The week I fell in love with Morocco-Part 5-Driving around Morocco

After the Saharan trip we were exhausted due to the lack of sleep, the heat and the camel trek...it was fun but it was already halfway through the trip and we had been travelling to a different place every day.

But we were all still smiling....

The itinerary was to drive to visit the fossil factory and then have lunch at Minalt. But we were running late since we had spent longer than anticipated chatting and taking pics with our dear friends at the Auberge D'Nord.

So we visited the fossil factory and was given a tour by the Tribolite guy...he showed us the craftmanship that went into transforming the fossils found in the mountains into furniture pieces for homes and hotels...The fossils pieces varied in sizes and form

The products from these fossil pieces ranged from tables, fountains to chess pieces ..a certain type of skill is required to extract the fossils into these beautiful pieces...

If I owned a mansion I may have been tempted to purchase the pieces but fortunately I do not so didn't have to spend unnecessarily.

The guy mentioned the factory exported to places like Canada, America, UK and Asia....so if anyone is interested and has a huge mansion or hotel development definitely worth checking this out.

Since we were running late we didn't visit Minalt and set of for our three hour journey towards Fes. We were knackered so slept most of the way but we did stop for a few restbreaks visiting some street stalls and enjoying the scenery of the High Atlas mountains. The scenery was greener and even cooler...

Along the way we stopped at the stalls located beside the roads. The set up was similar to what you'd see if you were driving along the roads in Malaysia. Families set up these stalls with the collection of fresh produce picked from the farms that day.

I tried the sweet grapes and fresh figs...before this I had only tried dried figs but the fresh figs were delicious...

After feeling refreshed from the figs and grapes we continued our journey to Ifrane. As Khalid called it-it is the Moroccan version of Switzerland. The scenery is a change from the sand dunes and rocky mountains we were used to previously in Morocco. The scenery on the way to Ifrane were of pine trees, horses and green luscious mountains. At this point my camera battery had run low since we didn't have time to charge our cameras since we had spent the night in the desert the night before. So I couldnt'take many pics.

Khalid took us to one of the ski resorts and we passed one of King Morocco's holiday residences. In Morocco due to security reasons, you're not able to take pictures of the buildings or its surroundings. The Royal residency was HUGE....from the outside we could see a golf course, vast garden and not to mention the huge mansion...that was just from the outside..so you can imagine what other treasures you would find once you get inside the royal quarters...

In the winter, Northern Morocco can get very cold and snow. There is a ski resort which local or people abroad can come to ski....

It was a very long day---so by the end of the day we were looking forward to reach Fes for a comfortable bed and a shower ---life's little comforts which we take for granted....

Our hotel was in the centre of the Fes square near the Blue Gate. People had warned us that Fes is known to be the hotspot for getting your goods stolen and there are many professional beggars around. So I was a bit apprehensive walking in the square that night as we went to get some dinner.

Its a bit of a culture shock when you walk in the old Fes medina for the first time. The alleyways are narrow and people are constantly coming and going running various errands...riding the donkey, carrying shopping goods for the market or just looking for a place to eat. Some of the local people were rough--there were some old women and young kids who would just push you to get you of their way... Imagine if that happened in the tubes during rush hour in London---there would be a riot starting but over in Fes--it seems to be a normal way of life...

In the souk , there were loads of restaurants/cafes which sold pretty similar food around the same prices. Since we were going to meet our Fes guide the next day we just settled for a cafe nearby our hotel.

After dinner, we headed straight back to the hotel and got some rest before our next adventure day continued the next day...

Malaysian dream

This is a bit late as Merdeka was a while back..but I had attended a Malaysian independent film event a few months back and at the end of the event a group of Malaysians asked the attendees what their vision of Malaysia would be..
I'm not very good in front of the camera...but the guys filmed me anyway..here was a short clip.....
maybe my first and last claim to fame on youtube

The week I fell in love with Morocco-Part 4 -Saharan desert

The Saharan desert---before the trip I had my own preconceptions of what it would be like riding a camel in the desert. Alhamdulillah the experience was truly magnificent and had exceeded all of my expectations.
When Muhammad picked us up from Erfoud we drove in a 4*4 car....Muhammad didn't say much and had put on nasyid music which fitted in well with the scenery as we drove along the desert...at first the view was of rocks and dust but as we drove further into the desert we started to see the sand dunes which looked calm and somehow unreal...and just like pics from a postcard.

The video below was the moment where we saw Auberge d'Nord -our checkpoint before we rode on the camels.

A few people who have been on camels had varying stories of their experience...some said the camels were smelly and would spit on you. Some said sitting on the camels would be uncomfortable and not as nice as riding a horse...As you can imagine after hearing all these stories, I was prepared for the worst.

When we arrived at the Auberge d'Nord, we prayed and had our last shower for the day since there weren't any toilet/shower facilities in the desert. We met some girls who were working at the Auberge and they were kind enough to allow us to use their rooms to pray and to get changed. Amazingly we managed to communicate between my broken French, English and sign language. Its amazing how humans can still communicate even though we don't speak the same language.

After drinking mint tea, the time arrived for us to get on the camels......all of us didn't want to be the first to get on but Hanisah ( who was most scared about the camels) decided to overcome her fear and was the first to get on. She did fine...and turned out to be the one who was most comfortable with the camel riding out of all four of us...

Once all four of us were on the camels , our Berber guide Hammi led us to our camps in the desert. The ride to the tent lasted around 90 minutes but it didn't feel long at all, in fact it was so peaceful as we rode in the desert with the slight breeze keeping us cool in the heat of the desert.

We chatted for parts of the ride but there were occasions where all of us were silent as we rode and enjoyed the beauty of the desert and watch the sun sets down.

It was dark when we arrived at the campsite. Hammi helped us with our bags and we reached the campsite which was well laid out. As Hammi prepared dinner we chilled in the middle of our camp site which had mattresses laid out in order for us to sit. We prayed Isya' together in the middle of the desert which was truly beautiful...I felt close with nature and God..it is a feeling which I will try to treasure throughout my life.

As Hammi waited for our dinner to be cooked, he came to chat with us in the night...at first Hammi appeared nervous---who wouldn't be with four girls against one guy right?
Hammi was youngest than all of us in the group so we considered of him like a younger brother...we found out that he was born in the desert as his family were previously nomads. However, after he was born his family decided to settle down. His love for the desert grew as he grew older and became a guide for these organised tours. His English was good considering he had never formally learnt English. He learnt the languageafter two years by merely being with tourists on the desert tour. That is a practical examle of how we can learn a language through on the job training.
For dinner, Hammi cooked us tagine-Berber style with chicken, potatotes and chilli which we ate with some bread. It was a simple dish but so yummy especially as we ate further into the tagine to discover the chicken which could only be reached once you reached the middle of the dish.

After dinner, everyone was more relaxed and Hammi tried to tell us some Berber riddles which I can't remember now but it was entertaining at the time.He then decided to show us the wells which were located outside of the tents in the middle of the night. These weren't wells like the ones you might think but more pool of water located underneath the sand i.e. like an oasis.
I tried the water and it was soo cooling and refreshing....no amount of filtering can replicate the natural state of oasis water.

It was summer so sleeping in the tent would have been too hot so we decided to sleep outside in the open space watching the stars....
I have never been interested in astronomy except for watching programmes on how man landed on the moon. But that night, learning about the Big Dipper , the North star and Cassiopeia were amongst some of the stars we saw, I realised at that moment how lucky I was to have the chance to see it in its entirety. While Nabiha and I were chatting we would spot several shooting stars throughout the night...I could not sleep that night as the views were amazing as the stars moved and changed positions.....Even the bright moon was shining brightly down us and changed as dawn approached....

I understood why the desert people didn't want to leave this place as it was so peaceful and if you treat environment kindly, the environment will be kind to you.

As dawn approached, I managed to take pictures of the sunrise...we had intended to walk up right at the top of the sand dunes but the view from the tent was sufficient enough.We were quite tired but the views were spectacular and we tried to savour the moment as long as possible as we had breakfast at our campsite. Hammi entertained us with his art of making mint tea. Basically mint tea is a combination of good chinese tea, good silver teapot, boiling hotwater, sugar and lots and lots of fresh mint tea.

Hammi wanted to take us to visit a nomadic campsite which was 500 m from our campsite. We thought it wouldn't be that far but after taking account of the soft sand and the numerous camel droppings (which looked like little cadbury buttons) it actually took us longer to get there than we thought. We ended up walking by foot but it still took us a while to get to the camp. There wasn't anything significantly different to the nomadic campsite tour site from our own site...they were just normal people with families ..the only difference is the families do not stick to one place...but the who does nowadays...i guess we are all modern nomads in one way or another.

Before the day became hotter we got ready to set off back to Auberge d'Nord on our camels...I decided to sit at the back of the group this time so that I could take more pictures. However the camel I had on the way back weren't as comfortable as the one I had the day before but that was a little price to pay for the pics I got to take....As we rode back..I felt a tinge of sadness as it may be a while or it may be my last time that I get to experience the desert life...it was truly magnificent...

Hammi gave us a parting gift which was a traditional Berber water cooler-which kept water cool and kept us cool during our long drives..







We were knackered (mainly due to the lack of sleep from the night before), however our trip continued as we headed towards Fes. Before we met up with Khalid our driver, we were picked up by another driver to drive us to Minalt where we would meet Khalid. We were entertained by a taste of Berber music which I absolutely loved as you can hear in this video.



Overall, the Saharan desert is truly a magnificent experience despite having to rough it out for the night it is worth it when you get to watch the stars, experience riding the camels and watching the sunset and sunrise in the desert.

Next stop--Fes...

The week I fell in love with Morocco part 3-Valley of Todre Gorges -village of Rissani-Erfoud

In day 4, after a good night's sleep we continued our adventure to visit the valley of Todre Gorges--the shape of this valley is constantly changing due to the weather. Last year , heavy floods took place which had affected the shape of these valleys even further.
Driving through the valley reminded me of the Grand Canyon and would be a rock climber's dream. Maybe I'll pick up rock climbing as my next hobby--who knows.. :)

We spent a good hour just walking along the valleys and watching local families gathering for their day outing in the Gorges. Imagine u could say that u're just popping out for the day to spend a day in the Gorges... there aren't many places you could say that except for places like Morocco.
The water was very clear and cooling--we even saw a few kids jumping in for a morning swim.



We drove to the top of the valleys in order to see a panoramic view of the Todre Gorges..it was breathtaking to see the mix of oasis where there were signs of agriculture in the form of the desert and greenery.

We then continued to drive to the Er-Rachidia region which is on the edge of Erg Chebbi which is the largest sand desert in Morocco.

During our drive we stopped to see the vast number of well dunes along the desert. When I looked at the well dunes it reminded me of the story of Nabi Yusof a.s when he was thrown into the well by his brothers. We were already hot being out there in the desert in the blistering heat for a few minutes so I do not know how Nabi Yusof a.s must have felt being stranded there for days alone before he was discovered by some merchant travellers.

After a long ride on the road we finally reached the village of Rissani where we were greeted by Hafidz-the most well dressed Berber guy I have seen with his cool orange scarf and not forgetting his slippers made of goat fur....Loved it! He was our local guide in Rissani.

Firstly, he took us to the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif -a descendant of I-Hesn d Dakhl and considered to have been the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco. An interesting fact about him was he apparently had 400 wives (I kid you not...this is what Hafidz told me)--talk about being a player right?!

We then headed to visit the Kasbah in Rissani where we met Rashid- a businessman who owned a family carpet business. He visits families living in the Saharan desert who still follow the craft of making handwoven rugs. He was very hospitable to us serving us mint tea and showed us an array of exquisite rugs....Nabiha and I ended up purchasing rugs for us to take home. I look forward to having the rug in my room back home. :)

After a long day--we were then picked up by Muhammad who wouold take us to Auberge d'Nor for our camel trek to our tents that night in the Sahara..This was the part of the trip which I had been looking forward to the most...

So if you're interested to find out what happened stay tuned for part 4. :)

The week I fell in love with Morocco-Part 2 -High Atlas Mountains-Ourzazate-Tinrhir

On day 3, we set off on our road trip through Morocco- our journey started from Marrakech and headed towards Ourzazate. The route took us through the High Atlas Mountains. An hour into the drive, I started to feel dizzy and a bit sick...the morning's breakfast felt as if it would come out again.. it wasn't a nice feeling....

I really wanted to enjoy the scenery as we drove up into the mountains but the dizziness wasn't going away. It reminded me of the time when I was a young girl travelling with my family to balik kampung before highways existed and there were endless country roads which were continuously winding throughout the whole journey. I used to get carsick easily and had to take pills to make the journey more bearable. As I got older, I managed to control it by listening to music and sitting by the car window in order to distract me from feeling dizzy. The car-sick feeling came back to haunt me in the Morocco trip...but I tried to control it and having the fresh air as we drove up the mountains instead of the air cond unit helped me.

Morocco's roads leading up into the mountains were very well maintained...there weren't many potholes as one would see in places like Malaysia. This was because you don't get big trucks travelling frequently along these roads...Most of the mountain people (Berber) still used transportation such as donkeys and horses which meant roads were generally well maintained.

Once I overcame feeling car-sick, I was able to enjoy the views of the mountains of Morocco. I felt truly blessed to be able to witness God's creation of nature and beauty and felt humbled on how small and insignificant we are compared to the mountains that we saw in Morocco. Those of you who appreciate nature would hopefully be able to understand that feeling.We visited the Kasbah near Ait Benhaddou where films such as the Kingdom of Heaven and Gladiator were filmed. The kasbah are villages in the mountains which often have a row of craft shops which are made by the Berber people. We visited the craft shops and I even managed to try out the desert style of wearing a scarf.

We continued driving towards Ourzazate and went for our first Hammam experience. I didn't know much about Hammam before this except that it was similar to a Turkish bath. The Hammam experience was more than that -we received a body scrub by the lady at the Hammam followed by a Moroccan style massage and oils. The body scrub and massage was a different style than what us Malaysians are used to so it was definitely an experience. Would I want to do it again? Probably not. I think I prefer the Malay way of spa treatments.

After hammam we felt tired and famished and stopped over for lunch before heading to Tinrhir. Before we reached our hotel , we passed by the Atlas Studios which is where movies like the Mummy was filmed. We didn't go inside the studio but from what we could see it looked as if it was a larger production house but not as big as Universal studios of course. I can understand why Morocco would be an ideal film location because the mountains and desert has so much to offer.

We reached our hotel in the evening called Kasbah Linmani -which had an entrance that looked very similar to a jail door so for the rest of the trip we referred to this place as the Jail. Inside , however, the place was nothing like a jail. Overlooking our rooms we could see the rocky desert- a taste of what we would experience as we drove towards the Saharan desert.The meal at the hotel was included but in terms of the food we had tasted elsewhere it was so-so...

The next day we headed further into mountains to discover the Todre Gorges which I will write about in part 3..

The week I fell in love with Morocco-Part 1 -Marrakech

For those who know me in person, I love travelling be it with family or friends.
When I was at university, I could only afford budget holidays to Europe travelling to short haul destinations on a limited budget staying in cheap hostels. Although it was often on a tight budget, for me it was always the company which made the trip memorable and enjoyable.

Since I am planning to go back home soon, I wanted to visit Morocco which has always been on my wish list for a long time. When I was a student, a trip to Morocco was out of my budget range so the trip has always been postponed. Alhamdulillah, I am now working and I have been able to save some money for this once in a lifetime adventure trip.

Planning for the trip
Before the trip, my travel buddies and I had a few key places which we wanted to cover:
Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca and camel safari trip to the Saharan desert. This helped us decide on our itinerary.

Initially, we wanted to travel around Morocco on our own in order to save costs but after discussing the itinerary and travelling arrangements we felt it was more economical and more time efficient if we opted for a tour package.

For those of you who are interested in travelling to Morocco and would like to go for a tour package here are a few tips which you may find useful:
1. If you are a Malaysian, you will need to get a visa before you can book tours or flights to Morocco. Getting a Moroccan visa in the UK is pretty straightforward...their office is near Paddington and visa forms are provided there. All you need to provide is four passport photos, a provisional flight and hotel itinerary ,your passport, proof of right to stay in the UK and visa fee of GBP 18.34

2. Tour packages do not include flights so if you know when you would like to visit Morocco try to book the flights as early as possible in order to get the best deals... I went during late summer which was hot but bearable-similar to Malaysian weather but the ideal time to visit Morocco is springtime as it's not too hot and the scenery in the mountains are greener.

3. There are many websites offering tour packages to Morocco. Many of the websites have a set itinerary but a lot of these companies are flexible so if the set packages do not fit with the length of time or the places you want to cover --email the company directly for a tailored itinerary. Most of the time, the companies will try to accommodate your itinerary within your own budget.

4. Shop around for the best tour package deals...it can vary significantly. We emailed about four or five tour operators and the packages varied from 300 to 800 pounds for the exact itinerary so it is worth spending time in getting the right tour package.

5.Many of the tour packages require deposit payment in advance of the trip. Make sure you know exactly what you are paying for. We had all our accomodation, entrance fees , transport costs included in the tour.

6. The local Moroccan currency is MAD (Moroccan Dirhams). You can't buy MAD abroad so you should either take some cash and change at the bank or money changer at the airport or use credit/debit card. Note : there are a lot of ATM machines in Morocco but not many moneychangers so either change your cash at the hotels/airport ; otherwise pay by card but beware you may incur high commission charges.

Day 1&2 -Marrakech

The aerial view of Morocco when we landed was breathtaking...we could see the stretch of the desert and sand dunes followed by occasional riads with outdoor swimming pool. We were excited about the trip just by looking at the view from the plane.

We met our driver Khalid at the airport---I was quite apprehensive before the trip about meeting our driver...Various people have told me that one should be wary with Moroccan men and not to be taken for a ride/conned by them. But alhamdulillah when we met Khalid for the first time we knew that he was a good man and that we would be safe with him.

On day 1, we stayed at Riad Omar which is near the famous Djemma el-Fna square. Riads are houses which have been turned into inns and has a courtyard in the middle which can be occupied by a fountain or any other water feature. It brings natural light into the building. The rooms in Riad Omar were basic and small but it had its own quirky charm. I loved the tiles and architecture of this building. Since the square was nearby we decided to check out Djemma el-Fna. The square got busier as the evening went on...there are various things going on in the square..mainly catered for tourists. One could see snake charmers, storytellers, henna tattoists and various food and drink stalls. We were told before the trip to try out the orange juice--and it was amazing...the BEST freshly squeezed orange juice I have ever tasted and all for just 3 DH a glass. We walked around the square for a bit to enjoy the busy atmosphere before heading for dinner. We walked along Avenue Mohammad V to see the Khartoubia Mosque-largest mosque in Marrakech which looked splendid at night.
As we were all hungry we saw the sign of KFC and jumped for joy...for those of us in the UK we haven't had spicy KFC fried chicken for at least a year so seeing the sign prompted us to go for a KFC night. Even the KFC in London doesn't have the KFC spicy fried chicken. After dinner, we headed back to our riad for a good night sleep to explore Marrakech the next day.

On day 2, we met Rashid our local guide with Khalid. We visited the Bahia Palace built in the late 19th century. Initially, Si Moussa (grand vizier of the sultan) used the palace for his personal use at the end of XIX century, this palace would bear the name of one of his wives. It has a large courtyard and surrounded by rooms intended for the concubines. The architecture represented Islamic and Moroccan style and is closely resembled to the architecture which we would later see in Fes.

Our next stop that day was the Saadian Tomb which dates back from the time of Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603). The mausoleum comprises the corpses of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty and outside the garden his soldiers and servants. The tombs including those of the soldiers and servants were made of marble which strikes me as odd as I thought gravestones would only have tombstones but these were more extravagant as the tombs were made of marble. We saw this again when we visited King Hassan IV's and Mohammad V's in Rabat. Wallahualam -this may be the Moroccan culture.

After visiting the tombs we did a quick tour around the souks which is the largest in Morocco and the Menara gardens before attending Friday prayers at the Khartoubia mosque. Visiting the souks was a bit rushed so we didn't really shop around. We visited a carpet centre in the souk which was way overpriced and so maybe it was a blessing in disguise we didn't shop there as we found better and cheaper bargains in Fes.
We then headed for Friday prayers at the Khratoubia mosque..the mosque was simple inside but looks magnificient at night.
After prayers, we went for our first taste of Moroccan cuisine. Khalid took us to a small cafe restaurant which served couscous and tagine. On Fridays, it is tradition for Moroccans to eat coouscous...I guess it is the equivalent of Brits eating Fish and chips on a Friday. It was the best couscous I have ever tasted and chicken cooked in tagine with prunes was the best we had out of all the other food we had in Morocco that week. Khalid entertained us with his display of serving us Moroccan mint tea which is a must after every meal as it helps relieve the feeling of being bloated after a heavy meal like the one we had.

After a hearty lunch meal, Khalid took us to the Marjorelles gardens which was owned by Yves Sain Laurent-it is a unique garden surrounded by cactuses and buildings with bold colours..the colour blue and yellow was most prominent.

We spent at least an hour there doing various photoshooting opportunities especially for my travel buddies who had lots of fun posing for the camera.


It was a long day as we had covered a fair bit around Marrakech--and we were looking forward to just relaxing back at our 2nd riad which was Terraces des Oliviers. This was one of the best riads we stayed in during our stay...the rooms were massive and the architecture in the buildings were just exquisite..what I love about the riads are from the outside it looks plain but once you get inside it surprises you. There's always so much light coming through the courtyards which brightens up the whole place. We spent the whole night chilling at the Riad since we had a long day drive the next day--it was a good decision because we were well rested for the journey ahead.

22

I kinda like this song..it manages to capture the feeling of those in their late 20s/early 30s who haven't yet settled down and going through the Bridget Jones phase..

When she was 22 the future looked bright
But she's nearly 30 now and she's out every night
I see that look in her face, she's got that look in her eye
She's thinking how did I get here and wondering why

It's sad but it's true how society says her life is already over
There's nothing to do and there's nothing to say
'Til the man of her dreams comes along
Picks her up and puts her over his shoulder
It seems so unlikely in this day and age

She's got an alright job but it's not a career
Whenever she thinks about it, it brings her to tears
'Cause all she wants is a boyfriend, she gets one night stands
She's thinking how did I get here, I'm doing all that I can

It's sad but it's true how society says her life is already over
There's nothing to do and there's nothing to say
'Til the man of her dreams comes along
Picks her up and puts her over his shoulder
It seems so unlikely in this day and age

It's sad but it's true how society says her life is already over
There's nothing to do and there's nothing to say
'Til the man of her dreams comes along
Picks her up and puts her over his shoulder
It seems so unlikely in this day and age

Someone I used to know

Another great acoustic session fromthe truly talented Zee Avi...
No introductions required on the song--the music speaks for itself...

Giving back

"Charity is for those in need"

Any amount of money can never replace the feeling of joy when you know you are able to help and give a little back to those who need it most. Last Thursday, as part of the EY Womens Network I joined with other EY colleagues in helping out at the Breast Cancer Haven in Fulham for the day. The charity opened in the year 2000 from a lady called Sara Davenport whose nanny suffered from breast cancer and wanted to create an environment for those who are affected by breast cancer away from the environment of hospitals which can at times be stressful to cancer patients. As I arrived in the morning at the Haven, I was impressed by the layout of the place. I was expecting a run down building but instead I arrived to a bright airy reception. The day started out with an introduction to the place by the Corporate Fundraiser-Maxine. She is as enthusiastic as you would think a fundraiser should be... We were split into groups and I wanted to help out with the gardening but the slots were taken up quickly by other people. Instead, I volunteered to wash the walls on all the floors around the building....it sounds really mundane but by cleaning the place up gives it a new lease of life.... In the afternoon, my team went to the streets around Fulham sending mail out promoting on the programmes run at the Haven and leaflets outlining what the charity did. When we were washing the walls we visited each of the floors we were able to gain an insight on the facilities available at the Haven. The Haven is a drop-in centre and the building consists of rooms where treatments such as acupuncture or counselling sessions take place. There are also rooms where classes like yoga and makeup classes take place. Each room has a name such as Rose, Lavender etc..which all have a homely feel to it. This was a recurrent theme throughout the whole place. In the lower ground floor, there is a working kitchen where volunteers come to cook for visitors to the Haven and also the staff working there. The volunteers cook recipes catered for visitors with various needs and even sell products (mainly organic in nature) to visitors who are interested.

The Haven offers series of cooking programmes for those who are undergoing treatment or those who have recovered from breast cancer... The volunteers were kind enough to cook us lunch as well. Food plays an important part in someone's recovery from cancer treatment therefore the ingredients used are important. The Haven is one of a kind in London and have expanded in another two locations in the UK. However, opening and maintaining a Haven costs money-fundraising is key... This charity is a small organisation so Maxine explained that initially when the Haven was opened they had to rely on high profile organisations to raise money in a short time. For example , last year they held a function at the Natural History Museum attended by celebrities. The cost of the ticket would only cover running the event therefore the charity relies on people spending money during the night e.g. at the charity auctions. In one night, you could potentially raise at least GBP50k in one night. However, due to the high costs of running the event and times of recession it is not possible to hold such events on a regular basis as people are not willing to spend as much money.

Therefore the Haven needs to expand ther network and raise awareness of the existence of charity. I raised the question whether funding is shared amongst other cancer charities like Cancer Research UK. Unfortunately, funding is not allocated across other cancer charities so each charity is to thier own although they do work together. The Breast Cancer Haven are trying to work with private medical insurance companies in order to provide specialist services with patients under these companies who may need it. In principle , the NHS are suppose to be doing this but due to the intense pressure NHS are already under it is not possible for NHS to provide palliative care to all of their patients. It is not easy to raise money consistently for a cause you believe in but if people believe in what the organisation is doing and feel strongly about it..there is still hope.

Throughout the day, I saw some of the visitors attending the classes such as the yoga classes and you can see from their faces that the Haven does make a difference in their lives. If I won the lottery, I would love to quit my job and spend my time working for various voluntary organisations and actually making a real contribution to this world...in issues such as health and world poverty..

Well, I may not win the lottery anytime soon so in the meantime I am trying to do whatever I can within my means to help out with various organisations... My future intention would be to get involved with the VSO -Voluntary Services Organisation but this may be put on hold after I move back home for good.

A few weeks ago, I ran in the Race for Life charity run at Hyde Park with two of my friends. It was a great day and thoroughly enjoyable...Cancer has affected us in one way or another...I have seen family friends suffered with their loved ones and close friends who have lost loved ones through this disease...The Race for Life day was an event of raising awareness on the disease as well as recognising the lives that have been lost and also to those who have survived through the research in this disease which would only happen through the funds raised by people fighting for the cause.

When I was doing my A-levels I had originally wanted to study medicine and become a doctor. However, I didn't feel that I could face the emotional challenges I would face in training as a doctor.

As corny as this may sound to you, I have tried to be a person who would always try to help people in whatever I can with no strings attached. I would like to think whatever I do is out of sincerity. This can sometimes make me appear as someone who is 'weak' and 'can be taken for a ride' but if that's what people think only God knows what my sincere intentions are. I'd rather be that person than someone who is selfish and thinks of what would be best for them and them alone...

I believe charity can come in any types of form..even a smile is a charitable need. When someone is feeling down-a smile from a stranger can brighten someone's day... I hope those of you who read this article would reflect on whether you try to do a charitable deed however small you think it is. Whatever charitable deed it may be, the impact can be greater than what you think to the particular individual so keep doing it. If you are interested in finding out about the Haven it is on http://www.breastcancerhaven.org.uk

Song of the week-Bitter Heart by Zee Avi

My song of the week--she's a new Malaysian artist making it big in the US...

Sun rays come down as seen when they hit the ground,
Children spinning around till they fall down down down.
I wait for you: it's been two hours now,
You're still somewhere in town,
Your dinners getting cold.
I rest my case you are always this late,
And you know how much I hate waiting around 'round 'round,
Bitter heart, bitter heart tries to keep it all inside,
Bitter heart, bitter heart shadows will help you try to hide,
Bitter heart, my bitter heart is gettin' just a little fragile,
Bitter heart, bitter heart of mine.
And then you come and tell me the same reason as you did yesterday,
So tell me whats her name.
Doo doo da dum, doo doo da dum, doo doo doo doo doo doo da da dum dum, da da da da dum, da da da da dum, da da da da dum.
Bitter heart, bitter heart tries to keep it all inside
Bitter heart, bitter heart shadows will help you try to hide,
Bitter heart, my bitter heart is just getting a little fragile,
Bitter heart, bitter heart of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine.

A great loss to Malaysia...

As I checked my facebook page today, there have been numerous tributes to Yasmin Ahmad.
I am sad we have truly lost an inspiring person and a film director who was a great ambassador for Malaysia in the film scene.

I have not watched all her movies but the ones I have seen like Sepet, Gubra and Mukhsin have always been thought provoking and manages to capture the simplicity of life and addresses the issues which we do not always like to talk about openly.

I will also miss her ads for Petronas which always has a universal message that can be understood by everyone from all walks of life and of every background and gender.

You will be missed and may you rest in peace---"From Allah she came and to Allah she returns"...-Al Fatihah

Let us all make a difference

YOUR support is much appreciated

Love story vs Viva La Vida by Jon Schmidt

A friend posted this music recently and I just fell in love with this piece of music...

On other updates...the weekend is nearly here and the Race for Life run is just round the corner..If you are feeling charitable and would like to make a difference please visit our fundraising page on the left .... We are raising money for Cancer Research and hope to achieve our target of 600 gbp..
YOUR SUPPORT IS MUCH APPRECIATED!

xxx

R.I.P MJ

The last couple of weeks ago there has been media frenzy covering MJ's death and funeral...
His life and death has always been in the media spotlight...

I am not a hardcore MJ fan but I have grown up listening to his music --but there are MJ fans out there who have been devastated by his death...

On Tuesday night , there was a coverage of MJ's memorial funeral service...maybe it's because I'm a Muslim or I have not been following the MJ updates every hour of every day but I found the whole ceremony was somewhat Hollywoodised and more of a show rather than a memorial service.

I saw the last part of the memorial service when Usher started singing Gone Too soon and then Usher started to cry and touching the coffin. I was thinking wtf???! Is this like a scene for a video?! That was enough for me to wonder MJ deserved more respect than this.Maybe I'm being harsh but I just didn't think it was right...something is wrong with this whole setup...

He has suffered so much during his life with the media constantly criticising his every move...and then to have a memorial service -which seemed like a musical show of talents most of the time. Is that right even when he hadn't yet been buried???
I found having a coffin near the stage throughout the whole time slightly disturbing...

To the MJ fans this may be harsh but I felt that he deserved the privacy of a respectful funeral first before having a public memorial service. I hope the kids and the family can be allowed to grieve and not be hounded by the media frenzy which is currently going on..
The memorial tributes should have come afterwards...but who am I to judge...this is just my own opinion...

May MJ rest in the peace wherever you are...His songs will be a legacy and this is one of my fav songs...

Video of the week

Summer is here and to celebrate the good weather here's a song to sing and hum along to...lalalala

"I'm in the room..its a typical Tuesday night...I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like..
She wears short skirts I wear T-shirts, She's Cheer Captain and I'm on the Bleachers
She wears high heels ..I wear sneakers...She's Cheer Captain and I'm on the Bleachers" lalalala

Change for life...

If you had asked me a few months ago whether I ever looked at the calories noted in food packaging...the answer would have been..."what calories..makan je lah..!!"

Maybe since I'm based at DH now I have been more conscious about healthy eating...
At the beginning of this year, I felt that since I'm no longer studying I have more free-time to do the things I enjoy and pursue my interests..

So far this year I have been able to pursue some of those things .One of them was to get back into fitness classes...

Out of the classes I attend, Fight Klub is one of my favs at the moment-the instructor is awesome and so energetic and the music is so uplifting...
I have also started jogging for the first time and it was hard work at first (and still is at times) but the good summer weather in Hyde Park has helped to keep the motivation going..with the additional goal of participating in a charity run just a few weeks away!

At DH, there is a NHS Healthcheck which is an automated service which can provide a quick checkup on the state of your health. I decided to check it out and it is fairly easy and quick to use. The full checkup takes about 20 minutes..The machine works out your BMI, %fat and your bloodpressure. Alhamdulillah, I was healthy but I could lost a few lbs to maintain healthy weight...
I have never been one of those people who weight themselves everyweek..since I thought I would become too obsessed with it and end up not being able to enjoy food.

But my colleague introduced me to a website called www.livestrong.com which is a website started by the cyclist Lance Armstrong. It is an informative website. By using the daily plate tab , you can set your own calorie counter goal and by entering your details , the website can track how much you're eating and counter that with the level of fitness exercise you participate everyday.

I've used the website for a couple of weeks now-although its still fairly early to see whether results are effective it has been really useful. I can track what I eat to even the brand of foods I'm using-it even had milo 3 in 1 as one of its products in the database. The good thing about it is it motivates me to do more exercise-because the more I burn the more I can enjoy the food I like and still maintain my target goal.

With any tools you use : 'you get what you put in' so be honest in what you enter. It has made me realise some of the food I'm eating which I thought was healthy was actually higher in calorie content than I thought. It is certainly teaching me a lot about what food are good for you and which are not as the website also offer healthy alternatives to the food you eat.

It also has an extensive website on the types of physical activites available and the associated calorie you burn if you took part in the activities listed...

The best thing of all about this website is...it is FREE! If you are an i-phone user you can actually have an application which can track your daily routine more efficiently...

So those of you who are healthconscious check out the website and start tracking...

Can you read my pokerface?

Last weekend was the Glastonbury festival and although headlines was filled with Jacko's death and tributes...there were loads of good acts this year..some more surprising than others..
My fav was Lady Gaga's acoustic version of Pokerface-i tried to find the Glastonbury version but BBC have claimed copyrights toit so it can't be watched on youtube...

So alternatively, this is the version she sang in the BBC's live lounge....wicked! She's not just a pop star but this song shows she is a true musician and performer...
Go girl!

Rock on...

When you are in London, you will notice that Londoners often act like 'zombies' during the rush hour in the mornings -many of which will have their headphones or avoiding eye contact and will be in their own world of music/podcast/audiobook reading a London Metro..

I am also one those 'zombies'..and this week was no exception... I had my ipod on shuffle mode this week..and System of a Down -Chop Suey came on which I had not listened to for a while. I first heard this song during Rockband..and the song kinda grew on me...
It definitely was a song that woke me up ready for work...even the first line of the song is..."Wake up! Put on a lil' make up"- if that isn't a pick me up song I don't know what is.... :P

My ex used to go on about this group and attended their concerts (which were a bit too hardcore for my liking). I was never interested in listening to their music...i thought they were just another heavy metal group who just screamed and lots of head banging but I guess this group is slowly growing on me...

I 'youtubed' this group to find out more of their songs and came across this song Roulette which is surprisingly subdued to their normal songs...



And there's a more upbeat song which is definitely a cool song to 'rock out' to in the car...



ROck on!!!!!!!!! Peace!

Melody

My live music of the week....

Place to escape...

I needed a way of venting out my frustration and sometimes anger. Rather than bitching and gossiping to people, I found going to the gym and most recently jogging in the park has helped. I’ve always liked sport but never been a true athlete. At school I preferred team sports like the school hockey team, badminton and netball team. I hated cross country running since we always had to run through muddy terrain and often icy and cold conditions (typical Scottish weather)

Post university life, however, I wasn’t active in any major team sports. As a result, my weight tended to fluctuate up and down which is not good. I went to the occasional gym sessions but was not consistent when I went back to Malaysia for a year. I wanted to go to kickboxing classes at Bangsar but travelling to and fro Sg Buloh and working late in Malaysia didn’t allow me to attend the classes on a regular basis.

I know I will never be able to become skinny even with hours and hours of exercising since I love my food too much. However, it doesn't stop me from staying healthy though..

When I started working in the UK, I got back into the gym classes attending body combat classes. The main reason I liked going to the classes was the music- it’s often upbeat and you can put all the negative thoughts into positive energy through the music. After a few years of doing the classes, I started getting bored though because I often felt were just punching in air so unable to get the maximum impact from the blows.

I’m not a naturally aggressive person but when I’m focused on doing something I want to get the maximum impact in whatever I’m doing so when I’m doing punches and kicks at body combat I felt I was never getting the maximum impact I would have liked.

This year, I decided to be a bit more adventurous so I attended fight club classes which is similar to boxercise where you go through a routine with a punch bag which you share with a buddy or on your own. It’s more fun sharing a punch bag with a buddy because you get to fight against the force of your opponent rather than merely punching a bag. Although music selection is better in body combat, I felt that I can vent out a lot of my frustrations after a long day via the punchbag….and it’s a great workout.

Another way which I’ve found quite good to de-stress is body pump sessions which is not a session you would necessarily sweat but it is good for toning and strengthening your muscles using various weights and cardio exercises. It is another session following rhythm of the music and although you don’t sweat in the session, you are more likely to feel the aches and pains of places where you would never think you would feel pain but it is definitely worth it.
I’m currently waiting for my replacement City of Westminster Resident card which I use to get discounts in the gym so once I get that back I look forward to get back into the classes.

Since summer is here, I decided to go jogging and as a goal I’m aiming to run 5km for charity. This may seem a short distance to some people but considering I’ve never properly jogged for more than 5 minutes on a treadmill I thought this may be a challenge. The first time I tried jogging at Hyde Park, I ran out of breath after 200m ..and I thought how the hell will I be able to run for 5km!

But at least I had a target where I wanted to be and one month on , I’m jogging every two days and running about 5km which I didn’t think I would ever been able to do…
Jogging with my music along Hyde Park and watching the parklife going by helps me to gather my thoughts. Even before I jogged, if I ever needed a place to retreat I would often sit by Serpentine Lake and watch the day go by…

So, maybe this jogging thing is a way for me to escape the things that are going on in my life at the moment…rather than have these negative thoughts I might as well turn this energy into a positive one….