Jemaah

alhamdulillah...after 33 years of living...i've finally prayed Jemaah; in the privacy of my home, and not in a mosque like I've done in Ramadhan...weird what I planned to do when coming here, and what I'm actually doing now...weird in a good way, so im happy :) tonight was my third time since coming to england...first time was in london, at ada's friend's house; jemaah subuh...then it was about a month ago...with my usrah sisters...and now tonight...who ever knew what good things you could learn here...o yaa...to add...did iqamah after 20 years of not doing so...last time was when i was 13...haiyoo...

Lose weight!

I will start tomorrow!! I think its time that I start losing weight instead of just maintaining it..

Current food intake:
Breakfast - 2 slices of bread with non-fat margerine, mayo, meat slice, cheese, coffee with sugar n semi-skim milk.
Lunch - a pile of rice, small chicken / fish piece, a pile of vege, water with lemon
Dinner - maggi, water with lemon
In betweens - semi-skim milk, cereal, chocolates

Starting This week:
Breakfast - 2 slices of bread, non-fat margerine, meat slice, mustard, coffee no sugar with semi-skim milk. (minus mayo n sugar)
Lunch - 1/2 pile rice, small chicken / fish piece, a pile of vege, water with lemon (half rice)
Dinner - 1/2 maggi, water with lemon (half maggi)
In betweens - water with lemon, chocolate 1 cube a day, fruit, yoghurt

Exercise:
Tuesday morning - walk to Tesco shop for d week, yoga
Thursday morning - walk to vege market, yoga
Saturday or Sunday morning - walk to China Town, yoga

Looking back at what I've been taking, its a wonder how I've maintained..I should've gained like crazy..I guess all the walking helped..huhu..

Please don't rain... :p Note to self - need to buy another dumbbell...one is not enuf!

Night In

there're not so many of us batch sept 2011, especially the girls; only 7, plus 2 more that came bit late during d year..so we decided to have a night in yesterday at our humble home...unfortunately, only 6 turned up, but it was fun nevertheless...

we had dinner together; homemade mushroom soup with garlic bread, fried rice and fried chicken, and ice cream..we ate till we couldn't sit, while watching an old classic; parent trap :p game for the night was truth or dare; where d dares were pretty scary actually...i've never played in one where you had to call your 3-year bf to break up with him, or call a guy n say you like him...grr..i didn't dare to dare...i stuck to truth...we had solat jemaah of isyak thereafter...and planned to do qiamullail, but none of us woke up in time before subuh...so we did subuh jemaah, and after a bit more of a heart to heart session, our guests bid their goodbyes..

the thing i like about here is that you need to think about what you can learn, for example, if you watched a movie, we'd end up discussing about what you can learn from that movie, or from a game, what you can learn from it...i find this pretty amazing, actually, how these kids, at such a young age could be so mature in thinking...apparently, they've been doing it since d day they started usrah...

in my family, and among my friends, the 'u' word seem horrific...we'd imagine a group of people in their tudung labuh, going around preaching nonsense or Islam, but too in-depth that you get confused...i remember how horrific i was (and ada) at d thought of having d usrah coming to our home ever week...i was saying to myself; i'd rebut in whatever that they discuss...come usrah, it made me realise that i am like a baby compared to all these wonder-people around me...their in-depth knowledge of Quran, hukum2, the open way we discuss about any issues that's been tugging our hearts...its true what they say; usrah is actually a place for us to open up to fellow sisters; sisters that are near to us, when we are far from ours...since islam is way of life, we discuss about everything...

anyway, coming back to last night, i find that i lack in many ways, and few years back, many of them were also in the same boat, but with the sisters' help, they managed to find their way...i hope when i come back, i could continue with this amalan, and hopefully will continuously be a better person in every way :)

optimistic vs pessimistic

all my life, i must admit that i have never met someone as optimistic as myself...yes han...i agree...but have you ever met someone totally on d other end? someone sooooo negative, that each and everyday without fail, she starts it with a sigh, and says that she will die because she's not doing well enough in d course...funny thing about life...ive not only met this girl, this total opposite, but we sit together in class everytime, and i adore her...hehe...sometimes of course it annoys me to d core just listening to her whine about life, but i think its actually refreshing to have someone to argue with everyday, and somehow understanding each others traits as we are...

she whines about how she hates working in a group (though she used to be a project manager herself), she whines about how inefficient d transportation is here in liverpool on saturdays...she complains about d coffee...she complains about d lecturers...n d list goes on and on...

at a ripened age as we are, i dont believe that anyone could actually change her...ive asked her before if she's read 'The Secret' at which she paused, made a face...and started whining about something else...amazing...though i believe it may not be of good influence to me, (or good, coz at least i would step out of d bubble once in a while) i think i'd ride along...see how far things go...i guess i could use a punch in d face once in a while...herself, likewise :)

fool

after an 8-hour class on a saturday, it finally got to me how idiotic i was for not leaving d bloody company sooner...please God, bless me with a better job soon...

fab feb

havent written in a while..been extra busy traveling after the finals...lets see..

2 days after finals, i shot off to london to see lil sis...she came all 11,000km to see me in UK...i was so excited to see family after not having to for about 5 months now...we stayed in london for 4 days in malaysian hall...d place was OK, comfy bed and clean sheets and teh tarik at your disposal till 10pm...felt like i was partly in malaysia...we went around, up to camden, where we both loved coz its soo crafty there...no more punks walking around tho, unfortunately, but d arts, tattoos and rings were still there...and many many halal places including a halal food court at d stables market...amazing rite...

d end of d week, we did liverpool, starting with d university, d docks, d churches and finally china town...we even covered cheshire oaks for some branded stuff shopping (i love gap!) and carboot sunday...

class started, so na was home bound for about 2 days, enjoying sung kyun kwan and UK food we bought at asda...then we shot off to manchester for a day tour on their free metroshuttle all over d city (i love freebies) and off on train to old trafford...d following day we rested bit, woke up late, and went off to anfield to see where LFC play...its just about 30min bus ride from d city, so we covered bit more of what was left of liverpool dat day...

saturday was off to lake district...it was amazing...sure is a great honeymoon destination...i wish it could be one of mine one day...and it was really na's day, when it started snowing right when we got off d train from liverpool...we enjoyed d cruise to brockhole and ambleside and back to bowness...and lake district cheese...yummm...we were dead tired when we arrived home, but it was a trip to remember...

sunday was na's last day...we had lunch at my fav restaurant; quick chef, near d uni...where they serve d most amazing calzone...and we walked it off to d city for one last time for na...

next day, we woke up at 3, got onto d 4.30 bus to manchester and off na went to london and to malaysia...i was pretty sad when i came back n saw her empty bed...just like when mak left...

dat thursday, me n ada went off on a bus to amsterdam! pretty awesome trip...d organiserswe drove to dover, d bus hopped onto d ferry, and hopped off at calais, belgium...d trip from liverpool to amsterdam took about 14 hours...its still ok...i guess if you've been through a 12-hour trip in myanmar, you can go for anything and still feels fine...hehe...d hotel was pretty decent, though staying with guys was kinda embarassing, but d guys proved to be gentlemen...

d whole trip crew however, came all d way to amsterdam not to travel, unfortunately, but to partayyyy....so we were more or less left to ourselves to go around and enjoy d city...while we were sightseeing, they were sleeping, and while they were partying, we were sleeping...hehe...oo well...anyway, i think amsterdam is gorgeous...i love d houses...each one of them are so articulately made...d canals were frozen and absolutely beautiful...red light district was amazing at night...much much better than pat pong thailand...european girls vs thai trans...if u know what i mean...sex museum was just OK...was like walking into penthouse magazine..haha...nothing much there...no wonder d entrance fee is cheap...we went around everywhere with our rented bikes...so cheap n its really safe to cycle here, coz there are even traffic lights for your cycles...there are many indonesian restaurants around, but we didn't have a chance of eating at one...but we tried everything dutch though..well almost everything...met up some indonesian pak around, who were excited to talk to us in indon...comel...

we arrived back in liverpool at midnite on sunday (monday), i had class in d wee early morning, then in d afternoon shot off to manchester for petronas...and came back rite after its over...i had class on tuesday and ever since...no classes till this saturday...woohoo...so its all rest rest recuperate...next crazy stunt is easter!

1/3 way

having mashed potatoes and coffee for breakfast...coz we don't have bread...huhu..

anyway...4 months have passed...how time flies...9 assignments, 2 exam papers and one week to do absolutely nothing but go to london, have fun with sis and continue having fun in liverpool and maybe manchester? lets see...

other than studies, my sosial life has not really been..aa...flourishing? i've yet to go to any pubs or clubs for simple drinks and live music...i've not dated for like a hundred years since coming here...i've not travelled alone (which was of huge irritation to han...hehe)

i've made friends with about everyone in class, close with some, but not have d chance of actually going out with them other than for studies or dinner at one of their homes...sucks i know...o well...i still have 8 months to repent...maybe i could start tonight? lets see :)

feeling alone

you know the feeling of being surrounded by people, but feeling alone? i go through that quite often these days, especially at home. weeks and weeks without classes were torturous, except for the times when i was somewhere else, on holiday.

you see, its not that im not close with my mates. they are superb individuals. but they seem to have a life of their own and its hard to penetrate or to be part of it. its good i guess in a way, where i get my own space. i think.

one is very very reliant on skype. im not exagerating, but she talks to her buddies back home from the minute she wakes up, till just before sleep. i do talk to her, if we were walking to the shop or if we met in the kitchen. thats it. wonder if i shud just cancel internet...if i was that desperate, but then, i wouldnt be able to blog..huhu.

second one is a vampire. metaphorically speaking of course. she sleep during the day, and awake the whole night. so i get to meet her in the kitchen at night, or when she gets bored of studies, she'll come dance in my room. hehe.

its not that im complaining, im just feeling lonely. grrr...

semester 1...almost there...

its been 4 months now since my arrival...how time flies...i've just submitted my 8th and 9th assignment for d semester and it feel gooooooooooooooddddddd......

next up are 2 exams; one is open book with many many calculations and limited time...i guess for this test, its all about speed...so i need to start timing myself for the past year exams...second one is the classic exam where you need to memorize, but since this is masters, memorizing does not get you anywhere, without case study examples for every definition and purpose of all d titles in supply chain management..hehe...basically there are 11 chapters, with about 7 to 10 mini titles for each chapters which makes it about 77 to 110 definitions, formulas, graphs and case studies to remember...die...

i've done my note...doing d mind mapping thingy...n hoping to God that my brain would remember all these...shites! after the 20th, im free!! rewarding myself with Jamie's Italian then :)