Journey of our life...

Salam Ramadhan

2010-08-10T13:31:00.003+01:00

‎"Salam...saya 'SYAABAN'.Saya ingin mengingatkan bahawa sahabat kita...'RAMADHAN' akan dtg menziarahi kita sekeluarga bila2 masa sahaja lagi. Dia dtg bersama isterinya iaitu REZEKI dan juga 2 anaknya ...SAHUR dan IFTAR serta 3 org cucunya iaitu RAHMAT,BARAKAH dan KEAMPUNAN.Mereka akan pulang selepas 30 hari dgn menaiki pesawat TAQWA airlines.

Marilah kita menyambut dan menghargai kedatangan NYA.." (Sufi Amam, 2010)

1st week of January

2010-01-07T17:27:00.003Z

Since 2008,i always remember the first week of January...both me (Eryna in my tummy) and faizal just arrived in Durham...it was on the 5th of Janaury at about 11 am we touch down at Newcastle Airport...I can still feel the anxious moment getting through the visa checking and meeting new Malaysian friends in Durham...it was a new beginning for our family...it was a memory that I will not forget...

For 2010, we are still here and its our 2nd year...with god's willing, 2011 will be anoher memorable year for all of us...as for 2010, me and faizal have to work very hard to complete our studies...do pray for us...

Another date that i will remember starting this year will the 14th January, it is the date one of my best friend, TERK @ Aznita will be leaving Malaysia to accompany her husband in Jeddah...will miss you girl...as I told her, all things happen for a reason and you have to be brave to overcome all obstacles...be brave my friend...with the new technology,we can easily chat...so just buzz me...i am always here for you...

Let's hope 2010 will be a better year for all of us...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

2010-01-04T19:03:00.003Z

A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010
Hope this New Year brings you....
Hopes for a bright future,
Affection and Love,
Peace for the heart,
Prosperity that’s unlimited,
Year-round fun........

winter in durham Dec 2009

2009-12-21T09:33:00.004Z

Here and there...

2009-12-15T19:09:00.001Z

Long over due updates

2009-12-15T18:54:00.003Z

hello everyone...

it's been a long time not updating my blog...pity my blog, silence for a moment...
here i'm back again...let see where do i start...

september 09
started class and yes being a student again...pursuing my MBA..wish me luck guys...had class every day from 9am-1pm plus discussion in the afternoon...went team building @ Borwick castle and was away for 2 nites...

ila and ila were here to help me for a while....we celebrated eid together...baked cakes, cookies, cupcakes etc...went to several open houses n malaysian raya gathering at keenan house...

accidently left my purse at the computer lab and luckily someone with a kind heart took and kept for me...

october 09
class on as usual...submitted my 1st assignment...
busy with discussion for boardroom exercise...
ila and ina went back to malaysia...:(

november 09
busy with classes and discussion
had our pre-boardroom and boardroom exercise...well done to my team...
submitted another assignment...
celebrated faizal's birthday...
celebrated raya aidladha @ fisher house...

december 09
attended classes...
winter break is around the corner...
had a surprise birthday party...
submitted 2 more assignments...that's it for the term...
going for short break during christmas..can't wait...

i guess that sums up all this that had happened during the past few months...
take care all...

Pics for viewing...

2009-10-12T16:52:00.001+01:00

Updates during Fasting month

2009-09-04T18:11:00.007+01:00

Time flies so fast...today is already 14 Ramadhan...syukur alhamdulillah till todate everything went well...here there is no pasar ramadhan, so i have to think of the menu everyday but lucky me, faizal is not a fussy eater....everything laid on the table he eats...lets see, what have i cooked till todate...emm, we had roti jala, samosa, kuih keria, onde-onde, cucur ikan bilis, kuih kacang, bubur jagung, bubur kacang, choc moist cake, cokodok pisang, kuih ketayap,apam balik,nasi briyani ayam, nasi ayam, nasi lemak ayam berempah, soto ayam n other lauk pauk...wah not bad, variety of foods cooked by chef yazmin :)...

On 290809, we had our Malaysian community Iftar at Keenan House...there were variety of foods on the table as it was a potluck event...i brought mee goreng mamak and there were lots of food such as ayam percik, pecal, nasi/meehon/pasta goreng, pizza, kerabu mangga, roti john, mee ladna,murtabak,nasi tomato etc...there was also a merdeka choc cake baked by kak zarina...the cake was yummy delicious...

020909, my twin sistas celebrated their 24th birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY to them...semoga panjang umur dan murah rezeki...cepat cari kerja & lepas ni boleh belanja kita org pulak...

030909, a friend of mine delivered a beautiful baby girl...CONGRATULATIONS to shifa & zariman...

Ramadhan Al Mubarak

2009-08-20T16:20:00.004+01:00

Selamat menyambut kedatangan Ramadhan & Selamat menunaikan ibadat puasa...bersyukur kita kepada Allah swt kerana dengan limpah dan rahmatnya kita dapat bertemu kembali dengan Ramadhan yang mulia...moga Ramadhan tahun ini kita semua mendapat keberkatan dan rahmat dari Allah...

010809 till 090809

2009-08-15T12:41:00.004+01:00

My cousin, Aan came to Durham for 9 days after her Euro trip...we were excited to meet her as it has been quite a while not seeing her...we fetched her at the train station and good girl Eryna was happy to meet her aunty :)...on her arrival day, we did not do much as we know she was tired except bringing her to our friends birthday celebration...the next day we managed to bring her to Dalton Park for her to do her shopping and thereafter to Seaham...on 030809, we decided to just laze around in the house and the day after we went to Durham town...the following day we went to Newcastle...brought her to Metrocentre, Millenium Bridge and had fish and chips for lunch... we wanted to also bring her to Angle of the North but due to the road works which closed the junction, she had to just wave from far...maybe next time around will be bring you Aan...after two days of relaxing, we went for rasberry picking and to the park...the weather was fine and all of us had fun...090809, we said goodbye to Aan and we sent her off at the train station...

We hope Aan had fun staying with us and enjoyed all the food that i cooked...

Birthday celebration

2009-08-06T15:02:00.002+01:00

190709 - Kak Zarina and her daughter, Izzah

the food on the table was delicious...there were meehoon/nasi impit soto, rendang ayam, meehoon goreng, nasi minyak & ayam berempah, dadih, agar-agar, aiskrim malaysia and cakes...i brought my cute cupcakes and the kids love it...eryna really enjoyed herself by playing with the friends...we really had fun chit chatting with friends...here are some of the pictures taken during the event...

010809 - Aisyah, Nusaibah, Anis and Ain

another invitation and as usual not to mention the variety and mouth watering of foods on the table...there were cakes, all sorts of desserts, lasagna, nasi arab, meehoon soto, nasi impit with kuah kacang, meehoon goreng etc...this time around i brought my chocolate muffins...we ate, we laughed, we helped and all of us went home with a full stomach...again pictures for viewing...

Sayonara 130709

2009-07-15T08:58:00.004+01:00

On 130709, we went to Newcastle Airport to send off Kak Sham and Kak Marlina's family...Kak Sham is back for good to Singapore and Kak Marlina will be in Malaysia for 3 months accompanying her husband for data collection...

To Kak Sham and family

Thank you for the friendship and panjang umur jumpalah kita lagi...

and not to forget also thank you so much for the chairs and foods...

To Kak Marlina and family

Selamat bersuka ria dia Malaysia...

bila raya nanti makan ketupat, ingat kami di sini...

insyaallah harta di Durham akan dijaga sebaik mungkin...

140709

2009-07-14T17:34:00.004+01:00

Every year on this date, we celebrate our 3rd anniversary and Tok Dad's birthday...

HAPPY 59th BIRTHDAY TOK DAD...

semoga panjang umur dan murah rezeki...

we all love you so much...

HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY TO ME AND HUBBY

may our love bloom always and forever...

sayang awak sangat...

010709

2009-07-01T19:35:00.002+01:00

It's July already...half year of 2009 is gone...next month fasting starts...oh cepatnya masa berlalu...btw CONGRATULATIONS to Aunty Ila and Chu Rai for passing their exam...now, both of you have to concentrate with your dissertation and insyaallah you will complete your studies in September...

It's summer and currently the heat wave are here...it's hot and we have to switch on the fan to cool ourself...

take care

Just the 3 of us

2009-06-23T19:33:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone...sorry for not updating the blog...was busy as my parents were in the UK for 2 weeks...they were here from 060609 to 200609...let's recap my parents holiday trip...

Syukur alhamdullilah both of they arrived safetly at Heathrow Airport on 060609 and we waited them at the arrival gate...Eryna was happy to see her Tok Dad and Tok Mum...she was smiling and being cheeky as always...bila tengok Eryna je, hilang penat my parents...from the airport, we headed to Aunty Ila and Chu Rai's house in Surrey...both my sistas just moved to their new house...cantik rumah dia org...siap ada backyard garden lagi...Eryna syok jalan sini sana...we had dinner together, I cooked masak asam pedas, ikan bilis and kentang berlada and sayur campur while Aunty Ila and Chu Rai prepared chicken soup and ada additional sambal terasi (thanks to Indah, sememangnya is menyelerakan bila makan dengan nasi panas..yumyum..)...the next day, we went to Portsmouth and spent the whole day there...the weather was fine and we had fun...adalah shopping sikit2...for dinner, my parents invited Aunty Ila and Chu Rai's friends who had helped them masa dia orang pindah...we had kari ayam, mushroom omellete, kobis goreng and salad...on 080609, we went to London by train...during lunch hour, we met my cousin, Azreena and she brought along krispy kreme doughnuts and we had fun eating together...this time around in London, we just walked at Oxford Street and did some shopping...before went home, we had dinner at Bonda cafe...the next day, we went to Working town and in the afternoon we drove back to Durham...

In Durham, we brought my parents to the usual places, Durham town, Dalton Park etc...Aunty Ila and Chu Rai were with us for 6 nights and on 150609, both of them headed back to Surrey by train...on 160607, we brought them to Newcastle-Angle of the North and Gateshed Millennium Bridge...for lunch we treated my parents with fish&chips...the remaining days in Durham, both my parents relaxed at home or walked to Langley Moor town...

On 190609, we drove up to Surrey...traffic was bad and it took us about 6 hours (normally it taked about 4.5 hours) to arrive there...for dinner we were invited to Dr Samsidar's house...nasib baik dia tak kisah we sampai lambat...her husband commented that its normal to have a bad traffic on friday night as people are rushing to reach their destinations...on the night itself, we again packed my parents bags to ensure that the luggage weight is under control...on the last day, Aunty Ila and Chu Rai brought us to Guildford town...gi jalan2 sat pastu balik for lunch...we cooked ikan goreng, kurma ayam and brocoli goreng...pastu we relaxed and had tea...around 530pm, we headed to Heathrow airport...syukur alhamdullilah masa check in semua ok...

On 210609, my parents selamat sampai Malaysia...

To mum and dad, thank you so much for the lovely things from Malaysia...hope you had a pleasant stay in the the UK for 2 weeks...our house is back to normal...Eryna dah tak boleh manja lelebih...miss u so much...

More pics..

2009-06-17T15:03:00.001+01:00

Happy viewing...

Mum and Dad in UK

2009-06-13T19:40:00.003+01:00

Sorry for no updates...my parents and sistas are in Durham...will update later...enjoy viewing the pictures first...take care...

Trip to Sunderland...

2009-05-10T15:35:00.004+01:00

Yesterday we went to Sunderland to have tea at Kak Elvi and Abg Naseem's house...after eating and talking, Abg Naseem suggested that all of us go to the beach...the scenery was beautiful and it was really windy...there was a small park nearby the beach for the kids and as usual Eryna had fun playing on the swing...after that, we went to the national glass museum...since the weather was getting colder and all of us were tired, we decided to go home...we had fun in Sunderland and maybe next time we could bring others there for sight seeing...

Good Luck

2009-04-26T23:45:00.003+01:00

GOOD LUCK and ALL THE BEST to

Aunty Ila and Chu Rai for their coming exam...

Study hard and doa for the best...insyaallah all will be ok...

If you are stress, just look at Eryna's picture...I am sure she will help to ease your tension...

From us ...Kak Min, Abg Faizal and Eryna

Goodbye Kak Zu and family

2009-04-23T15:49:00.003+01:00

Last Friday, the Malaysians organised a farewell gathering for Kak Zu and family as they will be heading back to Malaysia for good on the 270409 after being here for 4 years plus...our congratulations to Dr Talib on his achievement...as usual, it was a potluck gathering and there were variety of foods on the table...as for me, i brought mee goreng mamak...all of us had fun during the gathering and for sure we will miss Kak Zu's cookings...

Yesterday, we invited Kak Zu and family for tea and I served them mee rebus, popiah goreng and cupcakes...Kak Zu gave me a donut cutter as a gift and I am so happy because after this my donuts will be shaped properly...

Today, we went to Bowburn to help Kak Zu and family to load their things in the container...most of the Malaysians were there to help...after loading session completed, we headed to Kak Marlina's house for makan-makan...its fun eating arounded with a lot of people and Eryna enjoyed the most as she met all her friends...

Eryna @ 13 months

2009-04-21T12:35:00.002+01:00

My little girl is 13 months today...at the moment, she has started to walk but she is still not confident to walk by herself...I guess in a few weeks time, she will able to do so...she loves to go to the park and her favourite is the swing...she understand to simple instruction and if I say No, she will quickly crawl away...she recognised her Aunty Ila and Chu Rai's faces...my oh my she is growing well...

Easter break

2009-04-15T13:56:00.003+01:00

On 270309, both Aunty Ila and Chu Rai arrived Durham and was here for 2 weeks...time flies really fast that 2 weeks felt like several days only...during the 2 weeks, we managed to celebrate Eryna's birthday party, went picnic at the park, went shopping of course :) and more...Eryna was pampered by Aunty Ila and Chu Rai...everything that she wants, whe will get it...a few days before leaving back to Surrey, Indah came to visit us and was here for 3 nights...hopefully our guests had a pleasant stay in Durham and till we meet again...

Last Sunday, Faizal went for his weekly football and both me and Eryna tailled along. I brought Eryna to the park nearby. Eryna had fun playing with the swing, slides etc...luckily the weather was fine but towards late evening, it was getting colder and we decided to go home...

Eryna's happy faces at the park...

Picnic at the park

2009-04-03T10:12:00.004+01:00

Eryna @ 1 year old

2009-04-03T10:04:00.004+01:00

Another birthday celebration

2009-04-03T09:39:00.004+01:00

On 270409, Auntie Ila and Chu Rai safely arrived Durham...so the next day, €we again celebrated Eryna's birthday...Eryna was happy during the party and wanted to taste all the foods that were on the table...being a loving Aunty Ila, she gave Eryna a taste of all the food and her favourite was her birthday cake...yum..yum...the menu for the day were char keow teow, murtabak, pizza, kuih bakar and tiramisu cake...while eating we watched a malay movie 'Selamat Pagi Cinta' and continued with 'Los and Faun'...all of us had fun especially Eryna cause she received presents from Aunty Ila and Chu Rai...Not to forget, the £££ from Nenek Yim and Tok Dad...as usual, pictures for viewing...

Cheeky Eryna

2009-03-22T20:19:00.002Z

Happy 1st Birthday Eryna Batrisyia

2009-03-21T19:59:00.006Z

My dearest Eryna is 1 year old today...thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes and presents...Eryna had fun the whole day...dont worry Aunty Ila and Chu Rai, we will celebrate Eryna's birthday again when you are here in Durham...Eryna is awaiting for her present...

At 1 year old, Eryna can stand and is trying to walk...she wants to eat adult foods...she loves music and animations...Eryna can point at her bottle is she wants milk...she will scream if we take something that she is interested with...she knows its time to go out if she wears jacket and shoes...she likes to play swing at the park...she can clap, wave and do flying kiss...

Snow - February 2009

2009-02-07T22:08:00.001Z

Here and there...

2009-01-31T20:12:00.004Z

Activity

Since we could not decide what to eat, we decided to explore for new recipies...after surfing the internet for ideas, we managed to try two new recipies which are Faizal's favourite, BigMac and beef steak...the preparation for both foods were quite simple and the results were not dissapointing...the BigMac tasted similar like Mcdonalds and the beef steak was like Pang's western corner at Uptown...

January

On 5th of January, it marked our one year stay in the UK...so there's two more years to go and then Malaysia here we come...insyaallah...I still remember when our families and friends bit us farewell at the airport...at that point of time, both me and Faizal felt sad to leave everyone back in Malaysia but in the other hand we were happy as we will embark to a new experience in life...Back then, I was 7 months pregnant and lucky me everything was fine during the journey...

Silent...

2009-01-23T15:23:00.009Z

Sorry for no updates...Was busy relaxing,cleaning the house and playing with Eryna...Everything is back to normal...Just the three of us at home...No more Aunty Ila and Chu Rai to make noise and manjakan Eryna...Luckily Eryna is fine when her beloved aunties went back to Surrey last friday...I guess she understands...Don't worry Eryna, your aunties will be back in Durham in March...Can't wait for them to come and celebrate Eryna's first birthday...

Let's recap what did we do when Aunty Ila and Chu Rai were in Durham...

kitchen activity - baking and decorating cupcakes...

salon activity - cut and trim both mine and Faizal's hair...

outing activity - Durham, Machester and Newcastle

makan2 activity - to much to list

To Aunty Ila and Chu Rai, hope you have a pleasant and joyful stay in Durham...Eryna says thanks for the pocket money...Hope to see you in March...Study hard...See ya later...ta-ra...

Nothing much to update at the moment...Eryna is growing well and she's 10 months old...She is able to stand and loves to move about here and there...Her favourite toys are handphone, tv remote control and laptop...cyber kids I guess...

Newcastle

2009-01-13T16:14:00.006Z

Yesterday we went to Newcastle to do our groceries...But before that we dropped by at Metrocentre shopping mall...Just gi jalan2 cuci mata sbb tak berapa sale sangat...Then we did our groceries and headed to Lahore Grill to have our lunch...Ina had fish and chips, Ila ate fried chicken, Faizal had cheese burger and I ate Chicken Kebab...Sorry no pictures as we were hungry...Since we have yet to visit the Millenium Bridge, we decided to go there...The view from the Millenium Bridge was superb and beautiful...Here are the pictures taken during our visit...

2009

2009-01-03T20:28:00.014Z

Welcome 2009 and bye-bye 2008...it has been a wonderful year for our family...we started of by flying to UK in Jan 2008 while I was 7 months pregnant...It was a new experience for both me and Faizal as we were far apart from our family back in Malaysia and have different responsibilities i.e Faizal as a postgraduate research student and me a full time housewife...came March 2008, we got a new family member, Eryna Batrisyia and my mum and Aunty Jah stayed with us till May 2008 for my pantang...my cousin, Azreena all the way from London came and visit us in April 2008 and in July 2008, Charlie from Ukraine came to Durham for a week and we went to Manchester...September 2008, we fasted the long hours in UK and celebrated our 1st raya with Eryna in October 2008...we also went to London to meet my dad and sistas...daddy was with us in Durham for a few days...in December 2008, Shikin and family visited us together with my darling sistas...we had fun in Edinburgh and Manchester...

On the other hand, updates on Eryna...she is 10 months old this month..she can now sit and start to stand on her feet...she smiles when i bring her food...she can wave to people especially to nenek and tokdad back in Malaysia...she babbles and make noises...can't imagine that in two months time she will be celebrating her 1st birthday...i still can imagine the day when i first held her on my arm...they grow so fast, don't they?...

Let's hope for the best in year 2009...semoga apa yang kita doa dan hajati dimakbulkan Allah...

Eryna's latest picture...

December 2008

2009-01-03T00:31:00.010Z

Hi everyone...it's been a while not updating our blog...let's see, what we were up to...on 161208, my sistas safely arrived from Surrey by train and two days later, my cousin, Shikin n family arrived Durham...they were in the UK for 2 weeks...since we had guests, we bawa them gi jalan-jalan around Durham...every shop was having massive sale, so apa lagi shikin n family seronok shopping...they managed to feel the closing down sale at woolies up to 90% tuh...on the 241208, we drove to Edinburgh as Shikin n family have planned to visit Edinnburgh castle...we started our journey at around 1030 and reached our destination at 1415...we straight went to the hotel to check-in but unfortunately we have to wait till 1500 as per the scheduled time...while waiting, Shikin read the Edinburgh castle pamplet and noted that the castle will be closed on christmas day...so all of us rushed to the castle and Shikin n family managed to visit the castle...since all the tourist attraction and shops were closed on 251208, we went sightseeing at Edinburgh town...Edinburgh was empty and filled with tourist...it reminded us of KL during raya time when KLCC is filled with indon, bangaladeshies...it feels like we owned the town:)...the next day, boxing day we went to Livingston Factory Outlet and did our shopping spree...all of us managed to get the things we wanted especially Shikin...penuh gaklah boot kete...after having fun spending our money, we went back to Durham and on the way home we bought pizza for dinner...281208, we went to Dalton Park for Shikin to complete her shopping... 301208, brought Shikin and Bad to Newcastle jalan-jalan...on New Year's eve we headed to Manchester as Shikin n family will be leaving to KL on 010109...in Manchester, we met Alya and she cooked dinner for us...thank you to Alya and Shazlan for the lovely dinner...the following day, we ronda-ronda kota Manchester and had lunch at halal Indian restaurant in Rusholme...thanks to Shazlan for ordering the delicious food...at 1600 we headed to Manchester airport to sent Shikin and family...my oh my, ingat dah awal pergi check-in tapi sebenarnya tidak, dah ramai yang datang awal before us...however, syukur alhamdullillah all went ok and no problem occured...after Shikin entered the boarding room, we left Manchester and headed back to Durham and safely arrived at 2000...see how busy we were during year end...to Shikin n family, hope you have a pleasant stay in the UK and kalau ada rezeki lebih boleh datang lagi...our house dah tak kecoh2 lagi and the most we miss is gael saying kaka, tuttut, lori and heliko...luckily my sistas will be in Durham till mid Jan09...sunyilah rumah bila semua dah balik nanti...huhuhu....

as usual, pictures for viewing...

Raya AidilAdha celebration - 141208

2008-12-15T15:48:00.004Z

On Saturday we had our Raya AidilAdha celebration at Keenan House...As usual its a pot luck concept and all the ladies showed their cooking skills...the food spread was marvelous...let me list the food based on my memory...there was murtabak (ni mmg sedap sgt cam mkn kat msia), nasi beriani, nasi kerabu, nasi ayam, ayam panggang, lasagna, mee kari, roti jala with kari daging, nasi impit,lemang and rendang, choc donuts, pau kaya, choc cake, caramel, agar-agar gula hangus, samosa, brownies, kek batik and cupcakes (my contribution)...My cupcakes was one of the first to finished as i guess the kids was tempted with the coloured cream...Sambil makan-makan, ada persembahan from the mums, dads and kids and also pertandingan busana muslim and hafazan al-quran for the kids...Overall we eat, we laugh and we had fun...

Been tagged again

2008-12-10T15:44:00.005Z

Here are my answers Kak Nani

What were you doing 5 years ago?

Graduated my degree and started my 1st job at MIDF

What were the 5 things on your list to do today?

prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner
play with eryna
clean the house
surf the net
watch CSI

What are the snacks that you enjoy?

maggi
tuna sandwich
crumpet
waffle
crisp/ doritos

What are 5 things you do if you are a billionaire

perform umrah and haj
sedekah to the needy
shopping stuffs that I like
travel around the world
build a house for my parents

What 5 jobs you've had

practival trainee at ITTAR
executive at MIDF
homemaker
?
?

Who are the 5 person you want to tag

fuzah
melia
rahilah
qathy
ajezack

04.12.2008

2008-12-04T17:40:00.002Z

Today I am one year older and the day started well as it snowed from morning till noon...At last, it snowed as I imagined...Today was also Eryna's 8-12 months check-up, at 10.30am off we went to the clinic to meet the health visitor...Syukur alhamdullillah Eryna is growing well...She is now 7kg and 68cm long...After the check-up we headed to the holiday park nearby our house and played with the snow...Eryna was happy when we put her on the snow and managed to take some pictures to capture the moments...After enjoying ourselves with the snow, we decided to go back home as we were freezing...poor Eryna but I guess she had fun...

When we were at home, Faizal brought out my birthday cake and we had our normal simple celebration...The cake was delicious...Today I am officially on leave from any housework including cooking...Therefore, we ordered pizza...

Cold

2008-12-02T16:09:00.003Z

The cold weather has begun...daytime can be five degree and below and at night it can be zero degree and below...My oh my, what can I say...I'M FEELING COLD...Everytime when we decide to go out, I have to make ensure Eryna is well dressed for the weather...Luckily she has no complaints wearing her thick cloths together with her gloves and cap...At first she was confused as before this it's just simple clothing and a jacket...

It snowed 2 weeks ago but at our place the snow was not that thick...Hopefully it will be a white christmas this year and then we can all play with the snow...Can't wait for Ila, Ina, Ikin, Bad and Gael to be here in Durham middle of this month...Yeyeye, Eryna will have more friends to play with...Actually tak sabar gak christmas ni sebab nak gi boxing day shopping...hehehe...

Enlightenment- Durham International Light Festival

2008-11-11T15:51:00.005Z

Enlightenment is a stunning and truly international light festival celebrating Durham’s religious and industrial heritage. Four new light-based artworks show Durham as viewed through the eyes of two very different cultures. The installations are a fusion of cultural identities, creative styles and methods of working. The individual pieces take their inspiration from the sacred texts, iconic images and traditions of Durham and a number of Eastern societies.

The major pieces will be supported by Intermittent, a light trail of smaller installations, projections, film works and light boxes which will illuminate shop windows, bars and office spaces across the City.

I've been tagged

2008-11-07T10:01:00.003Z

I have been tagged by Kak Wan. Well, here goes:

The Who’s

Who Was The Last Person You Talked To? my hubby

Who Knows The Most About You? my hubby again

Who Can Make You Laugh No Matter What? eryna i guess with her cheeky moves

Who Can You Always Count On? my hubby, my parents and my siblings

Who Has Your Heart? my hubby

Who Is or Was Your Favorite Teacher In School? to much to choose

Who Is Your Best Friend(s)? fazliana, terk, qiah, noi, gina, ag, fuza, melia, dayah

Who Loves You? my hubby, my parents, eryna of course and my family

The What’s

What Is Your Favorite Song At The Moment? chasing pavement, adele

What Are You Looking Forward To? eryna to walk and to be a student again

What Is Your Favorite Color? forever red

What Website Do You Visit Most? My blog, my friends blog, facebook etc.

What Is Your Favorite Smell? baking cake and bread

What Is Your Favorite Movie? romantic comedy

What Makes You Mad? waiting for people

What Curse Word Do You Use A lot? i do not curse

What Kind Of Phone Do You Have? Nokia N80

What Was The Last Song You Listened To? the new sheila on 7 songs, terpaksa dengar sebab hubby suka dengar

The When’s

When Was The Last Time You Went To The Mall? last month

When Did You Talk To Your Crush Last? this morning

When Do or Did You Graduate? 2002...lama dah tu..kena belajar balik ni

When Is The Next Time You’ll Do Something Fun? in december i guess when my cousin and sistas are here in durham

When Was The Last Time You Ate or Drank Something? not yet, waiting for hubby to have breakfast together

When Is Your Birthday? december girl

When Was The Last Time You Went To The Movies? long time ago

When Is Your Parents Birthday? may 14 and july 14

When Were You In The Car Last? yesterday evening, went to tesco to do some shopping

When Will You Be 21? everyday

When Will You Be Taking Your Next Vacation? in december during christmas with my cousin

The Where’s

Where Do You Live? At home

Where Is The Best Place To Be? malaysia

Where Was Your Last Vacation? london

Where Were You Born? UK

Where Is Your Best Friend? busy working in Malaysia

Where Was The Last Place Your Were Besides Your Own House? Durham town

Where Do You Think You’ll Be In 10 Years? back in malaysia and will be busy with work

Where Is Your Cell Phone? upstairs on my bed

Where Are Your Parents? in malaysia

Where Was Your Display Picture Taken? durham town

Friends

2008-11-03T18:57:00.009Z

Looking at the pictures above reminds me of how much I miss my friends back in Malaysia.

Autumn in Durham

2008-11-02T19:27:00.003Z

Birthday hubby

2008-11-02T17:32:00.014Z

Yesterday Faizal celebrated his birthday for the first time in the UK. If we were in Malaysia, for sure I dah belanja Faizal makan kat Chilies. Since we are here and there is no Chilies, I cooked Faizal's favourite meal and bake my delicious chocolate brownie. Lepas makan both of us kekeyangan and just lepak in the house. Eryna seronok tengok the birthday cake and nak ambik gambar pun nak tengok cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU DAD...
WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH...

from Min and Eryna

Here are some pictures taken. Happy viewing.

Trick or treat...

2008-10-30T19:43:00.002Z

Just now, our door was knocked by a kid and we were nervous on what he wanted. While we tried to get our keys, the kid went away. Actually tonite is Halloween nite and we kind of forgot about it. Usually on this night, kids will go around the neighbourhood to collect their chocolates/candies. We felt bad to the kid who knocked our door as we sincerely wanted to give him some chocolates/candies. It's an experience to us and hopefully next time we will be more prepared. Eryna can also join the fun.

Updates

2008-10-25T21:26:00.003+01:00

Life in the UK

everything is in order, weather dah start sejuk and later kena start pakai winter clothing again...OMG the day will become shorter and the night will be longer...BORING!!!...

Baby Eryna

she's 7 months old and is trying to crawl...started weaning and she loves it...

Faces of Eryna

2008-10-13T22:38:00.001+01:00

Holiday trip

2008-10-13T20:43:00.003+01:00

Eryna finally met her Tok dad and beloved aunties. They arrived safely at Heathrow airport on 04/10/2008 and on the same day, we drove down to Hertford (4 hours drive from Durham) to met them. At first Eryna was confused to meet new faces but later she played happily with them. Aunty Ila and Chu Rai seronok main dengan Eryna, terubat rindu nak main together as before this asyik tengok thru webcam aje. Tapi I guess they tak puas main dengan Eryna as the following day we went to Surrey to send them. We helped my sistas to unpacked and arranged their things at their room and later in the evening, we drove back to Hertford. The next morning, we went to London pulak to register Eryna at Malaysian High Commission and to do her passport sekali. We took the tube from Cockfosters and the journey to us about 35 minutes to reach Hyde Park Corner station. Nasib baik masa we all pergi kat High Comm tak ramai orang. Later in the afternoon, we went again to the High Comm to collect Eryna's passport. While waiting for her passport to be ready, we went to Oxford Street and had lunch at Edgware Road. Thanks to Tok dad sebab belanja makan kat Melur restaurant. Terubat rindu nak makan Char kuew teow. On Tuesday before we left to Durham, we singgah Surrey again to say goodbye to my sistas. Tok dad was with us for 6 nights but rasa cam sekejap je. During his stay, we brought him jalan-jalan kat Durham and Newcastle. He managed to eat fish and chips which he say kena makan everytime bila datang UK. This morning we drove to Manchester to send Tok Dad off and on the way home we dropped by at York Designer Outlet to cuci mata. Mid season sale belum start lagi so tak beli apa-apa except baju for Eryna at GAP outlet. Here some of the pictures taken during our trip.

Hello

2008-10-10T13:31:00.005+01:00

Sorry for not updating our blog...kind of busy at the moment...my dad is here in durham...will update later kay...take care everyone...

Eid in Durham

2008-09-30T19:04:00.009+01:00

We celebrated Hari Raya today, which is one day earlier than Malaysia.We got to know regarding the date from the London mosque before break fast.Lucky me, I have already prepared the ingredients for my cooking. This is the first time I cooked for Eid as usually in Malaysia, I will only assist my mum. As usual in the morning, Faizal went for prayers and after that we headed to Bowburn community hall to join other Malaysian for our Eid gathering. Since its a potluck gathering, there was variety of foods such as briyani gam with ayam masak merah and pajeri nenas, laksam, mee rebus, nasi impit with kuah kacang, masak lodeh, dessert and cakes. As for me I brought chicken pitta and chocolate cake. Eryna siap dapat duit raya lagi from the Malaysian society. After the said event, we pay a visit to Abg Asmady and Kak Jaizah's house and had pulut kuning with rendang and kuih raya. We had a fun day celebrating Eid in the UK especially with our dearest daughter Eryna. Some pictures taken during the gathering.

Cheeky Eryna

2008-09-22T15:26:00.001+01:00

Iftar @ Keenan House

2008-09-14T10:28:00.008+01:00

Yesterday, we had a potluck iftar with our fellow Malaysians at Keenan house...Most of us turn up for this event with their specialities...therefore, the spread of food was marvelous, kind of like buffet at hotels...there were nasi lemak with sambal sotong and sambal tumis petai, pizza, nasi kerabu, mee hoon sup, laksa penang, lauk - rendang ayam, ikan asam pedas,ayam percik, varieties of kuih-muih and cakes, fruits and lots more which i can't actually remember...as for us, we brought nasi minyak with acar sayur and daging dendeng...

While the parents are busy eating, the kids were happily playing outside at the parking compound...feels like raya celebration...terasa macam kat Malaysia lak... Eryna was happy as she met her friends...although at times she was grumpy as she was sleepy...

This activity was fun and the coming next event will be the aidilfitri celebration... Here are the pictures taken during the event...

Ucapan Salam Aidilfitri

2008-09-08T11:28:00.017+01:00

Link1 - Utusan

Link2 - Berita

Fasting in the UK...

2008-09-04T15:26:00.009+01:00

Alhamdulillah kami selamat menjalani ibadah puasa di UK...For time being, Imsak is at 3.56am and maghrib is at 7.51pm...but time imsak and maghrib berubah-ubah setiap hari...imsak will become later while we will berbuka earlier everyday...but, more or less we have to fast for about 17 hours...luckily the weather here is cold taklah rasa sangat masa yang panjang tu...Eryna pun bangun masa bersahur...1st day buka puasa we had nasi ayam and samosa...2nd day we had rice with beef brown sauce with vegetables and telur dadar...3rd day, we had rice with ayam kentang berlada and mixed vegetables, cucur udang and cekodok pisang...Called home yesterday and miss all at home...teringat masa buka puasa with the family...mum will always make sure the food is ready and lay on the table before buka puasa...dad will always be early at the table to wait for the azan...me and sistas will be at the table a few minutes before azan...those were the days...

Ina Ila drink for me air tebu and air mata kuching...
Charlie eat for me roti john...
Dad eat for me pulut panggang and tepung pelita...
Mum eat for me kuih lopes and bubur pengat pisang, jagung and pulut hitam...

Selamat berpuasa...semoga puasa kita mendapt keberkatan dari Allah SWT...

Note: Happy 53rd birhtday to Ayah and 51st to Mak on 4th & 9th September respectively. Have a pleasent birthday during Ramadhan this year.

Ramadhan Al Mubarak

2008-08-29T13:15:00.004+01:00

Yup...Ramadhan is just around the corner...in a few days time all muslims will be fasting...as said earlier, this is the 1st year both me and Faizal will be fasting in the UK...at the moment its a mixed feeling...a side of me feel happy to be fasting in the UK but in the other hand, i feel sad...i am going to miss performing sembahyang terawih at masjid Aminah which i have been doing since primary school...miss buka puasa with my family of course...petang2 pergi pasar ramadhan with my dad and sistas...not to forget, break fasting with my fellow office mates...fuzah, melia, rizal, kak liza, dila, ilyana...its a routine for us to breakfast together each year...so guys, this year do eat for me ya...

This is also my 1st year fasting as a housewife...nampaknya tiap2 hari kena fikir menu apa nak masak...kalau dulu balik kerje je, semua dah ready...for the past 5 years, I have been working and during that time I really look forward for the fasting month...its the only month that I am able to go home early at 4.30pm...Those were the days when me and Faizal will take the lrt to office and breakfast at my mum's house...seronok tau balik awal...if not tiap2 hari balik lambat and dah gelap...

This year will also be Eryna's 1st time celebrating Aidilfitri...

Selamat Berpuasa...

080808

2008-08-08T21:33:00.013+01:00

080808...what a nice date...i guess a lot of people would choose this date for their wedding and i bet in Malaysia, sure banyak wedding nak attend on this date...here i the UK, it seems the same as other ordinary day...

We would like to congratulate our dearest cousin, Arizah who is getting married on 100808...welcome to the club...wish we were in Malaysia to celebrate your big day and to have fun eating the delicious wedding food...since we could not attend your wedding, do send us your wedding pics...

Updates on Eryna, she can now turn and smile/giggle when we play with her...pantang letak mesti dia pusing...nak tunjuk skilllah tu...she is now fun to play with and sometimes leka main dengan dia...she doesn't like to be left alone...

Ramadhan is coming soon...This year it will be the first year, me and faizal fasting abroad and celebrating Aidilfitri in the UK...Hope everything will be ok although i have to admit that i will miss home and the people we love back in Malaysia during this occasion...

Eryna's latest pics...

Eryna is 4 months old

2008-08-02T22:32:00.006+01:00

Barbecue @ Hamsterley Forest

2008-07-30T10:59:00.003+01:00

Last Saturday we went for a Barbie with our fellow Malaysians at Hamsterley Forest. About 20 families joined the function plus the bachelors gang. It was sunny the whole day, in fact, the temperature was about 27 degree celcius. There was a lot of food to choose as everyone brought their own delicacies. There was also games for kids and adults, and also lucky draws. Unfortunately, we didn't won any that day! Anyway, we had fun and came home with a full stomach. Eryna was also happy to see her friends.

Memorable month

2008-07-16T11:35:00.005+01:00

We already half-year living in the UK. Wow, time flies. With Eryna around, everything seems to pass so quick. At least tak la boring sangat. Eryna is growing well and getting cuter day-by-day. Now she really love to smile and laugh especially when we call her name. Charlie left to London on the 12 July via train to continue his journey back to Ukraine before going back to Malaysia later.

On 14 July, we celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. We drove to Newcastle to had our lunch there. Susah sikit nak cari makan yang fancy2 kat sini. On the same day, daddy celebrated his 58th birthday. Semoga panjang umur and murah rezeki. This month also, there's more birthday celebration in our family. On 16 July - Yanty, 20 July - Charlie, and 22 July - Adik Fared. Happy birthday to all of you from us in Durham, UK.

Old Trafford

2008-07-11T16:46:00.003+01:00

On Wednesday, we went to Manchester. So far, sinila yang paling jauh we dapat jejak kaki since we arrived in UK. The only place that we manage to go at Manchester was Old Trafford. Since Faizal so obsessed with Man Utd, we spent almost 4 hours there. We took the Museum and Stadium tour and window shopping at their Megastore. So expensive la the merchandise, just dapat tengok2 je la. Just beli sikit as souvenir. Maybe in the future we need to stay overnight so that boleh jalan2 to other places as well.

Charlie's coming to town

2008-07-11T15:17:00.005+01:00

Last Friday, Charlie arrived at Newcastle Station at about 5.30 in the morning. He'll be here with us until next Saturday. As usual, we all brought him around Durham town, MetroCentre and Dalton Park. This time also we manage to bring him to St. James' Park Stadium, home venue for Newcastle United.

Happy faces...

2008-06-24T14:10:00.001+01:00

It's summer time...

2008-06-09T12:03:00.005+01:00

The summer has arrived. Panas gak rasa macam kat malaysia tapi the wind buat rasa sejuk sikit. Time ni pun seronok nak bawak Eryna keluar. So tunggulah for more new pictures of Eryna's outing soon.

Balik Malaysia?

2008-05-30T15:23:00.004+01:00

We went to Bowburn this morning to help abg. Aneese and kak Anisah to load their things into kontena sbb they all dah nak balik Malaysia. Tp when we arrived, barang2 semua dah angkut masuk (maybe because they don't have much things to bring back home kot...). About half of the kontena je penuh. After that, adala makan2 sikit and dapatla jumpa other Malaysians yg dah lama tak jumpa and they also excited dapat jumpa Eryna.

Eryna Look-alike Meter

2008-05-28T22:59:00.001+01:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree

My girl

2008-05-23T16:33:00.002+01:00

Note: Congrats to my cousin, Shikin and Bad for their newborn baby girl.

Eryna's first video

2008-05-20T22:01:00.002+01:00

Farewell dinner on 17 May 2008

2008-05-20T19:28:00.004+01:00

Thank you to mummy and a.jah for their help during min's pantang. Hope both of you have a pleasent stay here. As for the dinner, we had salmon steak with white sauce while faizal with his burger and sausage plus the home-made butter bun.

Unreleased pictures...

2008-05-17T14:37:00.004+01:00

Happy 53rd Birthday!

2008-05-16T22:07:00.008+01:00

On 14 May, we celebrated mummy's birthday. Adala buat makan2 among 5 of us (including Eryna, of course). The menu of the day; chichen chop (with mushroom sauce), mashed potato, coleslaw, pizza, spaghetti alfredo, chips, donuts, and tiramisu cake. Semua home made termasuk the cake!

Botanic Garden

2008-05-14T11:54:00.008+01:00

Last Saturday we went to Durham University's very own Botanic Garden. Eventhough Spring started a few months ago, but lately baru the weather start to panas and more sunshine. So bunga pun dah mula to bloom and it is the best time to visit a place like Botanic Garden tu. Kat sana, the view was so beautiful and orang pun dah mula ramai especially students, since admission is free for student. Eryna pun dapat naik her new pram and she seemed happy with it. More comfortable kot. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Eryna with her grandmas

2008-05-10T21:26:00.005+01:00

Habis pantang

2008-05-10T21:20:00.006+01:00

Min habis her pantang last monday...as for this, we did a doa selamat...menu for the day was nasi minyak (mummy masak), lauk-pauk by aunty jah - dalca daging, bergedil and acar timun, dessert-caramel (prepared by min)...sedap betul makan...

Ladies Day Out

2008-05-08T08:48:00.010+01:00

Last Saturday, min together with mummy and aunty jah went to Durham town by bus. As for faizal, he was at home baby sitting eryna. Ingat nak pergi sekejap je tapi as usual kedai nak tutup baru nak balik. nasib baik eryna good girl taklah daddy dia panic jaga dia. mummy and aunty jah managed to get all their things. so people in malaysia tunggu dia orang balik tau.

MetroCentre - revisited

2008-04-30T14:07:00.009+01:00

Yesterday we brought mummy and a.jah to the largest shopping mall in Europe, MetroCentre. Bolehla they beli whatever things yang tak sempat beli lagi before (M&S, Woolworths, World of Sports, etc.). On the way home, we singgah Newcastle town to buy some groceries and had our lunch at one of the halal shop there.

Shopping @ Dalton Park

2008-04-27T18:59:00.008+01:00

Yesterday we went to Dalton Park, another retail outlet in North East. Tempat tu nearer to us as compared to Royal Quays yang we visited 2 months ago. This place got more choices and slightly bigger than RQ. Kat situ adala outlet M&S, Nike, Adidas, Levis, Next, Cadbury, and so many more. Eryna pun tak banyak meragam masa we all keluar. Mummy and a.jah managed to get all the things they wanted. Here some photos to share with all of you.

Eryna's first day out!

2008-04-20T17:24:00.011+01:00

Today we went to Newcastle to buy our stock of foods and this time Min and Eryna went as well. Dapatla Eryna tengok pemandangan luar dari rumah. Excited je dia tengok sekeliling. As for lunch, we ate at Dixy Chicken sebab kedai halal lain tutup on Sunday. Maybe next time we bring mummy and a.jah makan fish and chips kat Newcastle.

Latest pictures...

2008-04-13T15:24:00.003+01:00

Mum and A Jah's trip to Sunderland...

2008-04-13T14:33:00.010+01:00

Yesterday mum and aunty jah went for a trip to Sunderland which was organised by Ustinov College (Faizal's college). Kebetulan on Friday, Nazimah and her husband came to visit us and mentioned about the trip. So, that Saturday morning they gathered at Keenan House and departed by coach to Sunderland at about 10a.m. The journey took about 30 mins and they went to the Glass Museum, botanical garden and a few more places. They seemed very happy with the trip and managed to shop as well. Below are some of the pictures taken during the trip.

More pictures...

2008-04-04T19:54:00.022+01:00

More latest pictures of us here (mostly Eryna) for your viewing pleasure...

Alhamdulillah...

2008-03-28T15:05:00.018Z

Today Eryna was discharged after 2 nights at hospital. Syukur she recovered quickly and dapat balik rumah with us. The service at the hospital was excellent and we got one room on our own even visitors pun dapat mkn roti with butter and jam plus tea / coffee. Eryna stopped the phototherapy yesterday afternoon after about 15 hours duduk bawah lampu tu. Petang tu, the doctor said that her body and face dah tak yellow sgt and it will further reduce after a few more days. After final blood test this morning, the doctor allowed her to go home.

Faizal also brought mummy n auntie jah tu Durham town yesterday. Just jalan2 n browse the shops kat situ. Later we'll bring them again if they want to buy something to bring home...

Eryna Batrisyia...

2008-03-26T20:49:00.024Z

The name now is officially registered in County of Durham Registration Service. Faizal went to the Registrar Office at 3.3opm today and got the birth certificate immediately. However, earlier in the afternoon, Eryna was admitted in University Hospital of Durham due to jaundice. Min also admitted as she is breastfeeding Eryna. First blood sample was taken 2 days ago but the condition was not harmful yet. But today, her face and body nampak lagi yellowish than berfore. Midwife yang datang took the second blood sample and later in the afternoon, the midwife called and asked us to bring Eryna to the hospital ASAP for treatment. Eryna need to udergo phototherapy in order to treat her jaundice. Hope by tomorrow both Min and Eryna can be discharged and come back home. Look at Eryna in the picture below pakai suit phototherapy. Kesian dia...

Life with a new baby...

2008-03-24T16:04:00.018Z

Alhamdulillah semuanya selamat. Min was discharged on 22 March 08 after the pediatrician checked the baby and satisfied with her condition. Since our house do not have any land to tanam the uri, Abang Zul offered his house's garden for that purpose. In fact, all Malaysian babies yang lahir kat sini, urinya ditanam di situ. Faizal went to tanam the uri and after that picked us up at hospital to go home. Oh BTW, the baby's name is Eryna - edited. We need to register her with the Registrar Office within 6 weeks. Midwives will visit us everyday for checkup for the first week.

Snow in durham...

2008-03-21T21:58:00.020Z

Its already spring here, but today, snow turun lagi after lps a few months tak turun..and today also (21 March 2008), our first baby girl was born at 4.45 p.m. (GMT)...syukur Alhamdulillah everything went well...min and the baby pun ok...her berat was 2.835 kg...tonight both of them stayed at the hospital and expected to be discharged by tomorrow afternoon, insyaAllah...mommy and auntie jah also will be arrived tomorrow...just nice for everything...lastly, enjoy the pictures!

The first sign...

2008-03-20T17:55:00.004Z

Guess what!? min's water bag broke this morning (20 march 08)...we went to hospital for check up and the midwife examined the baby's heart beat and contraction for an hour before she let us go home...but within 24 hours, we need to monitor min's temperature, contraction etc...if nothing happen within the period, by tomorrow morning (9a.m.), min's need to check in the hospital for labour...do pray for us...hope everything went well...stay tune for more news...

Durham town

2008-03-03T19:57:00.010Z

Carboot sale

2008-02-25T14:08:00.006Z

On sunday, we went to the carboot sale again but this time another location i.e.Stanley...we went in the morning and reached there at about 10.00 a.m...when we arrived there, some of the sellers have started to pack their things...we guess that they are moving to the next carboot sale location which starts in the afternoon...kat sini ade banyak location carboot and the timing is either in the morning or afternoon...so apalagi terpaksa jalan dengan pantas tuk cari barang...lucky gak sbb we managed to get the things in our list...min siap beli pyrex lagi tu for £1 and £2 each...memang murah...rambang mata nak pilih mana nak beli...on the way home, we singgah gi ASDA (one of the supermarket) to buy some groceries...since we received a voucher of £5 to spend on baby products there, we used it to buy avent bottles...so we got it for free...

Masduke...

2008-02-23T16:14:00.024Z

On Friday, Director of Malaysian Student Department (MSD) came to Durham to meet with the Malaysian students here. En Nazri came with Pn Azimah (Officer in Charge for Midlands up to Scotland) and their spouses. As one of students here (sbb kat Durham tak ramai Malaysian students compared to Manchester, Liverpool, etc), Faizal joined the meeting to memeriahkan the majlis and discuss issues regarding Malaysian students in UK. Lagipun, he's got an appointment with his supervisor, Prof Rodney at the same building at 12pm.

Faizal submitted the draft of his Chapter 1 on Monday to Dr Mehmet (main supervisor) and also to Prof Rodney for their perusal. Since Dr Mehmet was not around (went for a conference), Prof Rodney asked Faizal to meet him for a short discussion. Hope Faizal can finalised his first chapter soonest possible...

Weekend activities

2008-02-17T17:59:00.005Z

On saturday, we were invited by fauzi & adlina for lunch at their house...they buat makan2 kesyukuran for their new born baby, nashwa...most of the malaysian kat durham ni dia invite...sedap makan nasi dengan lauk kurma ayam, sayur campur,sambal belacan and more...meehoon sup pun ade...for dessert ade ice cream and tiramisu...kenyang both of us...thank you for inviting us fauzi & adlina... for dinner, both of us decided not eat nasi...fikir punya fikir at last we decided to eat pizza...i decided to make homemade pizza...kat sini kalu beli yang frozen boleh makan topping yang cheese je...since homemade boleh bubuh mince meat,mushroom and sausages...inilah hasil our homemade pizza...terubat rindu nak makan pizza kat pizza hut...

On sunday as planned we went to the carboot sale at Peterlee...before pergi we singgah to pick up amirul & yusrol...kali ni lagi banyak stalls jual barang and lagi ramai orang...we managed to get the baby car seat and bedsheet...siap beli sayur and buah lagi...price dia lagi murah dari supermarketlah katakan...since still ade barang yang tak dapat...nampak gayanya ke carboot lagilah kita next week...

Baby

2008-02-14T13:38:00.004Z

Yesterday we went to the hospital for the baby's growth scan...Syukur alhamdullillah everything was ok...baby is now about 2kg...based on the midwife's calculation, my due date is expected to be on 040408...hopefully everything goes well and do pray for us...

Currently, we are getting the baby's things...so far we dah nak complete...now tgh cari yang belum ade such as baby cot together with its bedding set, car seat, bouncing net and changing mat...hopefully will get it settled before my mum and aunty arrived in middle march...they will be coming to jaga me during pantang...yeyeye...

This sunday we are planning to go to the carboot sale at Peterlee...hopefully we can get baby's stuff at a reasonable price there...

Karipap

2008-02-11T10:05:00.000Z

Yesterday we decided not to go anywhere...so we just lepak in the house...surf internet, main psp and tgk tv...i decided to buat karipap since a few days back faizal informed that dia teringin nak makan karipap...this time around faizal helped me in the kitchen...its a team work...i masak the inti and buat the dough...faizal isi inti dalam dough and kelim the karipap...faizal cakap the karipap sedap...here are the karipaps...

Royal Quays Centre

2008-02-10T10:32:00.000Z

Yesterday, both of us drove to North Shields and arrived at Royal Quays Centre (RQC) at 12 pm...its about 30 minutes from Durham...RQC is a factory outlet for branded items e.g. nike, marks&spencer, next, fila and more...here the prices are 60%-70% cheaper than the normal price...most of the shops were on sale...seronok cuci mata...faizal managed to get two sweaters for £14 (the original price was £40 each) and for myself managed to get two tops for £10 (the original price was £40 and £30)...ade gak jual jeans levis for ladies for £8 but due to my physical appearance right now abaikan jelah...

In the evening, faizal's friend from Newcastle, man and his wife azah came along with amirul (master student in durham) and kak suhaili (another phd student in durham) to our house...they just came back from Dalton Park which is another factory outlet...but its nearer to our home...looks like it will be our next destination...

P/S:our congratulation wish to our cousin, Arizah on her engagement on 10/2/2008...

Happy 1st birthday baby gael

2008-02-09T20:22:00.000Z

Today's Raja Ahmad Gael Azhar's birthday (my cousin's son)...Happy birthday to you...dont't be naughty...aunty min and uncle faizal miss you...

Not to forget...our birthday wish to our friend...Rajina Abdul Rahman...be happy always...

Dinner @ Ustaz Maszlee's house

2008-02-08T10:20:00.000Z

Last tuesday (5/2/2007) both of us were invited to ustaz maszlee's house for dinner...2 orang bujang, amirul and yusrol pun were invited...we picked both of them at their hostel at 6.30pm...for dinner we had nasi with lauk i.e. ikan pari asam pedas, tomyam campur, udang masak kicap, sayur campur, hati goreng kicap & kerabu sayur...seronok makan ramai-ramai...the food was delicious...

After dinner, the men moved to the tv hall and borak-borak sambil makan kacang and minum air panas...as for the ladies we sat at the another hall and min layan ustaz maszlee's 3 cute daughters and borak with kak midah i.e. ustaz maszlee's wife...

At about 9pm we left ustaz maszlee's house dengan perut yang kenyang...Our grateful thanks to ustaz maszlee and family for the dinner...

Metrocentre...

2008-02-07T20:11:00.000Z

Last weekend we drove down again to Newcastle to send abang zul to the airport...on the way back we singgah the biggest shopping complex in europe...METROCENTRE...Memang besar shopping complex ni...tapi 2nd tot it is not as big as One Utama and Midvalley...seronok gak cuci mata...since winter season is coming to an end, most of the shops are on sale...

For lunch we ate at nandos...kat sini its halal and siap ade certificate halal gantung kat depan kedai...the menu is the same as Malaysia cuma ade additional here and there...both of us had quater chicken with the side dishes...

After lunch we continued to browse the shopping complex...but after a while walking, we decided to balik...al maklumlah kaki dah penat and perut pun dah kenyang...

it was a fun day...yang, nanti kite pegi lagi yek...

Newcastle here we come

2008-02-07T19:53:00.000Z

Since our halal meat/chicken have finished, we drove to Newcastle to get out stocks...kat sini selain halal meat/chicken, kedai dia jual macam-macam...serbuk kari & cili, cili merah & padi, pisang tanduk, frozen roti canai etc...just name it insyaAllah ade...

There is another shop named Wing Hong Ltd which we went and there they sells asian stuffs...kedai ni siap jual kuew teow, meehon, maggi mee, fishball, kicap kipas udang, rencah brahim's and lots more...not to forget batu tumbuk pun ada jual...when we were at the shop, terlupa that we are in UK rase cam kat Malaysia jek...

Sebelum balik, we singgah makan at dixies chicken...its a halal fried chicken shop which is similar as KFC...sedap sehingga menjilat jari...thanks yang...

Next on the list...TV

2008-02-07T19:26:00.000Z

Since the internet was still not available...we definately need a TV for entertainment...After searching for a while, we finally got a 14 inch tv...kat sini nak tengok additional channel we have to buy a freeview box...kalau tak just dapat tengok 5 channels...unfortunately, this tv could not be connected to the freeveiw box...so nak tak nak tengoklah programme based on the 5 channels...intially it was ok but later BORING!!!...

We then decided to search for another tv which will enable us to watch more channels from the freeview box...we managed to get a 25 inch tv and yup this tv can be connected to the freeview box...heaven gile dapat tengok tv programme such as friends, desperate housewives, one tree hill etc...but later ade pulak masalah seterusnya...external aerial tv problem...currently we are waiting for the internal aerial which we bought online to solve the problem...at the moment we just can watch certain channels...

Cepatlah hantar our internal aerial...

We need a car....

2008-02-07T10:13:00.000Z

Without a car here is like patah kaki....maklumlah in Malaysia sikit-sikit naik keta...faizal had to take bus to university and walk about 20 minutes...pith him...keletihan but luckily it is winter of which the weather is cold so kire oklah sikit...

after thinking much and calculating our budget, me and faizal decided that we need a car...faizal advertised in the internet and paper and there were several calls we received...On 26/1/2008, we decided to see a car -Ford Escot at Houghton le Spring...we went there by bus and it tooks about 30 minutes to reach the town...at the town the buyer picked us up...the buyer wanted to sell the car for £550 but due to our effective negotation skill we managed to reduced the price to £450...faizal test drove the car and it was ok and in good condition...so apa lagi terus we decided to take home the car...kat sini beli kete cam beli barang kat kedai...kalau suke bayar and you can bring the car home as its yours already... for the ownership documentation, the previous buyer will send later...we only need to ensure that we have a car insurance...ni yang mahal kat sini...

Yahoo...after this no need to to wait for bus anymore...Lega rasanya after three weeks witout a car...

Settling down...

2008-02-07T09:41:00.000Z

Our intial few weeks here was horrible...there was no tv, telephone line and internet...we only have our mobile to play with...However, we managed to past our time...Both of us went to durham town which is about 10 minutes by bus from our home...The scenery of the town is very beautiful and the size of the town is just nice...Branded shops such as topshop, miss selfridges, mark&spencer,dorothy perkins etc are available...Since winter season is ending soon, most of the shops were on sale...yeyeye...but since we just arrived and will be here long, we managed to control our emotion not to shop...maybe summer sale will be just nice for us to shop as our dearest baby will be borned...currently we are concentratring in settling the baby's stuffs...

During our 1st weekend, ustaz maszlee and family brought us to the carboot sale...it was kind of interesting and fun...baby's stuff was cheap and the choices for the baby's clothing was marvelous...pening kepala nak pilih...we managed to get a gym mat for our baby for only £3 which at the shop it is selling for £50 and some clothing for our baby...We also managed to get some kitchenware for our home...We had so much fun and thanks to ustaz maszlee and family for bringing us there...

Our journey start here...

2008-02-07T00:10:00.001Z

We left to Newcastle, UK on 5/1/2008...We stopped by in Dubai about 3 hours and continued our journey to Newcastle for another 8 hours...The journey was fine and we reached to our destination safely...The immigration seemed like had a good mood that day...The weather was cold as it is the winter season here...At the airport, we were picked up by ustaz maszlee and brother rahimie and from the Newcastle airport we went to Durham and it took about 35 minutes...We went to one of the Malaysian student @ Tok Penghulu's home for lunch and managed to met some other Malaysian students...

As a normal practice for newcomers, we stayed at abang zul & kak nani's house for 2 nights...Really appreciate for the hospitality...On the following day, both ustaz maszlee and abang zul accompanied faizal to buy groceries and all other household things for our new home later...They went to Newcastle to buy halal meat and most of the other things they bought it here in Durham...On Monday (7/1/2008), faizal went for his registration and later part of the day we moved to our home in Langley Moor...Its a bit far from the Malaysian community but both me and faizal will managed...

Our home has two bedrooms and has a cozy environment...The house is just nice for both of us and our coming new born baby...It is a walking distance to the bus stand, post office, supermarket, charity shops, etc...Since we do not have a car yet, we move around by bus...Bear in mind that the bus service here is very efficient and not like in Malaysia...