Weekend Break in Leeds, Xmas Party in SP

A journey to Leeds begin after I went to East Acton to pick-up my co-pilot, Ida. The plan was to transit at Cambridge, switch to a bigger car and continue our journey to Leeds. The supposedly one and a half hour journey to Cambridge ended up 3 and a half hours later. Traffic? I supposed so, plus we turned into the wrong corner and got caught up in the middle of Central London during peak hours. Oh, dear....

We safely arrived in Leeds at almost 12 midnight. Poor Dila and Safari (our wonderful host), whose eyes half-opened but welcomed us happily. We then helped ourselves to lontong, nasi himpit and kuah kacang. Later in the morning, we had nasi lemak ayam goreng, yumm yumm. The first stop today was Leeds Designer Shopping Outlet. I managed to grabbed a couple of packets of Cadbury Roses (really cheap) and Swiss Roll. Treated myself to Thornton's ice-cream and bought a box of chocolates for our host, too, while we were at the shop. I pledged to myself not to spend silly money on clothes and shoes etc as I have overspent on those items, weeks before. It was hard but I was glad I did it! I walked out the shopping outlet almost empty-handed. Yeayyy..

Oh, Alia got a pair of really cheap Clark's shoes. That was a necessity, not luxury. All because she put on her summer shoes when we left our house earlier on. What was she thinking, wearing summer shoes in the winter? Oh, I forgot that I am the mother, who supposed to be aware of it all. So, basically I HAVE to buy her a new one. I have chosen the cheapest one, so cheap you will not believe your eyes. And it was not a great pair as well, but enough to keep her feet warm and snug in this cold temperature. Boleh la.....

Mem kecik sedang diukur saiz kaki sebelum beli kasut. Saiz 7 budak ni.

Our last day in Leeds were mostly a tour around Leeds city centre. Thanks to our host for the warm welcome and lovely foods. Kalau datang Ascot/London, sila le berkunjung umah aku ye. Not forgotten, a million thanks to Sufi dan Maza. That was an enjoyable trip. Makasih jugak sebab jamu kami soto, sesuai sangat untuk menyegarkan otot mata aku sebelum balik ke London.

Our journey back home was a smooth one. Only one and half hour. Borak2 ngan Ida, sedar2 je dah sampai London. Makasih Ida sbb jadi pembaca TomTom yang setia. I spent the night at Ida's house. Poor Alia, she was not feeling well but later that day she was better.

Then we went to Children's Christmas Party in Silwood Park. Party ni khusus utk anak2 staff Imperial College. Alia was so happy to meet Santa and she got a smart lunchbox from Santa (aku yang beli..). She seems to enjoy herself at the party. Good for her. That was it, a long and great weekend for us.

Christmas Lunch

I was looking forward for this event......... not that I am celebrating Christmas (of course!) but the lunch menu seems really good to me. But it all turned sour as the food was terrible! The worst food I have ever tasted! We waited for almost an hour before been ushered to the main hall for lunch. The starter was not bad but the main course was terribly nightmare, almost inedible. I promised myself I will never attend Christmas lunch ever again. Not only we waited for ages in between the courses, we also need to queue to get our food! I left the hall halfway through the meal, went straight to my car and drove to London to pick-up Ida. One thing good about it was the ambience, very festive with Xmas deco all around.

A Trip to the Cinema

Alia's first trip to the cinema was quite nice, considering the very cheap ticket and nice comfortable seat in the theatre. Forget about the rains pouring down on every corner or the super-expensive popcorn combo. Why a very cheap ticket, I heard you asked? Well for those not in the know, almost all cinema offer kids ticket for 1 pound or slightly more and parents go for free! That is for Saturday and Sunday morning only but they also have this everyday during school holiday. But don't expext to see the latest movie, still it was worth every penny. You get to spend great time with your little ones at a fraction of price. We went to see Horton (yes, ancient) and I just love being in the theathre. Guess I'll be the regulars in the next months to come.

After the movie, we wandered around the many shopping complexes there. Staines is not bad for shoppers. You will be spoilt for choice. We went back with handful of stuff...LOL.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha

Umat Islam kat UK menyambut hari raya haji pada hari Isnin, sama macam kat Malaysia. Pagi raya tu aku macam biasa siap-siapkan bekal Alia dan bawak keta ke umah Maswa. Sampai saja kat sana, semua anak dia tak pegi skolah. Siap pakai baju raya lagi. Ada tetamu kat umah dia masa tu. Semua orang pakai baju raya kecuali aku ngan Alia je. Si Alia siap pakai uniform skolah lagik. Rasa bersalah pulak aku. Tapi aku memang plan nak gi opis hari ni sbb Jumaat lepas sv aku dah sibuk tanya pasal progress aku. Lepas makan raya kat umah Maswa (dia masak pasembor, nasi himpit, kuah kacang dan tiramisu) aku balik ke kampus. Jumpa Sofia ngan Tariq. Diorang semua tak gi opis. AKu je yang semangat sorang2. Bila dah semo org tak gi kampus, aku pun malas la. Tengahari tu aku dipaksa masak makan tengahari oleh budak2 ni. Aku pun masak le apa yg ada kat dapur tu. Perancangan asal 2-3 org je tapi memikirkan dah alang2 aku masak, baik aku ajak semua yg Muslim nih. Dalam 2.30pm, siap la kari ayam, nasi putih, Chinese stir-fry, pasta carbonara dan buah-buahan. Aku main hentam je ikut apa yg ada kat dalam dapur aku. Takde tema langsung. Tak plan, kan? Yg syoknya, aku lupa langsung nak hidang air, hatta air kosong sekalipun. Tetamu aku plak baik bebenor, tak complaint pun. Tinggal lagi 3 org tetamu, yang lain dah balik, baru aku perasan aku tak hidang air bila aku tengok Sofia gi amik air kosong kat dapur aku. Oh, teruk betul aku ni. Ha, tu la. Sapa suruh aku masak tiba2? Nasib korang la. Heheh jahat aku ni. Pastu nak cover balik, aku siap buat teh panas power punyer. Berimannnnn (sambil letak tangan ala2 penyanyi nasyid).

Petang tu, lepas amik Alia aku siap2 utk pegi jamuan raya anjuran Student Union pulak.Aku ditugaskan masak Phenni (sejenis masakan tradisional Pakistan). Mana la aku reti. Tapi sebab diorang suruh jugak so aku buat la. Nasib baik menjadi. Kuih ni ala2 bubur santan tapi letak mihun halus. Meriah jugak sebab ramai gak omputih ngan international students yang datang.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha buat semua rakan-rakan dan saudara-mara di mana saja anda berada. Maafkan segala salah-silap saya. Buat ma, abah dan adik-beradik kat kg, oooo..korang buat bbq ye! Ces, sungguh tidak aci sekali. Takpe, nanti k lo ngan abg lo balik, kita buat lagi power punyer, ok. Moga raya yang akan datang kita akan berjumpa, InsyaAllah.

Cafe Halal di Hammersmith Hospital & London Tour lagiiii

Ni gambar dua org model tgh tunggu bas. Alia berkelubung, kesejukan. Ida sengih kat camera ke kat brader Mat Salleh? Aku? Aku jadik photographer tak rasmi weekend tu.

Minggu lepas aku ada kursus statistik kat South Ken. Ni adalah kursus aku yg terakhir selepas bertungkus-lumus pegi macam2 kursus dalam sebulan dua ni. Sebelum tu aku call Ida, ajak dia makan kat spital dia. Sebabnya dah banyak kali Ida nak ajak aku makan kat cafe ni tapi tak berkesempatan je. So hari tu kami pegi le makan. Sedap jugak. Ingat nak makan ayam panggang tapi tersilap pulak, terambik chicken wrap. Apa2 je la. Janji ayam. Pastu kami duduk kat tempat strategik, depan Christmas tree. Tengok gambar aku bersama menu makan tengahariku, pastu gambar Ida ngan pokok Krismasnya.

Pastu weekendnya aku pegi umah Ida. Ida kata nak gi shopping. Aku ok je, lagipun aku memang berniat nak jumpa Ida, nak celebrate si besday gurl. Kami gi Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square dan Victoria Street. Punyer la ramai org kat Oxford Street tu. Memang terasa kemeriahan Christmas yang tinggal beberapa minggu lagi. Ala2 meriahnya Malaysia nak menyambut Hari Raya. Kebetulan pulak hari tu ada parade, movie launching etc so memang meriah. Alia suka sebab banyak Santa dan Santarina. Seperti biasa, aku jadi pengutip belon free untuk Alia. Suka tengok Alia gembira.

Alia kat dalam tube ngan Cik Ida

Macam mesra lak ngan bear nih. Jgn jeles.

Dah penat jalan2, kami pegi Spices & Grills Restaurant. Aku order ayam panggang dan nasi putih, Ida order ayam jalfrezi dan cheese nan. Mango lassi sebagai pelengkap. Makan kat sini seronok, affordable and tasty. Pastu balik umah Ida, cake time! Upacara memotong kek dengan roomate Ida- Luna dan Pettia. Lepas kenyang, tido. Malam tu hubby call ucap smat hari raya. Dia kata dia nak bertolak blk kg dah. Seronoknya. Aku suka jalan2 naik keta ngan hubbyku......Hmmm semoga selamat di perjalanan. Kirim tolong makankan sate, boleh? Ok, kat bawah ni gambar2 masa dinner malam tu.

Mana gambar aku, ni? Menyesal lak tak suruh brader Pakistan tu amikkan gambar kitorang.

Mana ganbar besday gurl nih? Ha...ni dia. Maap ye Ida. Gambar ni blur. Agaknya photographer kena letak jawatan.

Selamat ulangtahun, Ida. All the best, ya!