his attitude and motivation towards learning. Danish is an extremely capable pupil who wants to do well and achieve high goals.

He is an enthusiastic pupil and gives 100% commitment to all his tasks.

I am confident that Danish will meet all the challenges of High School and that he will make excellent progress. Good luck, Danish." Unquote. Oh yes, Danish will be in High School next August. He will not be at the current school any more. When I told his Teacher that he can only make it back next week, she said that she will be meeting him at the High School at the beginning of the new term. "I want to see him." she said. "At least I want to say a proper good bye. I miss him."

Hakim's Teacher's Comments : Quote."Luqman has settled really well into his class and has become a key member of the class. He is a hard working and conscientious pupil who has made excellent progress in all areas. Luqman is a very able pupil who always tries his best and he is always eager to learn. He is supportive and sensitive to others when working in a group and he is a friendly and popular member of the class. Luqman has a happy nature and a good sense of humour and has a very positive attitude to all aspects of school life. He has only been part of the class for a few months but already he has a great impact on all of us. Luqman is very confident and is a good role model for other children with his attitude to learning and school. I have really enjoyed getting to know Luqman and seeing him develop over the past few months. Good luck in primary 6.

Head Teacher's Comments : Quote. "This is a very positive report, Luqman. In a short time you have become a valuable member of the class by your commitment and attitude to education. I am impressed by your enthusiasm for learning. Well done, Luqman!"Unquote.

Very different from the "Sangat Baik. Usaha lagi. (Very good. Work harder.) " or just "Baik. (Good) or the most "Baik. Usaha lagi supaya lebih cemerlang. (Good. Work harder to be better) which we normally get from their Report Cards back home. No, I do not have anything against teachers or our education system back home. I am what I am today as a result from that system. However, with just a little more caring attitude towards the pupil, and a little bit more words of motivation and supports it could go a long way. And that does not just go for the younger children. Even as old as I am when my Supervisor commented something like "... the method that you are going to do are well written..." I am already over the moon and give me some sort of the extra strength to do better and better in my analysis. Though at times looking at the amount of work to churn my data I already feel like shooting myself, but, that's beside the point! Words of encouragement do makes the world go round! Honest!

(Sources of images : school's out from newsimg.bbc.co.uk; mother duck & ducklings from itelegraph.co.uk)

Of plants & flowers

2010-06-25T05:56:00.000+08:00

Well, one of the many things I love doing is taking photographs. No. I am not good at it but since digital makes it so much easier for me and the fact that there is no film needed I keep on taking snaps wherever I go. And the size is so... travel-friendly I practically take it along with me anywhere I go. I have well, say come a long way since SLR. Oh yes! We used to have a Nikon F50 SLR before - oh yes, the one which lenses are much more expensive than the body. A lot of tricks as well. But, gone were the days where we have to carry a bulky bag and another for the stand. But, really, I admire those using SLR as to me, taking a photograph using SLR camera is about techniques, art, patience and improvements all the time. It is satisfaction in its own class.

But I am not going to write about cameras. I am in fact going to share with you some of the photos that I have taken during my trips in this part of Scotland. One of my favourites is taking snaps of plants - doesn't matter - could be grass, trees, flowers - anything. Yes, I love plants. But, what really frustrating is sometimes I could not get the right name for the plants. Say for example here, these white flowers are everywhere by the river on our way to Alyth. At first I thought they are snowdrops. But, actually they are not.

Below are snowdrops. Realised the difference? Snowdrops are "facing downwards". They have different leaves as well. Though both of them seem to love rivers!

Same with the following two. I have yet to know what they are called. My search through the net gave me just "pretty yellow flowers". But, just when I thought these two are the same, they are not. Notice that the one below are without stamens? This photo was taken at Glen Isla just by the river.

While these have stamens and I took snap on the way to sent the children to school.

Well, enough of that. One of the species that we have in abundance during spring is of course, the daffodils. Or sometimes called Narcissus. On the way to Stonehaven, I have seen beds and beds of them. Perhaps they were planted for commercial purpose. Say, for perfume?

I also love to take snaps of something like the two below. It is soooo... spring kind of thing - where there are new leaves, new shoots and everything started to become alive! err... again.

The two below, are photos of hyacinths (in the pot) and polyanthus (adorning the streets). These were taken in the town of Stonehaven.

And the one below is the climbing clematis. It was taken at the fishmonger's shop in Arbroath. It looks so pretty adorning the wall.

And this one? I just cannot resist taking snaps of this handsome seagull perching right on top of the clematis.

This budding rose here was taken on our way to the Dentist. We have another appointment tomorrow. So, I am going to see whether it is now in full bloom or, if I am unlucky, wilted away.

Ahh! These type of roses remind me of my Mum's garden. Well, a memory from the past to be exact. My Mum used to have something similar. I remember, we always have lots & lots of roses of this type. So, out of curiosity I searched for the correct name. Wow, it has such a long name really.

So, my friends, these are the Pink Grootendorst Roses!

So! Enjoy. I am sorry if this entry is not so informative. I am just a person who admires the Al-Mighty's creations and just love sharing them. But one thing, please do not pick or pluck just any flowers or plants that take your fancy. That is not fair to the others. If you have that habit, do stop. Take snaps of them instead. Oh yes, maybe next time I will share the snaps of a few varieties of tulips taken during the tulips festival at St Andrews. Till then... Oh yes, did I tell you that the carnation-like roses above are adorning the wall where we park our car?

2010-06-23T00:21:00.000+08:00

There was an incident at home today - in the kitchen to be exact. But I am not going to share that yet. I am still a bit shaken by it. So, let it cool down first before I have the courage to pen it down. The culprit is? Me. Again. It is no good doing two things which need deep concentration like... mmmm... I'll save that for later entry.

After my husband came back from fetching Mia at school today, he announced that we need to go to TESCO as there are a few things that we need especially some medication for Aqil. He is down with fever and we have run out of paracetamol. Hearinh that, Mia excitedly asked if it is OK for her to jot down the list of things to buy at TESCO. We said yes. So, she quickly took her notebook and a pen and jot the list down. Completed, she handed it over to me. And I don't know what to make up of the list. Can you? Here are what she wrote down :

I quote : "familee list
1. mango joos
2. uyins rad
3. egg
4. coff syrup
5. parstmol
6. dlack cArDAmoms
7. Dishwashurliqit
8. arafreshnyr
9. gulicbred
10.suncreem"Unquote.

It's like a puzzle for me at first glance. Then I asked her to tell me what item no. 2 is. Even she took a while before she answered me. You see, item no. 2 is from his father, so, I am not aware of it until she finally tell me
"It's onion, red, Ibu!" Blimey! For the rest, I think you guys can make up, ya? Do excuse the writing from a 6 year old.

These Boots Are Made For Walking.....

2010-06-15T20:20:00.000+08:00

Hmmm..... I know my Supervisor or my husband will not approve me keying in an entry at this moment. I am due to hand in part of my dissertation. But truth be told, though I still have a quarter more to do, I mean a quarter of 67 pages...! And I need to send it in shortly. I suddenly can't focus anymore! HELPPPP!!!!! At this rate, I am going insane! Not that I procrastinate either. Nope, I have been working on it all these while. But, you see, at this very moment, I realised if I just add something else (and that is not just one thing) my dissertation will be much much better than it is now. Hmmm.... Zura, if you are reading this, you know what I mean exactly don't you?

On top of that, I am feeling very anxious and Allah only knows how I must have felt at this moment, I have been in and out of the VFS website as well, in the hope some decisions have been made on my children's visa application. It is already 5 working days today since the application was submitted and .... well, I know I have to be patient. But realizing that does not help either. Ya Allah, have Mercy upon us... To Thou we seek Forgiveness.... To thou we seek strength.... & to Thou we have Faith.....

Well, let's stop there. I just need a space to release my feelings. And let see. If you don't mind I am going to talk about boots today. Boots? Why boots? Well, I love boots, so why not? I am not sure how many of you out there like boots. But it doesn't matter. I just love them. My feet just feel more secure in them :-D I know it is summer now. But our summer up here is not as what you might think. There are days when the weather are very very good, but on most days, it is either cloudy, windy or it rains. So, I have yet to wear any sandals.

Anyway, here are my beloved boots :

Well, three of them are bought new through e-bay. The brown, the sage green and the black pairs in the middle. And they are only £0.99 each pair except for the black pair.

This is my first boots here. Found them at the Car boot sale in Errol. Cost me £1. Well, cost my husband, really not me. But I love them so... much. Tough boots they are. I wish I have a horse to match them.

I wear them when it rains (C'mon! It's difficult to find a cheap wellie at the car boot sale. Even if there are, the sizes are always too big for me) or when we are going to the country side. And still they are going strong. Once I took them down the river at Glen Isla too! Silly me!

I wear this pair inter-changeably with the black one. When it is not raining, this faithful companion of mine will get me to school, to lecture theatres, to discussion room, to the library, to the GP, the dentist, the City of Dundee and of course to the Exam Hall. :-D

This is my latest find. I bought the pair two weeks ago at the Errol Car boot sale. Well, the people at the stall were seriously getting rid of everything so, they sell everything for 10p. Yes, you heard right. I bought this pair for 10p.

You see? Still in very good condition. Even the sole still unscathed. Have yet to wear them though.

When I bought this one, I was thinking of sending them to one of my nieces. But after a phone conversation with her, she told me, she's not into boots. Arifah, are you sure you don't want them? What about Afiqah?Well, looks like I have an extra pair of boots. :-D The black boots in the middle? I think they look a bit like LG's boots (of Salam Antara Benua). But that is the most expensive of them all. Hmmm.... but don't tell my husband, yeah? :-D

And while I was taking snaps of my boots, Aqil asked me to take snaps of his wellington boots too. Hmmm... well, in order not to disappoint him, here goes :

He loves his boots as well. Coming to think about it, he will always ask to wear his wellie even though it is not raining. Hmmmph! Like Mother like son.....

Well, while we are still at it, Mia's pair of wellie. If this pair can cry I think they have done so long ago. Actually, they are a few scratches and a hole somewhere on them. Dear Damia - Never Girlish are you? That reminds me - to look for a new pair for her!

Oh Dear Children...

2010-06-06T05:35:00.000+08:00

It was last May 1 that we sent the boys back to Malaysia. We planned to send the visa application last week, but well, more documents were required from our side and it looks like it is only next week that the application can be sent in. Anyway, if this is a test from the Al-Mighty to see how patient we are or how well we are taking it in, we thank Him for trusting us to be strong and never lose faith. Thank you for choosing us to face the test - it may look small to the others who were tested in a much bigger way. No doubt, it is so difficult for us. And for me, they are not just my children, they are also my friends.

Little is known to me that these two boys have touched many hearts around here. Myna (one of my kindly neighbours) asked me the other day, " The boys here yet?". When I told her it is all depend on the visa, she said, "I hope they will be here soon. You have been missing them aren't you? Your children never fail to say Hello to me. They never pass me by without smiling, waving and saying anything nice. You will get them soon. Kind boys they are." And I was just lost for words. How I wish it is that easy.

Their friends at school have been asking for them especially Sean Paul. Their teachers - Ms. Martin & Ms McEwan have been asking a few times now. And when I went to their school that day to inform that Mia could not attend school as she was down with fever, Ms Veal (the Head Teacher) & Mrs Longmuir (the Asst. Head Teacher) asked about them too. "It's OK, they'll be here soon. We pray for them to come back." And if I think I can at least forget that not all of my children are with me, I can forget it. The guy at TESCO was also asking the other day, "The two boys not back yet?" Even the two kind ladies at the post office - guessed they have seen our faces too often!) wished that the children will be back soon. My friends, Monica, Hebah & Sanzida have been very supportive as well not to mention our Malaysian friend here - asking and wishing that the boys will be back soon. Even the International Support team at the University! Not forgetting Bill the Lawyer who finally knew why I came twice to certify documents. Well, it is good to know that we are among friends only if, the situation is different.....

A week after the boys left, Mia was down with fever. She said she missed her brothers. Not long after that it's Aqil's turn. But I told them to be patient and to pray that Danish & Hakim will come back and soon.

The last time we talked to them, my husband asked Danish if they have been enjoying the food back home, and he said "Not really." So my husband asked why and he answered back, "I miss Ibu's cooking." I don't know how to describe how I felt that time. I really don't. So, those of you who have children out there, please hug them, kiss them and tell them how much you love them and MEAN it!. Be a parent and a friend to them. Be there for them.

Sorry if this entry is a bore to you. But I need to write and at the moment I only have my children in my mind. Please pray that they will be back in my arms again, and Thank you. :-D

A Story to Share

2010-05-30T06:47:00.001+08:00

As part of the supporting documents to apply for my children's visa, we have to attach the Certified True Copy of the photo and visa pages of my passport. So, last Tuesday, we went to the City Centre - quite confident are we to get all three copies certified at the legal firm which service we have been using previously.

Unfortunately we were told that the Notary Public will be back only "after the first week of June". Hmmm.... that will be too late, we thought. We thanked them and left for another firm but this time we were told that we have to make an appointment and it will cost us £50. Well, if we are not watching our budget (we were charged £25 previously), we may say yes owing to the urgency of the matter. But again we thanked the nice lady at the Reception and we decided to look yet for another firm and this time the Receptionist explained apologetically that they only do such certification for their registered clients. At this point of time, we started forming plans A, B & C : A - to get the Head Teacher of the children's school to certify; B - to get the University officials to do it or C, go back to Firm no. 2. We kept walking though and arrived at another legal firm. My husband was asking me whether it is worth checking out. Since it is situated very close to where we parked our car, I decided to try my luck for the last time.

I climbed the stairs and I started regretting my decision - the office is much posher than the others - should I just turn back? But my legs kept carrying me to the Reception. I asked and was told that if I could wait, the person who is dealing with it will come and see me. I agreed to wait. A few minutes later, a man approached asking me how he could help. I told him. Yes, he said. He will happily do it. And I asked him how much will it cost me. And at this moment I really thought that something is wrong with my ears. I asked him again. He started smiling and said "You heard it right, first time - I was saying, how about a box of chocolate. I tell you what, this is too small a business to charge anything for. Now, if you are all right with that, let's go to my office and get the documents certified."

Well, I think that story is worth sharing. To me there are a few lessons to be learned as well. The next day I send him a box of Thornton. I really hope he enjoy it. Anyone of you have similar stories of something unexpected? Do share, yeah! :-D And Happy Sunday!

Source of image of Thorntons chocolate is from www.thechocolatereview.net

Summer Bar-B at St. Andrews

2010-05-26T02:33:00.000+08:00

Summer is really here. Feels so good going out with nice cool (not cold!) weather. There is no need for few layers of tops, no need for two or three pairs of long, thick socks and best of all you can just leave the thick woolly winter jacket at home! What a beautiful feeling - Suddenly travel light has a whole new meaning :-D

So last Saturday, all the 4 of us taking Anas (Boy! I think this guy is a genius! The kind who read everything and with an IQ of at least a zillion perhaps!) along with us to the picnic area somewhere along the beach at St. Andrews. The occasion? To be frank we do not have to have any occasion to for piling up to the beach do we? But anyway, it is supposed to be a get-together with the St. Andrews Malaysian students who are members of the Malay Dundee Community and also a farewell for some of them who graduated recently.

Well, that's it. The photos will speak better. Here comes :

First the food. But these are not all. Trust me!

Khamsah's mouth-watering Kerabu Sohon - Yummy!

Let's just say that we won't blame her for any missing food... Our prayers to you, Noor. Can't wait to meet you new addition. Hopefully everything is going to be well and good, Insya Allah

Well, will you believe me if I said this discussion was about how or who to call to bring the matches or lighter. You see, a Bar-B was planned - the chickens and lambs were ready - marinated and all. The Bar-B set already set up! And then somebody realised that nobody brought any fire starting material!!! None of them who have arrived smoke, you see! :-D

Our KMD women - Oh Boy! Wha're you guys doing under the shade?

And a Candle Prince (direct translation of Putera Lilin?) as well

My Mia getting so brown!

Ooopps... Actually this event is about running with a ball between your knees. But Aqil is too short for that. So, my Darling Hubby put the ball inside his shirt instead!

Strawberry, strawberry come to me

Wonder what Zaid & Hannan were doing

Farhan, after one of the events :-D

Oh yes...! It takes two to tango! Mahzan & his beloved, Ana

One for the album - Khamsah, Ellie, Noor, Amal and Kakak

All of us plus minus our guests

Well, we do enjoyed our day out. And it didn't stop there. The next day, all of us (those in Dundee) piled up to Taufik's house to celebrate Fathi's birthday. Well, that will be a different story, yeah! :-D Till then

It's Sports Day! Hurrah

2010-05-23T07:23:00.001+08:00

Phew! The weather is very nice lately. Looks like summer has already started smiling on us. And with summer, comes activities that have been forgotten in the colder months (which is about 8 months since September). Along the way to school in the morning, time-clocks and dandelions (yes! though weed still pretty!) greeting you, birds happily chirping and the best of all you can leave your thick winter jacket at home! And suddenly there is spring in your steps. Trees which gone bald the past few months have regain their dignity with new green clothings - Mmmm.... it is just beautiful!

So!, to take advantage of the good, beautiful weather, St. Ninian Primary School held their Sports Day last Thursday. I can't help thinking if Danish and Hakim are here, they will sure enjoy it. Anyway, together with Anie, Taufik & Faiq, we marched over to the school field to watch our children. It was handled in a very different manner from our schools back home.

Here are some photos to share with you :

Hi Mum! I have just arrived and was told that the children were divided into groups

At first when I saw Aqil here I thought it was just for watching but actually, he's part of the team. I was quite worried at first, since he has never done a team sports kind of thing before. But, somehow he participated well. Listening to all the instruction given. I'm proud of you, Dear. So proud. Aqil with Mia, Rebecca and Sela

Here's the whole team. Err... where's Mia?

Mia in the hoop with Rebecca

Aqil with Rebecca running to the finishing line

Pass it over, Mia

My hat! My hat! C'mon Aqil, run, Aqil - Rebecca cheering for him

Aqil & Sela - after completing their turn. Sela & Rebecca took turn to run with Aqil

Ms. Martin - Danish's Class Teacher. Guess what? Aqil took this picture. I was running for the ball which goes haywire at this time! Danish, if you are reading this, Ms Martin sent her regards to you and will email you something soon. Same with Ms McEwan for Hakim. They both asked for your email address.

Well, what I can say is I really like the manner of which the sports day was handled. Nobody felt pressured. Everyone encouraging and supporting everyone. The elder children took charge of the younger. And they have fun along the way. I was so glad I came and watched.

An Award & A Tag from My Dear Friend, the Bluesman :-D

2010-05-19T17:54:00.043+08:00

Now that I have completed my exam, I am going to fulfil my promise to my dear friend the Bluesman of (http://thebluesmansays.blogspot.com) that I will respond to his earlier tag.

As it goes I have to share with him and other other friends a list of 10 things that can make me happy today.

So, here goes, 10 things that can make me happy today - not necessarily in this order :

1) if all my children are here with me;
2) knowing for certain that my family are always there to give me full support to go through my chosen path
3) if I can just finish my 2 chapters of dissertation so that I have a two-day lee way for checking prior submitting this Friday
4) if my friends still remember me and the memories that we shared can put a smile on their faces - I'll be so happy to know this! :-D
5) a good cup of coffee - latte topped with cinnamon of course!
6) a good book preferably by Alexander McCall Smith
7) if I can afford to get a very good pair of comfortable shoes for my husband
8) knowing that everyone I love and care about are happy
9) though ridiculous but if suddenly somebody opens a nasi lemak stall here in Dundee! Wonder if Mak Cik Tangling are thinking of going global!
10) if La Taza (yeah, the one close to Bayswater Station) can open a Branch here - I really miss the superb lamb kebab with rice - Awesome!!! - this is more achievable than no 9.

Whom would I like to tag? (Wish I can award it back to the Bluesman but I am not sure if that is allowable) but here goes my list :

1. Lemongrass of Salam Dua Benua
2. DrSam of Archive of Time (busy as you are! :-D)
3. Acik of My Life My world
4. Fa10 of Sekadar Coretan
5. Zue of DrZue
6. Mahzan of Dari Jendela Blackness Street
7. Ida of Borneo Love
8. Ellie of Chapters of My New Life
9. C|k^Tum of A Special Me
10. Machina of Kehidupan : Catatan Kembara

So, guys what you have to do is simply :

1) Link the blogger who gave you the award on your post... (your choice really, not forcing you to, yeah!)
2) Write 10 things that make you happy...
3) Share it with at least 10 friends.......

Sunday Short Trip to Stonehaven

2010-05-18T03:10:00.000+08:00

I am in the middle of completing my dissertation. But, I need to "let my hair hangs down" as well. Such, yesterday my husband took us to Stonehaven about 56 miles away in Aberdeenshire. It is a small town along Route 19 - the Angus Coastal Tourist route.

We started our journey quite late - at 12.00. Actually, Sunday is our Car boot day but you see, now that my two elder children are not around, it feels quite awkward to continue with the routine - almost painful if I were to be truthful.

So, once we decided to go, we quickly packed our lunch and off we go. Stonehaven is a small coastal town. But I supposed it is one of the more picturesque places in Scotland. Well, maybe you can be the judge of that. Here are some photos of Stonehaven.

Not that many people on the beach yesterday.

Seagulls - I've never seen quite as many "swimming" - perhaps enjoying some snacks

The Town Centre

The Harbour

Aqil - Ah! We managed to stop him before he jump!

Two Ladies & A Full Bloom Patch of Flowers :-D

2010-05-12T18:21:00.001+08:00

Well, I have just finished my exam yesterday. My final paper. Anyway, I am not writing about what happened before and after exam yesterday - not yet. Perhaps later.

Last Friday (May 7) was our lab assessment. All the past few months lab sessions came down to this three hour assessment - If you ask me how am I doing, I am not sure - it was like I was drugged during that three hours, I can't really remember how I got through it. And as usual after almost every exam, I will always have a dream of which my lecturer will be asking me why am I not doing well. For the first paper, it came in the shape of Dr. Brown who's asking me on top of his lungs "WHY CAN'T YOU ANSWER THAT? WE HAVE DISCUSSED THAT, REMEMBER?! I HAVE EXPLAINED THAT STEP BY STEP DURING CONSULTATION!!". I woke up glad that it was only a dream. For the lab assessment, this time Dr. Brown was not in the picture, only his voice "Now, why did you use logic to answer that question when you have Minitab?" Phooooh! Well, the reality is, for some of the probability questions, I did use my logic on normally distributed data - Well! So, all-in-all I am not sure how my fate is going to be just yet.

Anyway, we studied hard for 5QM. And after the exam last Friday as we (my friend Monica & I) approached the School of Accounting & Finance Building, we saw the patch of garden across the street where I sometimes waited for my 73 bus to take me home to Dochart Terrace was in full bloom! So, since I have my camera with me, we did what I always wanted to do before - to take photos when the flowers are in full bloom - don't ask me what flower just yet, yeah!

My Dear Friend Monica

Finally!

See the building on the right? It housed both the School of Environmental Studies and our School, the School of Accounting & Finance

River Tay

The spot where I sometimes waited for the bus

Our Trip to Durham County Part 2

2010-05-09T15:54:00.001+08:00

Guess it is time for me to continue with the story on our trip to Durham County last Easter hols. Our SatNav which is not of the later model old made our way not as straightforward. A journey which should take us around 4 hours turned out to be nearly 6. But, as it goes, there is always the brighter side when anything happened not according to plan. For us, it is the breathtaking view of the North Pennines. MasyaAllah.... that is all I can say. Looking at such beauty and serenity made me feel so small and humble. I kept on whispering Alhamdulillah and Subhanallah thanking the Al-Mighty for everything that He Blessed me with - of life, of a wonderful and loving family and I pray that He will never make me forget my humble beginning and most importantly never let me stray away from His embrace. Too mesmerized was I that I forgot to take any shot!

Rookhope is a beautiful village about 40 minutes away from Durham City. With miles and miles of farms and hills, farmhouses dotted along the way. And since it is already spring, there're newborn lambs lying beside their mums, some still wobbly, trying to get up and fall almost as soon, horses happily nibbling away. How I wish I could capture them all and share it with all of you. We kept imagining how beautiful Rookhope will be come summer.

Rookhope Burn Cottage is reached through a little wooden bridge under which flows a river. Such idyllic. And the cottage itself is extremely clean. Though it is situated in a rural setting, it has all the modern convenience expected for comfortable living. The thoughtful caretaker even have some good books (by John Grisham and a few others which I have forgotten by now! Sorry) and a few games (dominoes and hoopla) to keep the children entertained!

Anyway, on the first day of our stay, we went to Shildon to visit the National Railway Museum. And what fun we have there.

Aqil looking at the whole plan of the Museum

Steam Engine Anyone?

Building 2 where we learn a lot about the history of railway at Shildon and Timothy Hackworth, the man behind it all

We were all excited with this display! Keruing from Malaysia

Wondering what they were doing?

They were trying to assemble their own engine! Mia with the Work-in-Progress

In front of the goods wagon

Aqil feeling heavenly in front of the models from Thomas the Tank Engine. He loves Thomas & Friends!

Below are a few models of engine from earlier

Douglas or Donald with Emily?

Emily & Henry?

Mia concentrating painting her mug

Hakim designing his

Aqil was painting his mug when he lost interest and Danish had to come for rescue!

Well, we did have a real good time at Shildon. The children enjoyed it so. Next, our visit to the City of Durham. Till then :-D

An Empty Nest? Not Quite, but...

2010-05-02T06:19:00.000+08:00

We went to Glasgow today. Not our usual short Saturday trip but a rather different kind. It is kind of sad for me but it is a trip that have to be taken nonetheless.

Today, we have to sent Danish and Hakim back home to Malaysia. They have been here for 51/2 months. It is time for them to go back to apply for their visa. And we can just pray that everything is going to be OK. They came here for holiday last November. However, something came up which prolonged that stay. And now, after all these while, being so used to having them around, I feel so lost without them!

Well, at this moment, while I am clicking away on my keyboard, my two children are thousands of miles away from me. I think they have landed in Dubai (at this point I am a bit envious - I have never been to Dubai!) waiting for their connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Yesterday, when I asked Danish what is the first thing that he wanted to do when he is back in Malaysia. "I want Milo!" he said. "It has been a long time before I taste a good cup of Milo!. But I am going to miss you so much, Mum!" and he gave me a hug. A big one!

Hakim was a bit quite yesterday. "I am going to miss you." I told him. You see, now that the Subuh prayer is very early (at around 2 plus in the morning), I will normally study until I performed my prayer before depositing myself. And every morning, Hakim will be waking me up. He will call me and then creep under my duvet - sometimes continuing with his sleep - more often we will have our early morning conversation. Hmmm... how could I not miss him?

When we checked them in, they were asked whether they have been travelling as unaccompanied minor before and confidently they answered, "Yes." "So, you know what you are doing?" "Yes!" "So, you are seasoned travellers, come closer. Is this your bag?"."Yes." "Everything inside belongs to you?" "Yes." And i was watching with mixed feelings as my children took that responsibility.

And when I gave them a big hug each before they followed the attending officer into the security area prior to taking their flight, they said, "We love you, Mum!" to which I responded, "Be brave" while fighting back my tears, more to myself than to them.

I know they are going to be all right. I pray that they have a good flight and enjoy their stay. I know they will be in good hands. Fly away my sons and come back to me soon, yeah? I am waiting with wide open arms

Image of swallow from www.cru.uea.ac.uk

Oh Dear Me!

2010-04-24T18:38:00.001+08:00

Well, I was still lying in bed this morning - still recovering from a minor fever which I managed to catch while walking in the rain yesterday. My mind is still trying to remember the fact about the Non-Parametric Methods. So, there is not much requirement for the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon Test. Only that at least the measurement scale is ordinal. Doesn't require interval data, doesn't even have to assume a normally distributed population... At this point I was interupted by my daughter Damia. She came rushing into the room announcing "I want the Kaka..!" And imagine my confusion - from statistic facts to the very reality of life which came so suddenly and announcing something somewhat foreign as well.

"What?! What is it that you want?" I asked her back.

"This!" She said showing me a crispy new packet which she had with her.

And imagine how I feel when the words written on the packet is simply "Cucur Ikan Bilis". Well, I should have stopped there, but I can't let it go.

Damia starts her reading lesson here. And that explains her pronunciation and slang and whatever else. And the fact that we are bilingual at home does not really help either. Now, it makes me think of the time when I asked her "Di mana Mia letak Mia punya kasut tadi?" and the response that I received is "Kotak dalam". Well, I really have to work something out. So much that I want her to be bilingual or even trilingual or to absorb as many languages as she could, she has to be good in all of them. Guess it is time to go to ebay and get some Malay books for my Mia. Oh Dear me!!!

Our Trip to Durham County Part 1

2010-04-23T21:59:00.001+08:00

Back in Malaysia I was never a fan of ebay. I was very sceptical about it. I felt very insecure dealing with something E-lectronic like ebay. And I listened without any comment whenever any of my friends told me they bought this and that at a fraction of the cost at ebay. But now, I am quite comfortable with it. And I couldn't believe my luck when I won a bid for a 5D4N stay at a cottage in Rookhope - really, for a fraction of the normal price! Unbelievable that I emailed the Seller twice for confirmation!

Rookhope Burn Cottage where we stayed at

So, last Monday we started our journey to Rookhope - a beautiful village in the Weardale Valley. As we make our way through the North Pennines way through Middleton-in-Teesdale, we were met by beautiful, beautiful views - of mountains, terrains, farms and miles and miles of them. And the weather is matching the scenery. Opps, sorry - but as was put in by Prof Haslam, you can't avoid talking about the weather when you are in the UK! You see, it is truly a blessing when you have a good weather here.

It is farm after farm around here

Anyway, since I have to get ready to go to my group discussion, I will leave with some pictures taken along our way to Rookhope. Perhaps, if I am not back that late and not too tired tonight I will continue with the next part of our trip. Study I must!

I just love the clouds in the sky

After miles and miles alone on the road, we started thinking f our SatNav is all right!

Finally! I am taking this kind of picture. It may not be much but I like this type of scenery :-D

And this one too!

Well, see ya!!! :-D

Of Fishing and Crabs

2010-04-17T00:43:00.000+08:00

Well, the truth is I am still very tired. We just came back from Rookhope (a beautiful countryside in Durham County). But, it has been quite some time before I key in anything in my blog. So, before I start on the story of our trip to Durham, let me just start with our fishing trip last Sunday.

Aqil quietly waiting for his brother to come with the wet wipes to clean his hands. He fell off and managed to get some mud on his hands

One happy man in his element!

The first catch of the day! A fine rainbow trout

The younger fisherman in the family

Happily striking a pose!

At the end of the four hours, they managed to catch 3 rainbow trouts between them

Back in Malaysia, at least twice a month we will be having crabs on our dining table. But here we hardly have any until last Saturday - after almost 7 months! We went to the fish monger while at Arbroath when we came across some. So, that night, we had a lovely butter crab for dinner!

Three big juicy crabs!

True decapod crustaceans!

Dinner, anyone?

Short Trip Part 3 : Beatrix Potter Exhibition Centre, Birnam

2010-04-12T05:51:00.000+08:00

Well, after having our second picnic (the first was at Alyth) at the Hermitage Garden, we actually planned to go home. However, a brown signage at the junction caught our eyes and since it is just about 10 minutes away, we decided to visit the Beatrix Potter Exhibition Centre at Birnam. A few years ago, we went to the Beatrix Potter House at Cumbria (in the Lake District) such, we decided to check out this one.

Danish, Hakim & Mia inside Mr Tod's house

Aqil riding Mr Tod?

At first we thought she's giving a pose but actually she's struggling with tummy ache!

Little that we know of Aqil's plan at this stage

See the distance between the bridge and the rock? The one which Hakim stood on?

See his wet shoes & pants? Hmm... he thought his step is as wide as Hakim's. And fell right into the pond. Too bad I was to busy rescuing him that I can't capture that moment!

My Eldest & Youngest. Hey! It's time to go!!!

In our excitement in exploring the Beatrix Potter's Gift Shop, we forgot to take any snap. A lot of beautiful things to see - pleasure to the eyes unfortunately not to the pocket :-D In the end we just bought a little notebook for Mia, a bar of soap and a medium jar of rose apple homemade sweets. Taste heavenly!

Our journey home is a bit of a nightmare as Mia was having tummy ache. She was crying part of the journey and asleep the rest. Too bad we didn't bring any medication with us which is a real big lesson for us to learn. We can only offer her tea and sweets! And we folded her jacket to press her tummy on. Gladly it seemed to comfort her a little which put her to sleep. Ahhhh!.... How glad we were to reach home that day! The best thing is, she's OK as soon as we reached home!

Short Trip Part 2 : The Hermitage Garden

2010-04-07T21:01:00.000+08:00

We continued our journey from Alyth to The Hermitage Garden. Well, Perthshire is known as the Big Tree Country. And that is not without reason - it boasts some of Europe's most remarkable trees and woodland including the Fortingall Yew which is believed to be the oldest living thing in Europe at between 3000 and 9000 years old (source : Perthshire, Angus & Dundee Visitor Guide 2009). However, we have yet to witness the Fortingall Yew. At the moment we're quite satisfied with the Douglas Fir which is reputed to be the tallest. Anyway, enjoy the photos, yeah!

Somehow my travel photos will always have to have rivers and trees in them! I believe this is part of River Brann

Danish posing with the young giant - hmmm...... the Douglas Fir

Black Linn Falls

Supposed a bench carved out of the tree?

Mia & Aqil taking a short break?

Four trees? Or one tree branched out into four?

With Baba Dearest

and Mummy Dearest

Other than rivers and trees, I also like to take snaps of moss.

All those walk make us hungry! Say, cheese!

A Sneak Peek of Spring?

2010-04-03T05:29:00.001+08:00

As we were on our way back from Birnam last week enjoying the sun shiny Saturday, I overhead part of the weather forecast on Radio Tay : ".... we will be experiencing a winter spell next week where forecast of snow and blizzard...".

"That can't be happening." I said "What can't?" asked my husband. "Snow and blizzard... C'mon! We just have a week of nice weather. White, yellow and purple crocuses are everywhere. Daffodil too! All symptoms of spring."

Symptoms or not, Monday night as I was putting away the dishes, looking through my kitchen window, I saw snow pouring down! Pouring down like rain! Oh no! This was not happening...!

Tuesday morning, as I was walking the children to school we were almost blown away by the wind. And I was informed by my neighbour that there were 63 trees fell down in Dundee (one or two nearby the University) and one just in front of Dickson Avenue (yes! That close to home). And the strong wind continues until Thursday (though not as strong as when it first came!).

And today, as the school starts it's term break, the weather is very much better! It is still cold but there is a promise of sunshine. Hopefully our trip to Stirling and Loch Lomond tomorrow will not be marred by bad weather.

So? The crocuses, daffodil, are they just a sneak peek of spring?

Short Trip Part 1 : The Scottish Antique & Arts Centre and Alyth

2010-03-28T04:19:00.000+08:00

Well, as per normal, in the midst of preparing & completing chapters of my dissertation, I need a break before I burn the midnight candle. I need a breather and mostly it is a short trip. So, we went to Alyth, The Hermitage Garden & The Beatrix Potter Garden in Birnam - all in the Kingdom of Perth & Kinross. However, in this entry I will be sharing only the earlier part of our little trip.

As usual the beauty of it all makes you thank the Al-Mighty for granting you the opportunity to wander & wonder (of His Greatness) in this beautiful world He created for us all to enjoy and appreciate. But today, there was a detour - while we were on our way to Alyth, we spotted a few cars parking by the roadside and we became curious. It is the Scottish Antique & Arts Centre! We have been following some TV programmes on antique eg. Antique Roadshow and Bargain Hunt. And we were quite curious about it and since we have never been into an Antique Centre, we decided to have a look.

The Exterior

Aqil already in love with an antique children chair costing £20

My trip-mates in front of an old wagon

Happy & Thankful that Darling Hubby agreed to drop by and "experience" the Antique

Well, truth be told I found a few books and some tea sets which I would love to have. But, we are not here to make any purchase, at least not yet, not a the moment and it is going to be a long long more moment. We (DH & I) both fell in love with some paintings of trouts too! But, hmmm.... it is too far-fetch from our Budget and Financial condition! Some snaps on the way to Alyth :

The Town of Alyth - We can't miss taking snaps at the bridge!

Below are some snaps at the town of Alyth :

How about that? Public toilet in a Hotel? And it is free too! I know coz I went in there! :-D

Well, will continue with the other parts of the journey perhaps tomorrow. I have to get back to my dissertation! Happy Sunday, yeah!

Blabbering of A Student Going Mad 2 (Who can't sleep either!)

2010-03-26T10:31:00.001+08:00

Hmm.... perhaps it is true that a child is always observing what their parents are doing and imitate it when opportunity comes. Reminds me of Jeremy Bentham's panopticon concept (something about observation and structural design) but I am not going to discuss this here.

It's nearly 2.30 am. and I couldn't sleep. I've deposited myself at around 10.00 just now but kept blinking. Such I decided to do something. I have been practising some Minitab exercises and looking at how to improve my Literature Review to be a smashing piece. Coming to think about it - could it be possible for a Literature Review to become a piece-de-resistance? Hmmmph.... I don't know. But, if it couldn't, let it pass - I am tired and in a blabbering mood now. Still.... I couldn't sleep! Oh yes, I have side tracked of what I was about to share just now. Oh... just a couple of photos of Aqil trying to imitate me :

Taking over while Mom is replenishing her tea

Do you really understand what that is, Dear? C'mon! Study a different subject when you are older!

Embarrassed of being caught!

Well, anyway, next week will be my Reading week - followed by Easter Holiday from April 5 - 23. Next it will be the Exam week. In between deadline for chapters of our dissertation. I have a few invitations for a group discussion already. Can't have too big a group though. Another little something to add to my grey cells (borrowing Hercule Poirot's term!)

An Interesting Fact I found

2010-03-25T19:42:00.000+08:00

As all of you readers to my blog know and know only too well, I am currently in the midst of preparing my dissertation. I have finally received the approval for the topic last week. Anyway, I am not going to elaborate on the topic. While going through articles related to my topic, I came across an interesting fact in the Washington Blog (http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com). The writing was entitled "Islamic Banks Are Surviving the Financial Crisis Better Than Western Banks". If I may quote, the writer was saying, "As I have previously written, the Islamic banking system may survive the financial crisis better than the Western system because it forbids usury and the buying and selling of debt." Unquote.

It made reference to the Associated Press (AP) story in which it was stated :

Quote : "Interest payments, short selling and contracts considered excessively risky are also prohibited. That rules out some of the products that got Western finance into so much trouble such as subprime mortgages, collateralized debt obligations or credit default swaps."Unquote.

But the most that I found interesting is the following which reference was made to Michael Rivero's comment to the AP story. (Michael Rivero of WhatReallyHappened (http://whatreallyhappened.com). Rivero's comment was the Bible also prohibits usury :

Quote : "And, contrary to the popular myth promulgated by the "Clash of Civilization" afficiniados, the prohibition against usury (compound interest) is not confined to the Quran, but is found in the Bible itself. The following are taken from the King James version of the Bible ;

25 "If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him with interest.

26 "If you ever take your neighbour's garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down

27 "For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. what will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious (Exodus 22: 25 - 27)

36 "Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.

37 "You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. (Leviticus 25 : 36 - 37)

19 "You shall not charge interest to your brother - interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest. (Deuteronomy 23 : 20)

7 If he has not oppressed anyone, But has restored to the debtor his pledge; Has robbed no one by violence, But has given his bread to the hungry And covered the naked with clothing;

8 If he has not exacted usury Nor taken any increase, But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity And executed true judgment between man and man;

9 If he has walked in My statutes And kept My judgments faithfully - He is just; He shall surely live!" Says the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 18 : 7 -9) Unquote.

Now, this is something that I have to include in my dissertation! Though some adjustments have to be made.

(Source of Image : http//:ux.brookdalecc.edu)

An Evening At Dr. Hannah's

2010-03-25T16:16:00.000+08:00

When at first I received the email of invitation to a party at our Lecturer's house, I did not respond immediately. First, the date - it was on a Sunday. Well, now the weather is better, Sunday is an Errol-going day. Second, I really would love to simply do nothing on the second part of my Sunday. However, when she sent the second email saying "... I hope more of you will be coming. Please be assured that I will only be serving Halal food and no alcoholic drinks. There will only be fruit juices and soft drinks..." I was touched. Well, Dr. Hannah took all that trouble and the only sensible thing to do to appreciate that effort is to turn up at her party.

And so, that particular Sunday, my husband transported the three of us, my friends Monica & He He to Dr Hannah's house.

And here are some photos snapped at the party :

Dr. Alison Fox, Me, Monica & Sanzida

Dr. Christine Helliar (Dean of the School of Accounting & Finance, Me, Monica, Sanzida & Hebah

Mahmud, Monica, Me, Dr Gwen Hannah, Hebah, Sanzida and two others whom I not quite get their names

Nicole, Monica, Me, Dr Gwen Hannah, (xxx), Sanzida, (xxx)

The Four of Us

Yannick & Me

Mahmud & Me

Well, we have such a lovely time & Dr Hannah's party. The food is wonderful. We had pilao rice and the works and a very delicious dessert! But too bad, we are soo... eating and chit chatting that I have forgotten to take snaps of the food.

Thank you Dr Hannah! And Have a Wonderful Time for your Cruise to the Caribbeans! :-D

Finally It's Over! :-D

2010-03-24T03:05:00.000+08:00

Well, as if to add another challenge to the not-so-easy to understand 4 segments Burrell & Morgan Sociological Paradigms which is an integral reference when you are taking Research Methodology, we are required to put up a presentation on how well we understand the overall methodology. So, as it was when presentation is required, you will feel uneasy (keeps nagging at the back of your mind) until it is done with. At least that was what I felt for the past few weeks after receiving the topic of the presentation.

I considered I am very fortunate to have group members who are dedicated and can't bear to let the group down! We discussed and argued (again and again - fortunately, we are also very critical!) and asked ourselves questions that might be asked by our fellow course mates and the Lecturer in charged.

So, panicked we all were when we arrived at Dalhousie building. We ran our presentation one last time and then tried calming ourselves down - Wang Xi by walking to the Union, me by making the trip to the vending machine for latte, Vivien by walking around to get a breather and Fidelix concentrating of his part of his presentation. And, you can judge how panicky we were - we arrived 2 hours before the presentation started.

Today, we have four groups presenting. And here are the photos :

Lawrence & Soham - thumbs up! One team mate didn't turn up but, well The Show Must Go On!

Topic : Anomalous Evidence on the Dividend Annual Effect

My Group - Wang Xi, Myself (controlling the slides), Fidelix and Vivien

Topic : The Market Impact of Corporate Alliance Announcements : Value-Weighted versus Equally-Weighted Portfolio Returns

My turn, hoping the others didn't think it's a lullaby. I am talking paradigms & hypotheses!

Mobelix, Asheek & Prashant : Listening to Dr Boulkeroua's questions

Topic : Why UK Companies Hedge Interest Rate Risk

Albert, Omar & Nicole. Albert is explaining his point of view on the Pre & Post Performances of Takeover Companies

Topic : Does Operating Performance Increase Post Takeover for UK Takeovers? A Comparison of Performance Measures and Benchmarks.

At the end of it, all of us were very glad that Dr. Boulkeroua was giving a real good comments to us all. It will really boost our confidence for quite some time. Thank you!!! :-D

And now, we can concentrate on preparing the Literature Review for our respective dissertation. And of course : EXAMMMMM!