tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42502479757498828572024-03-13T17:17:29.124+00:00Testing! Testing! 1..2..3....My first attempt at Blogging.
Reflecting the past, contemplating the future and sharing thoughts at times.elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-25153408483385789082008-05-24T05:59:00.011+01:002008-05-27T09:52:29.845+01:00Indoor cycling classI wouldn't want to miss a Spinning class for the world. Whenever I feel the need to exercise but feeling reluctant to do so, I would just join any two of my favourite group fitness classes namely spin & body pump in the local gym here. I would just let my body to go with the flow and before I realise, it's all over for a good 45 minutes workout on a stationary cycle in the spinning/cycling class. My usual time is on Tuesday morning in the 7:15 - 8:00 am class and also on Thursday evening in another form of more intensive spinning class called RPM. This class is taunted as Taking the ultimate ride! that combines cycling, choreography and cycling techniques that give aerobic and anaerobic adrenaline ride of a music driven group exercise. Under the guidance of an Instructor I experience slow climbs, fast climbs, short sprints, fast sprints and recovery spins as if I am in the pack in the Tour de France or Tour de Langkawi back home. The variation of speeds are made possible with adjustable resistance on the stationary cycle. I could burn up to 900 calories in a class which is needless to say, great for fat burning and general body toning. You see, I like to eat dairy products like fresh & full cream milk, eggs and chicken with skin on and that's one reason i need to exercise. I could tolerate low fat margarine & have been reducing intake of commercial products such as biscuits,chips, pastris, cakes & muffins but I cannot miss my 'nasi' at least once a day intake during dinner. I also do not forget to fill up on my fruit & vege but most of the time are bananas, salads and cucumbers. In short, i just can't stick to a low fat diet and getting into exercise is the only way forward for me to be fit and healthy. After all, I enjoy sweating profusely to get me going for the week.<br /><br />***A mad spinning instructor***<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tIDOfjV2Ecc&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tIDOfjV2Ecc&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-89168997172583446512008-04-22T03:23:00.017+01:002008-12-11T07:37:50.538+00:00Historical York and the Jorvik Viking CentreThe city of York was one of the great cities of the medieval europe. A historic capital in the north of England. Among the attractions are the viking city of York called Jorvik (pronounced as Yorvik), castle museums, magnificent architecture of churches & towers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/SA1NG03SWyI/AAAAAAAAADk/JK7D5abauZ8/s1600-h/SonAtJorvik.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/SA1NG03SWyI/AAAAAAAAADk/JK7D5abauZ8/s200/SonAtJorvik.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191890725093137186" border="0" /></a> According to history, the city was first ruled by a group of Celtic tribes and then by the roman invader and later, annexed and ruled by the Anglo Saxons in the 5th century of which these german tribes (Angles, Saxons & Jutes) were the ancestors of the modern english.York was conquered by the Danish Vikings in the 7th century. Later, it was ruled by Norweign Vikings and then by the Normans in the 10th century (The tribes who lived in Normandy in France at the time). Actually Normans invaded England, not just York. It took only people in one region of France to conquer the whole England, how powerful they were!<br /><br />We went there on easter monday, 23rd Mac 2008, almost a month ago, the whole clan, to the city of York, in northern England, in a county called North Yorkshire. I had wanted to write about the trip much earlier but I was such a lazybone with a big M (Malas). So What I did was writing bit by bit because I really need to make some references and write in this blog of mine so that the story will be forever immortalised. The journey took two hours and It was during the previous school holidays where schools were closed for 2 weeks (easter break). I drove up north along M1 motorway traversing through five counties namely Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire (sheffield is the county city) , West Yorkshire (where Bradford and Leeds are) and North Yorkshire.<br /><br />The Jorvik Viking Centre is actually an exhibition centre built over the excavation land in the area that was discovered in 1970 at the heart of York. Many artefacts have been preserved since viking times due to soil conditions. Most part of Jorvik is underground. On entering the building and after paying for the tickets, we walked downstairs and past a 'soil wall' showing the layers that have built up on top of the Viking settlement.<br /><br />We then came to a holding area where a guide told us briefly about the Viking history.In this area we were told that we would be travelling back in time to the Viking era. We were then guided to make our way through to a room where we will be transported back in time (A ‘time capsule’ machine). We were asked to remain seated and were shown on a LCD projector screen, a series of pictures of a couple whose clothes changed over time from the 1980s, 70s, 30s and so on, back through time to finally arrive in the Viking age. Each time the pictures changed there was a slight judder of the floor to give the time travelling effect, something akin to the TV series, Dr Who’s time machine. Dr Who is a very popular tv series here with kids and adults alike.<br /><br />Once the time machine was over, we were guided to board the ‘time cars’ (something akin to cable cars), which took us around the Viking Centre. Each car can hold 6 people maximum and have speakers for the commentary as visitors go around. (There’s a children’s commentary also). We had one car all to ourselves. The time car took us gently past a variety of recreated street scenes and houses. These range from a market place, to a blacksmiths home, past a butcher, and even past someone going to the loo. The commentary stops in places to allow visitors to experience the noises that would have been heard. There are model people in each area, and they are wearing typical Viking dress. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/SA1NdE3SWzI/AAAAAAAAADs/dHJYSSeWAo0/s1600-h/Jorvik2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/SA1NdE3SWzI/AAAAAAAAADs/dHJYSSeWAo0/s200/Jorvik2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191891107345226546" border="0" /></a> The replica buildings have been made with knowledge from the actual excavation of the site. The shops and houses have been laid out in the way that they would have been in vikings time. The final part of the time car tour took us over a reconstructed archaeological dig where it was shown to us how skeletons would have been uncovered, and took us past some of the actual timber from a building to show how well preserved it was.After leaving the time cars it was into the museum where we spent our time looking at helmets, wielding swords, other weapons etc on display. A guide was on hand to explain how battles would have been fought in Viking era etc.<br /><br />Before exiting the Centre, we were taken through the gift shop. The shop sell souvenirs ranging from coins to little replica Vikings and books. So if anyone is interested to know more you could browse to this site. We enjoyed being there and also the sight seeing in York. It was a such a great day.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/">http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk</a>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-70038753476058668052008-04-14T20:42:00.007+01:002008-04-17T01:49:18.386+01:00Spring is definitely hereA typical English home would normally have a back garden and last saturday I felt that it's about time I had the grass cut and washing lines relocated in the garden. The weather was sunny and mild with temperature between 11 and 14 degree Celsius. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oAE93RD2cPg"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oAE93RD2cPg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-58748823629036716202008-03-27T12:17:00.005+00:002008-04-07T21:06:00.366+01:00A snowy easter sundayIt was snowing last sunday. The video here which I have uploaded today to YouTube shows what it was like in the morning of 23rd March 2008, in the back garden of our house. The snow did not fall heavily. It was such a lovely sight but not slushy and enough snow on the ground to warrant a snow-man. A beautiful change of scenery from the bedroom windows. <br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OrOv3fco4Ko"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OrOv3fco4Ko" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-91948756273532009902008-03-21T20:54:00.026+00:002008-12-11T07:37:50.745+00:00Shariah complianceRemember all the hullabaloo over remarks made by Archbishop Rowan Williams last February with regards to Shariaah law? He was merely saying that Muslims should be able to choose whether to have matters such as marital disputes dealt with under shariah law or the British legal system. He also said that giving shariah official status in the UK would help maintain social cohesion because some Muslims do not relate to the British legal system. His statements caused an uproar in the press in UK.<br /><br />Well, Shariah implementation has already taken place in the banking sector here. Anyone can open a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R-Q1WQtrvwI/AAAAAAAAADc/IfhyJbPo9fU/s1600-h/Snap_llyod.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 159px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R-Q1WQtrvwI/AAAAAAAAADc/IfhyJbPo9fU/s200/Snap_llyod.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180324127942885122" border="0" /></a>shariah approved account in Lloyds TSB,not just moslem. Lloyds is one of the high street banks in UK. They have the facility where one could issue a directive to Lloyds to have all one's direct debit & standing order transactions, from other banks transferred to the islamic account.<br /><br />Meanwhile, If you know anyone who will be coming to uk to study, please advice them to open HSBC islamic Amanah account back home in Malaysia. A standing order to transfer some amount of money every month from one's salary could be done so that one could use any HSBC teller machines in UK to withdraw when necessary, esp when running out of scholarship money (as back up) or whenever feels like wanting to go for a shopping spree (easter holiday now wink! wink!...emm nak jalan ke mana ya)<br /><br />This is very convenient since HSBC is all over UK, in fact all over the world. You would normally be charged RM 5, plus currency exchange rate for each transaction(urusniaga) when withdrawing some money via HSBC ATM teller machines here in UK, from your account back home.<br /><br />One interesting fact about HSBC is it offers islamic mortgage. See here for the news.<br /><br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3035292.stmelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-82060032889622182732008-03-20T02:26:00.019+00:002008-03-21T22:58:03.124+00:00In retrospect - commutingI can still remember this time last year how i was tied up with teaching and all. At the time my son had just finished his SPM and was awaiting his SPM result. He was a fourth and fifth former in Sekolah Menengah Sains Alam Shah in Bandar Tun Razak back in 2005 & 2006 respectively. Driving to work in Klang valley can be very distressing. Commuting from home in usj subang jaya to gombak was hectic & dreadful. It involved taking Kesas Highway to get to work driving past puchong, bukit jalil on Kesas Highway and then, MRR2 (Middle Ring Road 2) drivng past Bandar Tasik Selatan, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Pandan Indah, Ampang, Ulu Klang and Gombak. Mind you that traffic in that Pandan Indah stretch of MRR2 would get worsened by every minute of the day particularly during rush hours. It could make anyone suffers from bouts of insanity.<br /><br />And just before reaching my usual destination in Sg. Pusu Gombak I had to drive past Taman Melawati, Wangsa Melawati, Taman Melati before taking the flyover at the Gombak interchange (or intersection as brits would say). In retrospect, i could see that more time wasting on the road could be mitigated by moving to a new home closer to work. Yup will do that once I’m back home in 3 or 4 years’ time....ohhh shoot! still a long time to go but on second thought, I kind of like it here. Going to uni is about 5 to 10 minutes’ drive. Heading back to dept lab etc after dinner at home, is just a breeze.<br /><br />A tribute to a friend who lives in wangsa melawati, I present ‘Against all odds’ to you, blogosphere friends & passers-by. Just for your listening pleasure.<br /><br /><br />***My all time favourite karaoke song***<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-OiV_5kEt6A&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-OiV_5kEt6A&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-4454948460821881662008-01-24T04:50:00.000+00:002008-01-26T01:10:04.668+00:00About Muscle & FitnessWhen it comes to muscle tone; use it or lose it is the name of the game, particularly as you get older. Until the age of 25, life’s a breeze (in fitness terms at least) and strength and endurance improve naturally. Sadly it tends to be down hill from there. The ageing process itself will contribute to a decline in general fitness and lifestyles tend to become more sedentary as we age, which doesn’t help. Muscle strength and power also tend to decrease with age. This is due to a variety of factors, particularly muscle wastage caused by a lack of use. Just as a muscle grows in response to strength training (workout using dumb bells, bar bells & machines) it will become sagging if it is not trained (sag in his or her arms, esp. the body of those prone to cellulite piles fat on the thighs and hips, giving them an orange-peel look...etc. ). When we are young we tend to get away with it; As we age we don’t. Learning how to exercise properly and then developing the physical strength, flexibility, agility & habit to perform it well is a priceless gift that you give yourself when you work out regularly.<br /><br />Bear in mind that the heart is a muscle too and although there is no weight machine for the heart, we use cardio equipment such as treadmill or just running & jogging outdoor. This helps to create a leaner body which in turn decreases the risk of heart disease. The bottom line here is that regular strength training will enhance the quality of your life as you get older, so lay the foundations of good health as young as you can. Actually resistance or strength training can have a longer lasting impact on metabolic rate than aerobic workout. I read somewhere in a magazine that regular weight training boosts BMR (basal metabolic rate) by about 20%, which means that for every extra pound of muscle you put on, your body uses around 50 extra calories a day. (BMR is the rate at which the body uses energy while at rest to keep vital functions going,such as breathing & keeping warm).<br /><br />Strength training produces a 'soothing' biochemical change in the brain in such a way that it also helps to mitigate depression as what anti-depressant medications would normally do. One of the key drivers of muscle growth is the Testosterone hormone. Levels of testosterone vary from person to person but as a rule women cannot produce anywhere near as much testosterone as men and therefore it is much harder for females to gain muscle mass when strength or weight training. Just as well really, because most women don’t want to gain muscle anyway. It all goes back to hunting and gathering versus nest building. So in one of those handy quirks of nature, we have a win:win situation. Men who work out with weights get to build bigger biceps, triceps, back, chest etc. while women get to shape and tone what they’ve already got. Can’t say fairer than that can you.<br /><br />***shoulder press***<br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vUJYHmgIw4s&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vUJYHmgIw4s&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />***bicep curl***<br /><object width="425" height="373"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qV-mY6QLLAM&rel=1&border=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qV-mY6QLLAM&rel=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"></embed></object><br /><br />***chest press***<br /><object width="425" height="373"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1pG9C-a6BC4&rel=1&border=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1pG9C-a6BC4&rel=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"></embed></object>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-12544592540603821912008-01-20T21:31:00.001+00:002008-12-11T07:37:50.904+00:00Day of AshuraDay of Ashura,<br /><br />Yesterday was the day of Ashura (19th Jan 2008). It’s the tenth day of Muharram. The word ashura simply means 10 in arabic or asharo from wahid,ithnin,salasa,arba’, hamsa........asharo. So, ashura literally translated as the tenth day; The tenth day of Muharram. As part of the Malay community here (me being the reluctant committee member), i got involved in the preparation to commemorate & celebrate the day of Ashura by preparing Ashura porridge and to also hold a majlis tazkirah here. I am oblivious to the fact that there are several types of ‘bubur ashura’. There is a variety of bubur ashura and this is evident from the internet. The committee had decided that we ought to cook two types so the outcome of that was Bubur Asyura Perak (Langkap city style with loughborough twist) and Bubur Asyura kekacang manis (utara style) with loughborough twist since we put peach into it beside the various beans or ‘kekacang’.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R5PAEW2H2NI/AAAAAAAAADM/V517f6DxF-E/s1600-h/bubur_asyura.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R5PAEW2H2NI/AAAAAAAAADM/V517f6DxF-E/s200/bubur_asyura.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157677179353946322" border="0" /></a><br />I am mighty glad that the committee had managed to pull through such a big event even though they were formed just recently following on the previous raya haji celebration organised by the 2007 committee members. I would like to express my gratitude to the head chef, Pn. Jue for her culinary expertise in preparing the bubur asyura perak (not sure whether she would bump into my blog though). All in all, it had been a good day. Many families brought side dishes since it was also meant to be a potluck dinner and we had plenty of foods on the serving tables. We had the tazkirah delived by ustad masrul at 3.45pm and had our break fasting at 4.24 pm maghrib time. All these were held in James France exhibition hall in the university and it went smooth I would say. We had our prayer at around quarter past five in the prayer room of the James France building and then resumed our break fasting till 6pm.elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-9174952103109072072007-12-31T02:30:00.000+00:002008-01-01T16:03:25.542+00:00Grammar talkAmerican english or british? Can be confusing at times. In one dept. , a supervisor told his student once that people don't fail their thesis because of grammar. Well, that is not comforting enough to me. I believe it depends on your individual supervisor. After all, they are all human. I am trying to improve my grammar even at this age.<br /><br />This is an interesting excerpt with regards to collective noun from <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/grammar/archive/collective_nouns.html </span>,<br />that shows something different between the two.<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" ><div class="td"> <p>" A <b>collective noun</b> is a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit.<br />Usage Note: <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">In American usage, a </span><b style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">collective noun</b><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> takes a singular verb</span> </span>when it refers to the collection considered as a whole, as in: </p> </div> </span> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>The <b>family was</b> united on this question. </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>The <b>enemy is</b> suing for peace.</i> </div> </span></li></ul> <span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"> <p>It takes a plural verb when it refers to the members of the group considered as individuals, as in: </p> </div> </span> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>My <b>family are</b> always fighting among themselves. </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>The <b>enemy were</b> showing up in groups of three or four to turn in their weapons.</i> </div> </span></li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">In British usage, however,</span> </span><b>collective nouns</b><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">are more often treated as plurals:</span></span> </div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>The <b>government have</b> not announced a new policy. </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>The <b>team are</b> playing in the test matches next week.</i> </div> </span></li></ul> <span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"> <p>A collective noun should not be treated as both singular and plural in the same construction; thus: </p> </div> </span> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>The <b>family is</b> determined to press its (not their) claim.</i> </div> </span></li></ul> <span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"> <p>Among the common <b>collective nouns</b> are:</p> </div> </span> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>committee </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>clergy </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>company </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>enemy </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>group </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>family </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>flock </i></div> </span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica;font-size:100%;" > <div class="td"><i>public ....."</i></div></span></li></ul>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-7791916430106986072007-12-30T13:09:00.000+00:002008-12-11T07:37:51.994+00:00A day trip to Cheshire Oaks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R3ewxm2H2JI/AAAAAAAAACo/WYa9teh6TE8/s1600-h/enroute_csh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R3ewxm2H2JI/AAAAAAAAACo/WYa9teh6TE8/s200/enroute_csh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149779065209084050" border="0" /></a>This year boxing day has seen me & my family travel what must be the furthest day trip we ever did since coming back to UK, from loughborough to chester in cheshire. The trip to cheshire was actually a family retreat and to celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary, in a way, in which my wife had planned to go to cheshire oaks for boxing day sale for quite sometime. The exact place is known as Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. My dearest wife had prepared nasi lemak ikan bilis in the morning with telur rebus; If we were back home in Malaysia, I would love to have kerang but here, nowhere to be found and my youngest daughter had made Gimbap, a korean snack of seaweed-rice, something like California roll.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R3ewyG2H2LI/AAAAAAAAAC4/l7Re6eX_-Os/s1600-h/map.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R3ewyG2H2LI/AAAAAAAAAC4/l7Re6eX_-Os/s200/map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149779073799018674" border="0" /></a> It took me around 2 hours to drive & reach there. The journey of 200 miles, according to google map. I enjoyed the driving part very much and the journey there really is spectacular. Our route was, among others, driving along the M42 motorway from Leicestershire down to Tamworth, Staffordshire, and then along the M6 motorway driving up north past Warwickshire, Staffordshire & Cheshire. I enjoyed the view & scenery through out the journey. There’s a Toll Plaza on M6 near Birmingham where I paid 4 quid en route and 3 quid on the way home. M6 is actually Britain’s first toll motorway (the longest too), recently tolled only in 2003 after much refurbishment.<br /><br />Nowadays, travelling in UK, you won’t get lost when driving and this includes Europe too. As long as you have satellite navigation system (SatNav) in your car with UK & Europe maps installed, you will always get to your destination. In the past, when i was in Salford & Cardiff back in 1994 & 1985 respectively, I had to rely on those maps, one map for motorway and the other is the city map of the destination. So, if you drive into many cities, you need to have a map for each. Another problem with this was, traveling is time-consuming when missing a turn or reading the map wrongly & you need somebody on your side to hold the map & guide. With SatNav, you just need to key-in the post-code of your home and destination, the system will calculate and find route for you based on either shortest path or fastest route (usually involve motorways in a long distance journey). If you miss a turn especially at roundabouts, it will recalculate for you and display a slightly different route. This is done on-the-fly while you are driving. Needless to say, driving becomes enjoyable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R3ewx22H2KI/AAAAAAAAACw/KFZ6VYQ5YxQ/s1600-h/Picnic1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R3ewx22H2KI/AAAAAAAAACw/KFZ6VYQ5YxQ/s200/Picnic1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149779069504051362" border="0" /></a> When we reached Chester Oaks at around 10 am, the place was already crowded with people shopping for low prices goods. We bought clothes and shoes, the usual items and I got myself two books at Borders for my work. Calendars & diaries were all half price. There was one large nike factory store where shoes were all half price. There were many Malaysians as well doing their boxing day shopping and they must had come from all over UK .We had our lunch & prayers at the service centre nearby and then spent an hour or two again before heading home. By relating this in my blog, I hope that one day in the future, I would be able to look back, recall and reminiscence the good old days travelling together as family.elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-68136168334074338292007-12-20T23:14:00.000+00:002007-12-22T07:50:17.958+00:00The First TagI've been tagged twice of the same tag. Here goes nothing.<br /><br />1. Name one person who made you laugh last night.<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">My wife telling me hilariously what happened when a bunch of briton joined in a reality programme show on telly called ‘Make me a moslem’;They led a life of being a moslem for 3 weeks. A beautician eventually embraced islam for real after the programme was over.</span><br /><br />2. What were you doing at 0800? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Tinkering with my Apple MacBook.</span><br /><br />3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Just finished eating ready-made pizza that was microwave-cooked by my daughter.</span><br /><br />4. What happened to you in 2006? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Got transferred from Taboh Naning to Gombak & subsequently offered a scholarship.</span><br /><br />5. What was the last thing you said out loud? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Siap cepat! Sembahyang Raya 8:45 pagi !! Chop-chop!!</span><br /><br />6. How many beverages did you have today?<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Twice. Coffee & Horlicks.</span></span><br /><br />7. What color is your hairbrush? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">A guy needs a hairbrush? Give me a break will ya :-)</span><br /><br />8. What was the last thing you paid for? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Petrol, 20 quid.</span><br /><br />9. Where were you last night? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">At home.</span><br /><br />10. What color is your front door? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Dark chocolate on the outside & alpine meadow white on the inside.</span><br /><br />11. Where do you keep your change? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">By the window & in the car coin compartment.</span><br /><br />12. What’s the weather like today? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Foggy, frosty & bitterly cold with temp at 2 degree celsius.</span><br /><br />13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Vanilla.</span><br /><br />14. What excites you? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Gym & british accents..they're like music to my ears.</span><br /><br />15. Do you want to cut your hair? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Only once a month.</span><br /><br />16. Are you over the age of 25? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Reaching middle-age.</span><br /><br />17. Do you talk a lot? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Only when dwelling in conversation with someone interesting or with brits accents.</span><br /><br />18. Do you watch the O.C.? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">No idea what it means.</span><br /><br />19. Do you know anyone named Steven?<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">No.</span></span><br /><br />20. Do you make up your own words? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Not really.</span><br /><br />21. Are you a jealous person? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Not that much, in what way do you mean? I’m possessive though.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’</span>. </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Azhar.</span><br /><br />23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Kamil.</span><br /><br />24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">My other half.</span><br /><br />25. What does the last text message you received say? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">A long sms from my cousin in Malaysia wishing me & my family Selamat Hari Raya Haji.</span><br /><br />26. Do you chew on your straw? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">No. What gives you such idea?</span><br /><br />27. Do you have curly hair?<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">No.</span><br /><br />28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Thought of going to the open access lab in uni ,I'm nocturnal at times.</span><br /><br />29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Someone i met briefly, a long time ago at work who was having an anger management problem.</span><br /><br />30. What was the last thing you ate? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Ready-made pizza.</span><br /><br />31. Will you get married in the future? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future do I ? But I am a happily married man.</span><br /><br />32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Die Hard 2 on telly.</span><br /><br />33. Is there anyone you like right now?<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> Yes.</span><br /><br />34. When was the last time you did the dishes? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Yesterday.</span><br /><br />35. Are you currently depressed? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Partially but lonesome is more like it when it comes to doing research, study & stuff.</span><br /><br />36. Did you cry today? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">No. Not that I am aware of.</span><br /><br />37. Why did you answer and post this? <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">To be such a sport.</span><br /><br />38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey: <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.anaiis-terrafirma.blogspot.com/">anaiis</a>, <a href="http://says-maze.blogspot.com/">syana</a>, <a href="http://myfisol.blogspot.com/">myfisol</a>, <a href="http://tsutsuji-chan.blogspot.com/">hanna j. potter</a> & <a href="http://akuadablogsendiri.blogspot.com/">kc.</a></span>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-73933803497153075732007-12-18T15:59:00.000+00:002008-12-11T07:37:53.109+00:00A university town called loughborough<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2qCbG2H2FI/AAAAAAAAACI/Fm6T09d9liY/s1600-h/market_luffbra.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2qCbG2H2FI/AAAAAAAAACI/Fm6T09d9liY/s200/market_luffbra.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146068926429911122" border="0" /></a>I had to uproot the whole family when coming here, which include bringing over my son instead of him attending a matriculation college in perak and thus doing his 1st year A-levels here. My wife was here in Loughborough (Lufbra ,as what people here say or write for short) 24 years ago as an undergrad and i was in cardiff at the time. When we reached here in August 2007, It is the third time we set foot on the british soil. We both had first set foot, in newark nottinghamshire back in 1983 for our A-levels. I think it doesn’t do justice if i don’t write a short entry about the town i am currently living in, a town in east midlands called loughborough in a county called leicestershire, the heart of rural England (lestershire if u wanna say it correctly, with silent ‘c’).<br /><div><br />Loughborough is a university town. Though it is a small town and does not have a premiership football team it is located within the vicinity of major cities in Midlands such as Nottingham, Leicester and Birmingham. (I’m a big fan of Arsenal FC anyway, through thick and thin). The town is about an hour and a half train ride from London St. Pancras Railway station; The home of Eurostar service to Paris and the rest of Europe. The university is one of the highly ranked universities in UK. That is partly the reason why i am here today (sponsor insisted a 5-star ranking) and the rest as they say, is history.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2n10G2H19I/AAAAAAAAABI/KUnf5sg1hVI/s1600-h/MydghnI.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2n10G2H19I/AAAAAAAAABI/KUnf5sg1hVI/s200/MydghnI.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145914324787124178" border="0" /></a>The market street in Lufbra is at the centre of the town. There are shops and department stores along both sides of the street. I suppose it is known as market street because Loughborough Market is held on the street every Thursday and Saturday and is one of the finest street markets in the country with an excellent range of goods and produce. There are also four main supermarkets in Loughborough: Tesco, Safeway, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. My wife and I do grocery shopping at Marrisons since it's closest to home and at times, we frequent Tesco since it's open 24-hr on weekdays. We get our halal foods & meat from either British Islamic Stores on Clarence Street or Al-Mizan Cash & Carry on King Street,Loughborough. For clothing, Primark store is always frequented because clothes there are not that pricey. Besides, it’s a high street department store where clothes are of variety size,color,fashion & season. If you want to buy some gifts for people back home, this is the place to be.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2qDRG2H2GI/AAAAAAAAACQ/TwCj-zWN0pM/s1600-h/Bye2007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2qDRG2H2GI/AAAAAAAAACQ/TwCj-zWN0pM/s200/Bye2007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146069854142847074" border="0" /></a> The nearest Car Boot Sale to Lufbra is in a village farm called Quorn. Car boot sale (CBS) is a british thing and here in Quorn is no exception. It’s about 2 km away from Lufbra. Typically held on Sunday morning every weekend. The goods there are really a bargain where you get to buy them way much cheaper than in stores. I still remember I had bought a pair of nike football boots for 50 pence during my first visit to Quorn; A value for money in the true sense of the word. Recently i got a pair of brand new nike running shoes for 24 quid from EbaY, which I am happy about because they were brand new and relatively cheap. CBS has become a regular leisure activity for the family on weekends after a long week at work (or study :-) . The weather these days are freezing cold with temperature reaching just 3 to 5 degree celsius and as such the activity has to be put on hold, for the time being at least. With the not-much-money-left situation i am always in, CBS definitely is and has always been, the place to be.<br /><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"></span><div> Ok guys, I think i have written long enough for this second entry; Longer than this might bore people to death (or have you got bored already?) An entry that doesn’t involve scrolling would be terrific as sometimes people like to say ‘KISS’ - Keep it short & simple. Okie dokie, I better stop blogging now otherwise i will keep on rambling in my own bloggy blog that sounds more like an inflight MAS magazine, pretty much summed up what i have written here.</div>elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250247975749882857.post-8954832964587008322007-12-08T05:09:00.000+00:002008-12-11T07:37:54.514+00:00Parents EveningYesterday (6th Dec 2007) was the day I got to see and meet up with teachers at the schools my children have been attending here in UK. This is the first Parents Evening that my wife and I have attended since we set foot in Leicestershire in August 2007. My youngest daughter S is in the Garendon High School, a secondary school for boys and girls aged between 11 and 14. My teen son,U and the middle daughter, N attending school in Burleigh College, meant for boys & girls aged between 15 and 18.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2yA722H2HI/AAAAAAAAACY/H1ibrc70tK0/s1600-h/SclasPic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2yA722H2HI/AAAAAAAAACY/H1ibrc70tK0/s200/SclasPic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146630240000792690" border="0" /></a> What surprises me is the fact that S was complimented by all her teachers not just for her good manner in class but also her meticulous and good work. At first I thought they were just being nice to us parents and then I realised that they just couldn't be nice when all of them said the same thing about S, so she must be doing pretty well. (Teachers here would say "Well Good" to praise kids, nothing like the choice of words when complimenting pupils back home). Three of the teachers mentioned about moving her to an upper set. She's in year 8 taking maths, english, science, geography, french, ICT and art & technology. At home she's a bit cheeky though, stroppy with dad (me :-) and playful when asked to do her homework. Always spend time on the internet/youtube watching Korean movies - a habit she developed while watching Korean love stories on TV in Malaysia. She wishes to study in Korea one day. Why does she want to study Korean when she needs to grasp french at school beats me. Seems like she's a big fan of everything Korean and that worries me a bit (pelik pelik). I guess girls apt to foreign language very well especially the ones that they are keen on learning. According to Mrs Bradley (Art teacher) S is an angel; S is letting her hair down at home since she concentrates hard on her lessons at school. Feels good when hearing that & listening to such lovely reports from all of her teachers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2yCE22H2II/AAAAAAAAACg/5ohf1bWDVyQ/s1600-h/H_clas07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5MmVt63d_6g/R2yCE22H2II/AAAAAAAAACg/5ohf1bWDVyQ/s200/H_clas07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146631494131243138" border="0" /></a> In the case of my slightly older children, U and N, they were not getting that much compliments from their teachers except for their school work neatness and for their efforts. Got praised for behavior in class and also for their excellent art work (Nothing in my background & that of my wife would have suggested that my kids are good artists). N was commented though that she needs to be more participative in class like asking teachers when she doesn't understand them. This is perceivable since she's a bit timid. Hopefully in 3 months' time after they have taken some school tests, I'll get to see their true performance sometime in spring next year. A lot of coaching on my part too. As for the teachers in both of the schools, there's only one way to describe them; They personify British politeness, reserve and warmth.<br /><br />On my way back home in drizzling rain (you get this often in UK, how romantic!), I told my better half that this parents evening event reminds me of the kids' report card day in Malaysia where parents are invited to attend, and I was kind of wondering as to how parents evening was first mooted. As I could remember correctly my parents never had any meetings with teachers during my school days in the 70s and early 80s. So much improvement nowadays and Parents Evening is a good thing. I gather teachers around the world nowadays share the same thought as how best to convey to parents about their kids performance and thus, Parents Evening...or something similar.elarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14406942655498378258noreply@blogger.com11