Cricket-A Boring Game?

I will be the first one to admit..
I have never understood why people watch cricket.. until today.

Before this, I've never actually given the game a chance.

I would often quickly switch to another tv channel whenever the cricket was on.

So why should it be any different now?
If I was to be really honest, there was nothing else on tv and I needed a tv-break from studying.

The English players are currently doing well in the Ashes series ( England vs Australia ) and some of them aren't actually that bad looking. :)

Today was the 3rd day of the 4th series test and it was (surprisingly!) an exciting game.
I have a lot of respect for the bowlers especially Flintoff and S Jones. I didn't realise bowling could be fun to watch especially when they try to get the "wickets" ( when they get the batsman out i.e a strike out in baseball's terms)

For those of you who were sceptical like I was before..have a go at watching the Ashes. It's more than about two people running up and down and more than a game of rounders.

For the girls...even if you don't quite get the game some of the guys are quite cute too.. :)

Home is where the heart is

I miss waking up in my room in SB

I miss having breakfast with my dad and saying goodbye to him b4 he goes to work

I miss my little grey Kelisa

I miss not having to think about when I have to catch my next bus or train to work

I miss arguing with my mom over the most randomnest things

I miss my little squarrels with my sis

I miss lepaking at Hartamas and having the bestest mi rebus ever

I miss our family gatherings usually at PJ and how we always come up with any excuse for a makan2

I miss our friends gathering and catching up with the latest gossip over coffee/dinner

I miss the mamak stalls and having tose & teh tarik

I miss having brunch at FAM to have mi kari

I miss my kickboxing classes at Hartamas

I miss my chats with Kak nor

I miss being with the family especially since Nuqman arrived

I miss watching Korean/Japanese dramas on TV3

I miss going to Rahman Putra and going to the gym

Followed by a snack afterwards usually soya bean cincau and rojak buah :)

I miss not having to think about whether I should bring a jacket or an umbrella to go out

Home is definitely where the heart is.....................

My little nephew

Today my sis has finally emailed me a pic of little Nuqman and Ucop has also recently been kind enough to have taken some more pics of him. Kesian tengok Nuqman kena pakai all those tubes. The latest news is he is out of ICU now and hopefully will be able to go home soon! Alhamdulillah he is getting better and the doctors have done a good job :)

Aunty Wati will see u soon Nuqman....

Till then........................

Family update

Yesterday morning, there was a new addition to the CheNik clan: a baby boy called Mohd Izz Nuqman bin Mohd Razifuddin.
I got a text from Abang around 2am...I was so excited I called him straightaway.
When I talked to Abang on the phone, I think he was still overwhelmed with the idea that he is now a father.

My little nephew was actually due to come out on the 20th Aug but I guess dah tak sabar to join us kot....
Currently, Nuqman is in ICU because he caught a lung infection and is being monitored by doctors. All of us are worried right now and we pray Nuqman will get through this. I wish I was back home with the family at this moment in time...............

British way of life....

Today I read in the newspapers on a poll conducted by the BBC whether the majority of British people think multiculturalism makes the country a better place.
The poll results were 32% think it threatens " British way of life " and 54% think parts of the country doesn't feel like Britain anymore because of immigration.

I thought to myself what is " the British way of life "?? Some might describe the British way of life constitute two main things...drinking and football.

At my workplace, a typical Friday night would be everyone heads down the pub to chill out after a long working week. My colleagues would often find any excuse for a celebration down the pub...i.e. promotions or leaving drinks ke...
As someone who does not drink, this is not my ideal way to spend my Friday night but as part of working life you have to show your face once in a while to one of these leaving drinks.

Other people may disagree and believe British life is not all about drinking and football. During my time in UK, I have met different types of people here. Not everyone enjoys watching football in the pubs all the time. I know a few British guys who are not interested in football or would only watch the World Cup or Champions League. There are some friends of mine who would rather go for a nice enjoyable dinner with a few friends rather than being in a smoky pub and getting wasted!

I think we can't stereotype a British way of life..it is diverse and unique.
An example of such diversity can be described even in the food as Chicken Tikka Massala has been voted as Britain's favourite dish. How ironic is that??!

Ode to a stranger

My life is brilliant.

My love is pure.

I saw an angel.

Of that I'm sure.

He smiled at me on the train.

But I ain't got a plan.

You're so handsome.

You're so handsome

You're so handsome it's true.

I saw your face in a crowded place

And I don't know what to do,

'Cause I'll never be with you.

Yeah, he caught my eye,As we walked on by.

He could see from my face that I was,flying high,

And I don't think that I'll see him again,

But we shared a moment that will last till the end.

There must be an angel

When she thought up that I should be with you.

But it's time to face the truth,I will never be with you

My "edited " version of James Blunt's song " You're Beautiful "

Trip to Torquay

The only thing I love about my job is the people I work with and the chance to travel to places I would probably never think of going to visit ( all expenses paid!). This week, I've been working in Torquay situated on the South West of England.
We were lucky with the weather as it was a warm and sunny week. ( amazing considering how unpredictable British weather is like! )

I went to Torquay with my work colleague Bev. We were pleasantly surprised to be there...it was like the British version of the " French Riviera ". After work, we decided to walk along the Torquay Harbour. The town was buzzing with people and it was nice walking along the harbour. There were old couples sitting by the dock watching the world go by, there were families with little kids running around eating their ice creams and there were young couples strolling along the harbour.

I would just love to have a place along the seaside...imagine waking up in the morning smelling the fresh breeze of the sea..........

Torquay was very hilly...our hotel was just a 15 min walk to the beach yet it felt like 30 min walk because we had to walk up a very steep hill every morning but we didn't complain. It was good exercise after the breakfast we had every morning!

Bev had to go back to London on Wed night but I had to stay on until the end of the week to finish off the work. I didn't mind though...

I took the train from Torquay which would pass through Exeter before going back up towards Reading.
The weather was great and the views from the train were fabulous. I took the opportunity to take a few snapshots from the train...

It was one of the best views of the coast I have ever seen.
As the train passed by, kids from the beach were waving at us and making sandcastles...I felt like jumping off and joining them...hehehe

It has been an amazing week...I would definitely love to go and discover more amazing places like this one.......

These are a couple of snapshots I managed to take whilst I was on the train. Sorry...it's a bit out of focus....the train was whizzing along as I was taking the pictures.










My fav pic from the train...:)

Let's make a change

Selected Excerpts from 2pac's (Tupac Shakur ) song- " Changes "

We gotta start makin' changes learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangers
and that's how it's supposed to be
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids but things changed,
and that's the way it is

That's just the way it is
Things'll never be the same
That's just the way it is

I see no changes all I see is racist faces
misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under I wonder what it takes to make this one better place, let's erase the wasted
Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right'
cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight
and only time we chill is when we kill each other
it takes skill to be real, time to heal each other

We gotta make a change...
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat,
let's change the way we live
and let's change the way we treat each other.

You see the old way wasn't working so
it's on us to dowhat we gotta do, to survive.

London-In shock

It started out to be a normal working day for many commuters like myself.

I arrived at Paddington station around 8.45 am oblivious to what would happen next.

The tubes were packed as usual.

I arrived at Embankment station 9.09 am totally unaware that there had been a blast at Aldgate East station.

As I got on the district line tube to Blackfriars, we were told that there were delays on the line. We were stuck in the tube for about 30-40mins..the tube driver told us it was related to the power failure. Most people were unaware that there had just been 2 other explosions on the tube and an explosion on the no 30 bus near Tavistock Place, Russell Square.

The carriage moved in what I can only describe as "jerking movements".

The driver managed to get the front of the carriage to the nearest platform on Blackfriars station. We were then told to move up to the front of the carriage in order to safely get out of the station.

Alhamdulillah, I was one of the lucky ones and I am grateful for that.

As I arrived in the office, my colleagues were on the internet for updates on what had happened. The mobile network was down as everyone was trying to contact their loved ones.

The Met office told everyone working in the City that we were in security alert. We were told to stay put and not to go out for a few hours.

Everyone was shocked ( myself included ) in what happened today.

We left the office early around 3.45pm trying to make our way back home. Bus services and tubes had not yet resumed at the time therefore most people made their way on foot to the nearest railway station.

I made my way to Waterloo station by foot with my friend. It was eery to see that there were no familiar double decker red buses and masses of people walking on foot across the Waterloo Bridge.

I managed to get a train to Reading and made my way back to Slough. Although it took me three hours to get home, I consider myself very lucky compared to what other people had to go through today.

London

London has been in the media spotlight this week: firstly it was the Live 8 concert (which was wicked!) at Hyde Park and today London won the 2012 Olympic bid.

Despite it's unreliable tubes and pollution, I've grown to love London with its people and the 'buzz of the city'.
Even after 5 years in London I'm still discovering new spots around London which is great. My fav part of London is the London Eye.The view of London Eye in the shuttle on a clear day is spectacular.

We heard London won the Olympic bid in the office around 12.45pm via the help of some of my colleagues who logged onto the BBC website to hear the live telecast. After the announcement we saw the Red Arrows team fly over our office...spectacular display! Celebrations had already started early at Trafalgar Square and they will still be partying throughout the night.

The majority of us were pleasantly surprised although there were still a few pessimists who think London can never host the event.

Maybe they will finally fix the London public transport ( long overdue! ) once and for all.
I don't know whether I will still be in London in 2012...but it will be interesting to see how the city will be transformed in the next 7 years..... Let's hope the change will be for the better..

Where do I go from here?

Since results came out last Friday, I have been thinking about my life and where do I go from here.

At the moment I feel fed up..I have put all my effort to succeed and at times I feel as though nothing is coming out of it. It's as if someone up above is telling me that maybe this isn't for me..and maybe I should start thinking about doing something else.

I feel I've been here too long..I have seen friends come and go and I'm practically a 'veteran' here in London.

I know the most 'logical' thing would be to stick with it for another year but I don't know whether I can keep up with it anymore.

At times, I feel I'm wasting my years here doing something I'm not even passionate about. I'm also losing out spending time with my family who I do not see very often. I think I have spent about roughly 15 yrs of my life abroad already...Do I want to spend more of my time here??

A friend advised that I should stick with it to the end...if not I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I know the advice is right. The only thing is I need to have the motivation to keep going..and I don't know if I have that at the moment.

The weekend has been good...did some retail therapy on Saturday and watched Live 8 but Monday is coming..and I have to face the world and make my decision........

An advice that was given to me was this:

" Failure is just a speedbump..not the end of the road.
Your journey is what u make of it..
Put life in perspective ..decide what you want to do in
life and what you would do in order to have the satisfaction in
life"

I hope that I make the right decision.....

Heatwave strikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week has been the HOTTEST week I can remember in London!!

If you have experienced travelling on the tube during the summer months the following may sound familiar:

a) You feel hot and sticky. You come out of the tube as if you have just done a gym workout

b) Getting blisters on your feet from wearing- " those shoes and sandals"

c) Annoyed at the person who obstructs the window at the end of the carriage. He/she blocks any air flowing into the tube.

d) Instead of using the Metro/magazine as a fan don't you think the Underground staff should give us all free mini portable fans instead??!!

e) There should be a ban for guys to travel on the tube without a shirt/t-shirt unless u are a Brad Pitt lookalike. There is no need for you to show off your beer belly..thank you very much!!

London Underground is one of the oldest networks in the world yet Mayor Livingstone & the Underground still have not figured out a solution to this problem!

Yesterday, some tubes had reached temperatures as high as 46 degrees celsius!!

The remedy the Underground have suggested is to encourage people to take showers in the morning. It's shocking this is one of the few solutions they have come up with so far....

Asians are used to taking showers in the mornings anyway so I just find that comment hilarious!

Countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia have been able to install air conditioning sytem on their tubes so when is London implementing a similar system before we all suffer from extreme heat and dehydration on the tubes??!!!

Tok Volvo 

A sad day

Today is a sad day for the family. I received a phone call today from home my tok passed away today. His health had deteriorated in the last few years due to old age but he remained strong right to the end. It is all takdir Allah "He is the one who gives life and also the one who can take it away."

I wish I was back home right now to be with the family. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone there.
I did not spend as much time as I would have liked to with Tok as I have been living abroad most of my life. Throughout the day, I was thinking of the time I spent with him.

When he was feeling energetic we would go for morning walks around the condo and get the morning newspapers. Sometimes, we would just sit kat rumah watching the Star Sports channel cuz he didn't get Astro in KT. Tok can watch any sport but his favourite would have to be bola. Suka sangat tengok bola especially Italian football.

He also taught me many things about the Qur'an. He was the one who inspired me to include the verse 35 of Surah An-Nur in the wedding speech. Everytime I read the verse, I discover a new dimension to the parable.

For those people who do not know why he was called Tok Volvo, I might tell the story behind his nickname for another day.

Tok "Volvo" will be greatly missed by all and may Allah bless him always.

Amin.

papa

Happy Father's Day

It was another working day and as I got on the train listening to my ipod ...

I started thinking about my dad and I've decided to dedicate this blog to him as part of Father's Day :

Papa

I've always admired him. He is my inspiration! ( corny but true! )
A kampung boy from Losong, he went to RMC and trained to be a Naval Officer and has served the Navy for more than 30 years now...
Even without going to university he has embraced life and made the best of the opportunities given to him.
He has sacrificed a lot for the family....he will sacrifice everything in order to give us all a good education and achieve our dreams.
If it weren't for him, I would not have had the chance to experience the various places we've been to and obtain the best education I could have asked for.

He has taught me many things in life:

a) "Never forget your religion and your culture "
b) "Always be humble "
c) " Dalam dunia ni memang ada dugaan....we treat these challenges as a test from God..it will make us stronger people"...
d) " Always be grateful with what you have "

We're very similar in character and I miss our conversations about politics, religion and life. He makes me want to suceed and do the best I can.
Whenever I'm feeling stressed or down with life, I think of his wise words and how much he has sacrificed for me...and I pick myself up again to face another day!

As any daughter would, I want him to be proud of me... so Happy Father's Day Papa!

If ever I feel down about stuff I often think of the chorus in Aaliyah's song -

"Try again "

Chorus:
If at first you don't succeed
Dust yourself off and try it again
You can dust it off and try it again

A great song to cheer yourself up again! :)