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….

There is always hope....

I missed Banksy's art exhibition which just ended a few weeks ago..so checked out his online photo gallery on his website www.banksy.co.uk...and I found the location in which one of the prints I got was originally taken from...love it...

Some people might view him as someone who vandalises property but I think he's a genius...
Each of his artwork has a meaning either political or just life in general...

I prefer his kind of art than some of the other modern art which we see in galleries today....

If u're out there Banksy...keep up the work..look forward to stumbling upon your work around the streets of London soon...

Wanna watch something different?

In recent years j-doramas have lost their appeal in terms of storyline and manga remakes..Also the actors in the j-dramas are not as appealing as they used to be especially those Japanese F4 actors..eurgh!

For me..No one can ever beat Kimutaku's charm and humour as one of my fav Japanese actors

I have moved on to watching k-dramas..i tend to watch the dramas on and off depending on what's on. The downfall of this is when I really like a drama I could watch the episodes non-stop even not getting sleep-it is sad but true....

There has only been two dramas where I've suffered from sleep deprivation Spring Waltz and most recently Boys Before Flowers (korean remake of the F4 series).

Gu Jun Pyo and Geum Jan Di are great in this drama and so is the rest of the cast. Putting aside the occasional screaming and shrieking and some corny and exaggerated scenes, there are scenes where you just feel sorry for Jan Di making it an unresistable drama to watch...

Below is one of the saddest scenes of all in the drama..the song says it all..

Letting go...

I bought these Banksy reprints at Spitalfields market. Initially , I wanted to buy prints which had a similar theme to it but it was only when I got home I realised it was much more than that...

When I hung it up on the wall, the three prints had a message of its own-(or possibly I was in one of my 'deep thinking philosophical modes..')

Message: "There is a point in life when we need to let that one (be it someone or something) which has been close to our heart go and embark on a journey where we are able to move on in order to receive something much greater in return at the end of that journey..."

Contributing to the community-are you?

In this journey called life, we all need someone to look up to as a role model especially those who are less privileged than us..

I believe that these people often need the support and encouragement in order to succeed.
This is why contributing back to the community in schemes such as mentoring is a worthwhile cause.

I am currently involved in the Business School Mentoring Scheme at my workplace. The scheme is in partnership with schools in the London borough. The school which I was allocated to had been performing badly in the last few years but through the mentoring scheme and dedication of the teachers results have improved tremendously.

The scheme is straightforward, each of us are allocated a mentee who would be in Yr10 or Yr 11 in preparation for sitting the GCSE exams.Once a week or once a fortnight we meet our mentee for an hr session to discuss any areas in their schoolwork which they would like assistance on.

My mentee is Sakina -an Afghanistani girl who moved with her family to the UK nearly a year ago. Before she came to the UK she had been moving between Afghanistan and Pakistan with the family. Sakina is one of the few girls who was lucky enough to receive education in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She was able to learn English through after school activities like the English Club.
This has allowed her to come over to the UK and the education system here.

The purpose of the mentoring sessions are to provide guidance to the mentees in their schoolwork in areas such as Maths, English and Science. Before the scheme, the mentees generally are struggling with their grades so as mentors we try to help by providing tips on studying or ways in which they can improve their work.
The teachers also set up after school sessions to help these mentees and we try to encourage them to participate in these sessions.

From my perspective, it is a rewarding experience as when I meet my mentee she is often pleased to see me and both of us look forward to the session.
Sakina is a hardworker and I can see she wants to achieve big dreams...and I believe her family has a strong influence on her as both her parents are working hard to make something of their lives. Her dad runs a takeaway restaurant and her mom is in college learning English. Her family are lucky compared to the other Afghanistani families who do not have the same privilege.

Couple of weeks ago my office held a Mentor Celebration evening to recognise the achievements of the mentees. Both Sakina and I received our certificates and it was an enjoyable evening where I took Sakina around our office to see what our working place is like.

Mentoring is a rewarding experience and it's not just rewarding for the mentee but as a mentor myself you discover things about yourself and able to contribute back to the community..

It is definitely a worthwhile cause which I will continue to participate in...so if there is something which you enjoy doing-think of ways in which you can do it towards a worthwhile cause..

Life is for sharing

This is the latest T-Mobile ad filmed at Trafalgar Square where Pink made a special appearance..

Life's for sharing indeed....

Perjuangan

Last month , Omar and I attended the Freedom Film Festival organised by KOMAS.
There was an insightful movie called " Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka " and I would encourage everyone to watch it with an alternative perspective on what Malaysia could have been and may still be able to be...

This song Burhanuddin Helmy by Black is exceptionally touching with its lyrics...

kuciptakan lagu untukmu
kunyanyikan syair buatmu
tentang perjuangan
tentang pengorbanan

kau yang bertubuh kecil
tetapi berjiwa besar
tegas pendirian
dan berhati mulia

dari utara hingga selatan
lantang suaramu
menentang penjajahan

melawan penindasan

demi untuk negara
demi untuk merdeka
kau sering terpenjara
kebebasanmu dirampas
tapi, jiwamu... tetap merdeka

di atas robohan kota melaka
kita dirikan jiwa merdeka
kata2 azimat darimu
tak pernah kami lupa

walaupun kini jasadmu telah tiada
namun semangatmu membakar jiwa
rakyat malaysia yang tak pernah melupakan
perngorbananmu

It is my song of the week...

Easter weekend in Cornwall

This could potentially be my last Easter break here (if all goes to plan).

There is still one part of the UK which I have not yet ventured which is the southwestern tip of UK in the county of Cornwall....

Cornwall is known to have one of the most beautiful beaches in the UK and is a popular spot for surfers. But I didn't really know much about the place apart from it's local dish which were Cornish pasties...

Eight of us- Edgware Road and d Bayswater crew with Zharin joining us from Liverpool decided to do a road trip to Cornwall for the first time. Ezro (chief organiser) booked us a nice house in the Cornish resort with the aim that we could use the facilities provided in the resort to relax.

While we were 'rockbanding' at no.53 we came up with a number of places worthwhile visiting using the tourguide leaflets Najlaa and Farhan provided for all of us.

And so we were ready to set off:

Day One:Tintagel-Padstow

Everyone surprisingly woke up on time (even Bobby!) and we managed to set off on our road trip on time. There wasn't much traffic (luckily) and we reached our first destination Tintagel Castle (supposedly the birthplace of King Arthur)

Being the jakun people that we were, all of us were asking "mana castle nye...?"-even when we were walking up the steep steps we were still wondering where was the castle..we soon realised that what was left of the castle were just ruins....but the views were breathtaking...

The photo session got underway and we were all clicking away -Bobby had his video cam recording our antics along the cliffs which will be turned into the Cornwall movie..Zharin had his ever loving camera 'glued' to his hand whilst Farhan was trailing behind us sketching in his sketch book to capture the wonderful scenery....

The rest of us were there to soak in the fresh air and sea breeze of the Atlantic Ocean....

We spent probably about 2 to 3 hours there but it didn't feel that long at all because of the sunny weather.

By the time we finished covering Tintagel, all of us were thinking about fooood.....and we walked around the Tintagel village to check out the local delicacies...we saw this cafe with a long queue which is always a good sign....

It was a cafe (probably an old house) with a garden at the back....it was surreal because we were having pasties and Cornish cream tea ( scones with clotted cream and jam with earl grey tea) at the back of a garden on a nice spring day playing with the local cat which looked like the bigger version of 'Millie d cat'...

Next on our itinerary for the day: Visit Padstow
I heard from colleagues that Padstow was famous for its seafood restaurants e.g. Rick Stein's and Jamie Oliver's restaurant are a few chefs who have had an influence in the restaurants around Padstow. A few are highly rated and appear on the Michelin Guide to the best restaurants...

We only had time to have the Rick Stein's Fish and Chips-mine was ok but the guys had the Dory fish which was yummy...

In the evening, we headed to our accomodation which was a house in the Atlantic Reach resort. It was like driving through Pleasantville as all the houses were identical except for the variation in pastel colours found in each house.

It was a self catered accomodation so we headed out to the village to stock up on our groceries...Najlaa and I had our grocery list which will feed the troops for the next few days...It's one of the things I miss living in a house with lots of people. After cooking dinner for the troops , it was time for Ginrami Card session...it's been a while since we all played cards so everyone was a bit rusty. It didn't take long for everyone to bring out the competitive streak...and we ended playing until 2am in the morning -such an addictive game...

Day Two:Newquay
We visited the Blue Reef Aquarium which had received top ratings in the reviews but we were disappointed in what we found. The entry tickets was nearly ten pounds but we didn't think it was value for money since there wasn't much collection to see and the place ain't that big. Nevertheless we made the best of the situation. Personally, Newquay was my least favourite town since it was too crowded and full of groups of people on hen-dos and stag-dos so a bit of a rowdy crowd. The rest of the day we went for a drive to find the nicest beaches around the area but we ended up driving more than we intended. By the time we reached back to our place it was getting late and Najlaa and Farhan became the chefs for the night with Farhan's speciality thai green curry and najlaas ikan goreng masak sambal cili-yummy!

Day Three:Penzance-Landsend
The itinerary for the day was busy since we wanted to cover as much area of Penzance and Landsend as we could...

First stop was St Michael's Mount which over the years had been a monastery to a family home under the National Trust in the present day. If you were lucky , you could spot dolphins swimming around the island at high tide...
When we visited, it was low tide but the views were still amazing. There is a conspiracy theory that Cornish people are descendants from the pirate family but it has not been proven and not widely admitted. But you couldn't help wonder that Cornwall would have been the perfect spot to smuggle things since its strategic position in the mainland.

Second stop was the open air Minack theatre. We heard the views are amazing but we didn't realise that it would be extremely amazing. We saw there was a soft sand beach called Porthcurno Beach. This is one of THE most beautiful spots I have seen in my life. The weather was perfect and we hiked up along the cliffs to reach the beaches. By the time we got there the high tide had come in but we sat for hours enjoying the view. A moment I will remember for a long time...

We then headed to Landsend which is the most southern tip of the UK mainland. I didn't like the commercial aspect of the place as we entered the area. I don't think you need to have outlet shops and amusement area to attract people to Landsend...the natural beauty of the place should be enough to attract people to the area...

By this point, we were pretty tired but we wanted to make the most of the trip so headed to St Ives for dinner-there was a range of restaurants to eat but parking was a problem and the roads aren't the most user friendly roads for a MPV van...we ended up getting take-away: pasties..again!

Day Four: Eden Project-Bude-Sandymouth Beach-London

This would be our last day in Cornwall. Once we checked out-we headed to Eden project-which is a charity with a vision of educating people in ways in which we can look after our environment and ensuring we can have a sustainable future. It was interesting especially the tropical biomes and mediterranean biomes that have built up a typical environment which we can expect in a certain climate. In the malaysian section , they did a good job because it was very similar to us being back in a kampung except animals were missing like the rooster and monkeys..
Unfortunately the weather wasn't pleasant as we got caught in some heavy rain which cut short our trip around the area...

We headed for Bude since some of the guys wanted to buy some souvenirs in the form of scones and clotted cream.... we then headed for Sandymouth Beach which was the rockiest beach we found so far with its huge pebbles..it was high tide so we didn't see any sand. We saw some brave surfers who tried to hit the waves but the waves were too rough and cold for them-the mission was aborted... I respected them for even trying to hit the waters though because it was freezing!

It was then time to go home....the trip was extremely enjoyable : a combination of good company, good weather and breathtaking views....
The trip was complete with our theme song-Lenny Williams -'Cause I love you' which entertained us in the van with the extremely corny lyrics.

Watch What You Say

Recently, a few people have said some hurtful things to me and people that I care about but we do not want to make the situation worse so have kept ourselves quiet.

Some people have taken this reaction as us being 'scared' or 'guilty' which has upsetted me even more...

Maybe it was a 'sign' or mere coincidence but I was sent this hadith this week which sums up that if you haven't got anything better/productive to say or merely want to provoke a reaction from us then please don't bother to say anything at all.....and when we are 'silent' it doesn't mean we are 'scared' or 'guilty' but we do not want to make the situation worse by replying back in a hurtful manner...

Here is the hadith I was sent and would like to share it with you....

Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:
"Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day either speak good or be silent. Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day honour his neighbour. Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day honour his guest."
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Background
This hadith contains the rulings concerning the tongue and the behaviour of Muslims towards others. It also emphasises that we are responsible for what we say.
Imam Haithami points out that this hadith is very similar in meaning to Hadith 13 that says: "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." He says that everyone is a neighbour to someone else. Therefore if this hadith is properly practiced and applied, then there will be a strong bond and love within the society or community.

Lessons
The responsibility of the Muslim regarding what he says is mentioned in the Qur'an:
"Not a word does he utter but there is a watcher by him ready to record it"
[Surah Qaf (50): ayat 18].
There are also other hadiths which state that the Muslim should be careful about what he says. His words can either, if they are pleasing to Allah, raise him to a higher level; or if his words displease Allah, they may cause him to be thrown into the Hellfire - as stated in a hadith recorded by Imam al-Bukhari. This shows that what we say can have a direct effect on whether it will benefit us or not.
One hadith (which illustrates the example of a bad consequence resulting from what a person says) states that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said that a pious man from Bani Israel use to see his fellow man always committing sins. On day the pious man swore to the sinner: "By Allah, He will never forgive you." Allah was displeased with what the pious man said because only Allah knows what is our destiny, whether someone will end up in Paradise or Hell. Because of this, when the two men died, the pious man was punished and put into Hell and the sinner was forgiven by Allah. [Sunan Abu Daud]
What we can learn here is that either we say something beneficial and good or else we should keep silent.

There are many Islamic guidelines which help us to say good things and to refrain from saying bad things, or things which displeases Allah subhana wa ta'ala. When we talk to others, whether it is relatives, friends, neighbours, etc., we should select the best terms/words and say them in a nice way. We should ensure that what we say is clear and easily understood. If we are not careful and we do not choose the right words, what we say may be misinterpreted and may lead to conflicts.
As a listener, we have to listen positively and interpret what we hear in a good way. We should not 'over interpret' what we hear; we should not try to 'read between the lines'. Thus, as a speaker we say things in a positive manner and as a listener we interpret things in a positive manner. By doing so Islam encourages us to minimise disputes and conflicts.

If we find ourselves in the middle of a dispute between two people, e.g. between relatives, we should not take sides. We should try to help and reconcile the differences; try to resolve the problems and end the dispute.

If we are being consulted by someone and asked for our advice, we should try our best to give good advice. What we say should help the person and not add to his confusion or doubt. If we do not have enough knowledge and we cannot provide proper advice, then we should keep silent..
Even if we have information which, as a result, may add to the person's confusion, we should keep it to ourselves.


We should keep away as best as we can from unnecessary or non-beneficial talk. People can talk or chat for hours but a lot of what is said is unimportant or trivial and does not benefit anyone. It wastes our time and this continuous talking may even lead us into areas where we might say something which displeases Allah subhana wa ta'ala.


When it comes to saying good things, there are many examples available: dzikrullah (remembrance of Allah), reciting the Qur'an, du'a, giving advice, etc. These are all things which are pleasing to Allah.

When we meet people who are sick, sad, feeling down, in a low frame of mind, etc., we should say things that will make these people feel better, have patience in facing their calamity, be positive, be strong, etc. This is known as al-muasah - to say good things of encouragement to help those facing problems; to not make them panic. The scholars have defined sabr (patience) as 'to refrain from panicking' - to refrain from being out of control - and to refrain the tongue from complaining.
Complaining, e.g. simply saying that the weather is hot, will lead us to impatience; it can affect our attitude and hence our work. If we want to lament we should lament only with Allah. If we do it with Allah it is munajah - it will turn into ibadah. If we do it with others it will be complaining (tashakki) - we will be violating the ibadah itself, which is sabr. So we should learn to minimise and ultimately eliminate the act of complaining.


We should refrain from saying bad things or things which may be untrue. When we hear some news, we shouldn't simply repeat it or spread it without first verifying if the news is true. This could lead to us spreading lies or rumours. We must refrain from:
spreading rumours, especially those that will cause harm to the community.
slandering, back-biting, etc.
sarcasm and making fun of others - this is one of the most common social ills today. It is a sin to make fun of others.


Sometimes we may encounter a situation which involves fitnah or al-fitan. We have to be careful of what we say. There are people who will take advantage of the situation and they may say things which may worsen the situation. When there is fitnah, people are in a panic and might believe anything. That's why we have to be careful of what we say because it may add to the people's fears and problems. What we should do is to help by saying positive things that will give the people hope; to uplift them and motivate them to face the problems; and not to make it worse.

What is important to you?

What are the important things in life?

1. Honesty: It is the key to any relationship...-if you don't have honesty , there is no trust and if there is no trust then..you're heading for an uphill struggle....

2. Communication: Talking is key-not everyone is a psychic -if something is bothering you then you can't bottle it all inside. Frictions occur when people stop talking ..

3. Strong Values: Whether you're religious or not, you need to have values on what is right and what is wrong...therefore if u ever stray the path there is always a way back...

4. Success: It does not necessarily come in the form of money or power...-it may be one of the signs of success but is not the ultimate success...material things can come and go. One day u may be the envy of the world and the next it could all be taken away from u in a flash

5.Happiness: even if you have all the money and success in the world-if u can't share it with the ones u love then it is not worth having. Be happy and content with what you have...

6.Family : the bond between a family can never be broken-families may fight at times but the saying 'blood is thicker than water' is true...we have to be united. Friends may come and go but its the family who are usually there when the going gets tough....and the tough gets going...

Be-Muse-d

In the last couple of years , my friend had introduced me to this band.
I know-I'm a late convert to their music......but it's never too late right?
These guys are awesome LIVE.......especially from this Wembley show...
The lead singer must be one of the most talented musicians alive- he can sing, write, awesome at the guitar....
I think the performance of New Born at Wembley is one of the top performances....
Everytime I listen to their music-I discover more things I like about them.....never get bored of their music....
So enjoy! Will u be be-Muse-d?

Weekend with Will

Ivy and I finally got our act together and planned to finally go up to visit Will in Glasgow. Will is my ex-colleague from HCW who is now running his own family business there.
All three of us are no longer working at HCW but through the power of Facebook we've all managed to still keep in touch with each other.

I took advantage of the BA airmiles I've clocked up to fly there- we flew from City airport which is convenient especially if you are flying to the airport from work. (note to self: book flights from City compared to Stansted or Gatwick which is too far....)

Will was the perfect gentleman as he greeted us from the aiport without us having to wait long at the arrivals area. By the time we reached his flat it was running pretty late so Will gave the grand tour of his place.
Both of us were well impressed-he found a lovely flat which characterised the Glaswegian architecture with the Victorian-style houses and tiles. I wanted to take pictures but I don't want to embarass him :)
Of course his place was full of his IT gadgetry, his surround sound system and even rockband! But we didn't get a chance to rock out that weekend......busy enjoying the scottish scenery.

It was nice to have a long chat that night-I'm glad he has toned down in the boozing but still being the Will we knew all that time ago....(sarcastic yet never failing to entertain us)

In advance of the weekend, he was apprehensive on how he was going to entertain us and show the best bits of Glasgow especially for Ivy who had never visited the place before. We wanted to bring Ivy to Edinburgh but it was rugby weekend and we would have been spending most of the time in traffic.
Instead, we decided to go for a day trip visiting Loch Lomond & Loch Fyne just outside Glasgow. Will drove us up to visit a village called Luss- our timing could not have been better as we saw a Scottish groom getting married that day as he arrived - we felt like we were gatecrashing but they didn't mind as they posed for the cameras as they arrived.


Next stop: We visited the National park and took some amazing scenery-the beauty about Scottish scenery is it is always changing in the season -it is now winter coming into spring so we could see a range of colours coming through which was amazing.

Lunch: We headed to Loch Fyne Restaurant which has a couple of chains in London but this was the original one. Fresh oysters are farmed in Loch Fyne which is facing the front of the restaurant. The restaurants in London of this nature can sometimes appear to be posh so I was pleasantly surprised the Scottish chain had a more homely feel to it without compromising the taste in the food.
The speciality of the restaurant are the fresh oysters and mussels. I've only had oysters once previous to this but I was totally loving the oysters we had that day-so fresh! Will showed me the best way of eating the oysters- slightly loosen the oysters from the shell-squeeze a bit of lemon and put on a bit of tabasco and let it just slide in your mouth without chewing it-amazing!

After the amazing lunch-we drove onto Inveraray -a maritime village. I'm not sure what it is about looking out to seas and rivers but I just love the sea breeze and looking out onto the sea-it has a very calming effect on me. My dream house would be one that overlooks out into the sea where you can just walk out to the beach at anytime. All the worries of the day will just flow away as you take in the views.....-wishful thinking! hehe

To drive back to Glasgow , Will took us onto the ferry back to Greenock. As it was dark by then we couldn't take in the views but it sure was cold! We didn't stay up at the ferry too long before heading back into the car to stay warm hehe.

All of us were pretty knackered by the end of the day, but we decided to head out for dinner as Will showed us the nightlife of Glasgow in the West End. We went for drinks at the famous Ashton Lane -this is a little alleyway with cool and quirky restaurants and pubs.
We then headed to Spuntini- an Italian tapas restaurant which had recently opened there. Many Italians moved to Scotland and settled there which explains why there are so many good Italian restaurants in Glasgow. I really liked the concept of the restaurant-good choice of tapas that night...we were stuffed with the choices.....

The next day, we decided to have a look around the Glasgow city centre-so many things have changed since I was last there about ten years ago. There was another shopping centre called Buchanan Galleries which is a bit like Westfield. Glaswegians definitely know how to shop-it is the 2ndmost popular destination in the UK for shopping....
We went for brunch at Princes Square which is my favourite spot in Glasgow -with its cafes to chill out....

After walking around the city centre it was time to fly back down to London-Will was great and a true gentleman who looked after us the whole weekend........ Thanks! :)






Scotland will always have a special place in my heart since my teenage years was spent in this place. Recently , I found out that my secondary school-Bearsden Academy in Glasgow is about to be demolished....

http://www.bearsdenacademy.e-dunbarton.sch.uk/news/default.asp?storyID=14

Sad but true but things move on and the school is in need for refurbishment.......

Ku Mohon

This is dedicated to a close friend who is going through a tough time at the moment
Stay strong and my thoughts are with you always....

Same same but different

This issue has been on my mind for a while but I've never had the opportunity to write it down...

Most of the time , I feel blessed to have the type of upbringing I've had but throughout my life I felt I never quite fit in.

I've always led a nomadic lifestyle ever since I was born-constantly moving from place to place following my dad.

I moved to Rhode Island in the US when I was 7 where I started my kindergarden education. That was the first of many occasions where I experienced being the only Malay girl in a foreign environment having to adjust to new people and new surroundings. I still remember that first day in school where I stood up in front of the class and introduced myself as "Hi, I'm Wati from Malaysia". I could sense most people in my class didn't have a clue where Malaysia was and why my name sounded so weird...
I'm not complaining for the opportunity living in America since my memory of Rhode Island were of happy times.I was lucky to visit places like the White House, Niagara Falls, Disneyland and many others with my family.

After a year in the US , we went back to Malaysia where I stayed in KL for a short while. I attended school at my aunt's primary school in PJ. I experienced culture shock -I cried at my first day at school because I hated the state and smell of the toilets in the school-(it sounds so petty now that I think of it)
In the next few months, my brother and I went for home tuition classes at my aunt's house in PJ but as soon as I was settling down in the school it was time to move again to Sitiawan in Perak. I attended an all girl's convent school but moved to a mixed school as my parents thought it was a better school. My childhood friend I can remember at the time was Ayu- we hung out and played around the neighbourhood. Fun memories but after about a year it was yet time to move again-back to KL.

There, I met other kids in a similar situation as me staying in the armed forces headquarters (MINDEF) and attended Bukit Bintang Girls School (BBGS). I made friends there but I never really had the chance to settle into the school as it was only a few months before the whole family was posted to Glasgow, UK.

If someone were to ask me whether I had close childhoods friends back then-I would probably say no because I never really had the chance to know people long enough to develop that close friendship bond.

Reflecting back on my time in Scotland-it was of fun times most of the time where I had neighbourhood friends who also went to the same school as I did. We were close especially Pat, Vanita, Gemma and I. But, deep down I felt an outsider. I wasn't British and my parents were traditional in my upbringing in that I wasn't allowed to stay up late going clubbing and drinking which were pretty normal in those days for teenagers growing up in the UK.(but saying that I'm sure Malaysia probably has the same teenage scene nowadays-I guess I just had a protective childhood back then)

When I moved to do my A-levels in Edinburgh, I was (again) the only Malay (muslim) girl in the whole boarding school. I made some good friends there but again I always felt I was missing out on knowing what being a Malaysian really is. I often described Malaysia as a wonderful place but did I actually have the right and the knowledge to really know what being a Malaysian really is?

Throughout my childhood when my dad was posted in Glasgow, I rarely went back to Malaysia -maybe once every two years. Even then, it was only during the school summer holidays and stayed with my aunt and spent time with my cousins. It never felt like I really knew Malaysia except for doing the touristy things.

I chose to continue my uni education in London-maybe it was fate but I was blessed to stay in the uni halls where my flatmate was a Malaysian- I met more Malaysians through her,my uni course as well as joining the usual Malaysian clubs. It was an eye opener for me because I never really had proper Malaysian friends before this. My three years at university were the most enjoyable time of my life so far. I felt independent travelling around Europe and learning to live with other people.

My first proper relationship was at university and people found it surprising that I was going out with a Malay. People assumed that I would go out with a Mat Salleh but I was never really interested with British guys-I think the culture gap was too big for me. However, I do understand why Western guys can seem appealing at times as some Malay guys can be insensitive jerks at times (but then aren't men like that anyways at times irrelevant of which ethnic origin they are from?)

Post graduation: due to the work climate at the time I took a year out to go home to Malaysia while trying to get chartered training back here in London.
My year in Malaysia was long overdue-for the first time in my life I was able to spend time in Malaysia for more than three weeks!
Initially, it felt like a holiday-I was able to spend time with my family and I also experienced working in Malaysia. I got a taste of the crazy working culture in Malaysia and met new people other than my uni friends.
I realised pretty quickly that there was still lots of things I didn't know about living in KL- let alone Malaysia.

Soon I felt suffocated-I was used to come and go as I please in London-stay out and meet whomever I wanted but back home it's more restrictive. I needed to account on where i was going, what time I was due to go back. It was like being back in school. I understood that it wasn't because my parents didn't trust me but they couldn't accept that I am no longer a kid and I needed my freedom. Compromise and tolerance was required from all of us in the family to make living bearable and I think towards the end we were close in reaching some sort of compromise.

In terms of my spiritual faith, there were things which I did in the past which i regretted but I tried to put that behind me and my inspiration Moez changed all that for me during that year I was in Malaysia. He inspired me to change my ways and become a better Muslim. I soon realised however, that there were other Malays who didn't understand this side of me. Trying to make your faith stronger should be a sign of a favourable trait in someone but I felt certain people found this off-putting and stereotyped you in a certain category.


When I moved back to London and started working life, I was lucky to have great workmates but there was always this barrier. British working culture revolves around the pub-it's a place where they socialise. We go to coffeehouses or mamak stalls to lepak but here people go straight to the pub on a friday evening. My workmates were understanding when I explain to them I don't drink but again it was difficult to fit into this working environment. At the beginning, I attended all the working drinks but as the years go by, there were times where I made excuses of why I didn't attend the leaving do's or made reasons of why I wanted to leave early.

I often wonder do I fit better in the life here or back home in Malaysia? Even at my current workplace, I am the only Malay girl in a large global firm. Throughout my whole life, I had to adjust in different environments and meeting new people but I can't help feeling when will I feel a sense of belonging?
Does the feeling ever exist? Is there any one out there who had a similar background to me?

I think most people go through life trying to discover their identity. When I read Barack Obama's book "Dreams of my father"-Obama went through life trying to discover his own identity as a mixed race American and fighting the prejudices of people (both black and white) and fighting for what he believed in. In the end,he just learnt to accept that he was who he is and proud of it.

I'm not comparing myself exactly to Obama per se, but what I'm trying to say is everyone goes through life with different background and different life experiences searching for that sense of identity.
Maybe I will never find that sense of identity-I keep on wondering...

I'm hoping whoever I settle down with Insya-allah will learn to accept that I am who I am. Is that too much to ask?

Brit Awards 2009

It was the Brit Awards night:

Performance of the night was Pet Shop Boys winning Outstanding Contribution to Music award- they definitely put on a great performance especially his duet with Brandon Flowers from the Killers (looking cute on the night if I may say so *wink* )



Yes...finally! Kings of Leon receive the recognition they truly deserve as Best Group and Best International Album for "Only by the Night"

My favourite album of 2008...the songwriting and melody to this album is beautiful-credit to the group for doing a great job on this album.
I love you guys and hope to see you in the next tour!

For most people, Duffy may have been the winner of the night but I'm not a fan of her music so for me it was Kings of Leon night!

Dear....

The day London turned white...

In London, the weather forecast is usually pretty dull-mild weather, rain and the odd spot of heatwave in the summer months.
Londoners are known to be pessimistic folk so when it was forecasted London would be hit by snow -no one quite believed it. We're used to anti-climax-and the forecasters often over-exaggerated the forecast anyway.

Despite the weather warnings, everyone in London did get caught out in the snow a couple of weeks ago. It happened from Sunday evening onwards-snowflakes started coming down steadily but most people thought it would probably stop in the next hour and the snow wouldn't lie...
But the snow kept coming down...and went on ...and on....and on....throughout the whole night.

I had spent that Sunday with No.53 crew so by evening time it was snowing too heavily to get back home so I ended up spending the night at their place.By midnight, the snow was already a few inches deep.
It was a strange feeling playing snow that night in the middle of the road. The inner child in me just wanted to start building a snowman and playing snowball fights with my friends. It reminded me of the snow we used to get in the 90s when I was growing up in Bearsden, Glasgow :)

The next morning, I walked back home as it was still snowing. Usually, Monday mornings are associated with words like "hectic", "rush","monday blues" but that Monday was somehow different.

Paddington was covered in white and there was hardly no one around. A few people were struggling to walk through the snow on their way to the station only to find that the stations were closed but most people had just decided to stay in for the day. I found it peaceful walking back home and people actually acknowledged each other in the streets talking about the snow-if u've been in London before you would know that its very rare where strangers would just go and talk to you in the middle of the streets in London without thinking you have some dangerous motive in mind.

I did try to go to work in the morning but by the time I reached Baker St station , Jubilee line was closed so rather than getting p****ed off with waiting for the next train to come along I decided to head back home.

The rest of the day was spent taking pics round my area and heading to Hyde Park to meet my friends. The No.53 crew did a great job of building the tallest snowman in the park that day-I wish I had been able to join them in the process but I was struggling with the so called 'penguin walk' trying to get to the park along the icy pavements. I managed to reach on time when the picture session was taking place.

In the news, some people were complaining about the lack of London's transport system who were unable to cope with what the rest of the World would say a 'lil bit of snow. But I think for most Londoners that day-we were just happy to have the day off to have the snow experience and momentarily forget about the doom and gloom of the recession that is facing the UK at the moment. From my point of view, I think the next day most people were rejuvenated than anything else from the snow experience to go to work and face the challenges of the day.

The weather has continued to be unpredictable but nothing could compare the snow we had that day...

Slumdog Millionaire

It's been a while since I had a great movie night until I went to see Slumdog Millionaire.
Yes People- do believe the hype!

This is one of the best movies in a VERY long time.

Before Christmas , I saw the poster trailers of the movie being displayed across the red London buses but didn't take much notice of it. I thought it was just another Bollywood movie.

It wasn't until a friend posted the film trailer on his site which made me want to watch the movie.


The Bayswater crew and I decided to watch the movie at the Everyman Cinema at Hampstead with its comfy two seater couches. I love this cinema-we can get drinks and snacks ordered and brought to us before the movie starts. Due to the lack of parking spaces in the area we didn't have time to enjoy the pre cinema experience but we're hoping to go there again for the next outing -Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie which will come out next week.



Returning back to Slumdog Millionaire movie- it was directed by Danny Boyle who has directed a wide range of movies from 28 days later to Trainspotting to name but a few.


The main cast were not A-listers but this movie is truly magnificient. It is based on a book written by Vikas Swarup about a boy from the slums of Mumbai called Jamal who is on the verge of winning 20 million rupees in the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire but is caught by the police for alleged cheating on the show.

The show goes through a series of flashbacks of his life as he answers each question in the show. The movie focuses on the life for Jamal, Salim (his brother) and Latika (Jamal's love).
It gives us an insight of the way of life living in the slums of Mumbai. As the director describes the slums-it is a thriving environment which is constantly changing in its unique enterprising way.

The real stars of the show for me were the slum kids who played Jamal, Salim and Latika's character when they were kids. These were real slum kids who had been picked by the casting director.
The good thing I found coming out of this movie is these slum kids are now been taken in by charitable organisations and will hopefully be able to grow up and able to achieve their aspirations and dreams. A proportion of the box office takings are going towards setting up a Foundation to help the slum kids of Mumbai.
So please do not go download this movie or buy pirated Dvds because the money you spend in the cinema is actually going to a worthy cause.

The scenery of India is truly maginificient in this movie -the film crew had a tough time filming through the crowded streets of Mumbai but the results were truly spectacular.

Here's a trailer of the movie- Go watch it if you haven't already!
I love this track too by M.I.A