a trip to belfast

 Last week we followed abah to a conference at queen's univ, in belfast. Took an early flight from liv john lennon's airport and arrived at ibis hotel  around 9 am. yup, very early indeed. check in was not until 12 noon, so agak boring jugakla menunggu..huhu. while abah went to register himself at the conf, me and the girls just melepak2, makan2 bekal (luckily i had the initiative to bring some bekal -roti with choc spread je punn, nk bawak lebih2 takut kene rampas kt airport) and then sesi menangkap gambar la, what else.hehe. rasanya bebudak ni dah semakin pandai berposing, just point the camera and they gave many different poses, especially si kakak.

Then we went to the nearby garden, the botanic garden, next to the Queen's univ, just a few minutes walk from the hotel to lepak2 while waiting for check in. this botanical garden for me, is beautiful. it's peaceful, cool and full of fresh green scenery. if i studied at the univ, I'd definitely be a four-flat student because of such a wonderful and peaceful place to study: the garden! (boleh caya ke?). Qystina was so delighted to see all the green and colourful flower, she kept laughing and picking up the flowers (aiyoyo...nasib baik tak kene marah.hehe). Qaisara? what can i say, the place was so nice, she fell asleep peacefully :)

The next day, we explored by foot to the city centre. Guided by a map and tourist guide book, we strolled around the town and managed to find some interesting places. The city was rather small for a nation's capital. But for a country which had survived years of entcnic/political conflicts, i think it was OK.  We jalan2 to the City Hall, up until the River Lagan banks. Then we go further to see the Albert Tower Memorial Clock and patah balik through the Victoria Square. The city, like many in UK is filled with architectural landmarks. Statues, monuments, beautiful buildings, those sorts of things. Puasla bergambar sini sana. 

City Hall

Lepak2 di city Hall

Tepi River Lagan

Albert Memorial Clock tower

On the way back from, misi mencari kedai halal. There are several Turkish Kebab restaurant along the way, but none has a Halal sign on the window. Try masuk salah satu kedai, we were greeted with Salam. Alhamdulillah, sah, kedai Halal :) 3 hari 2 malam dok Belfast, makan megi n kebab jela keje.hehe. Megi bawak dari sini, sampai 6 pek bawak, abis semua, cepat dimasak dan sedap dingap! Nasik, susah nak cari...tp masa they had BBQ at the confrence, adala dihidangkan nasi minyak. so thanks to our friends, who kindly packed the nasi for us (kitorang tak gi BBQ tu, sebok bejalan ke bandar) merasa gakle makan nasik :)

The last day, lepas bermalas-malasan di hotel, sampai waktu checkout, kitorang teruskan exploring the city. Lepas checkout, simpan luggage kat tourist centre, we took the tour bus ride, the double-decker type, with open top. Menarikla jugak, it took about 2 hours to finish the tour non-stop. It was actually a hop-on-hop-off type of tour, tp malasla nak turun2 ni, leceh..mule2 eksyen, dok kat atas, skali angin die kuat sangat daa...adik tak tahan, dah start nangis2, terpaksa turun bawah, dok la kat bawah tu dgn Mr driver, Mr tourist guide and Mr tukang main gitar n nyanyi2. Yup, the bus trip has a tour guide, who explained in detail every interesting places that we pass by, and an entertainer, who sings along the way. sedap gak a sore die :) Qystina n abah stayed on top level, tp qystina boleh tido la plak..sedap kene angin agaknye..

On board the bus

On the tour, among the places we saw was the place where the Titanic was made. iye, kapal titanc tu..yg tenggelam tu..Ada muzium rasanya kat situ, n ada walking tour, tapi kitorang tak turun, tengok dari atas bas jelah. Then we saw the Stormont House, where the NI parliament is located, and we went to see the Belfast Peace Line: a series of separation barriers ranging in length from a few hundred yards to over three miles (5 km), separating Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods in Belfast (definisi pinjam dari Wiki). Mula2 ingatkan walls ni hanya tinggalan sejarah ke, dah tak dipakai ke, rupa2nya, masih berfungsi sampai sekarang! dasyat2..mmg dieorang ni bergaduh..satu puak pro ireland, satu lg pro uk. haih..kat negara maju pun ade gak ye menda2 mcm ni...ni kesan2 penjajahan british la kut? sampai berpecah belah negara.huhuhu. -no further comment-

Where Titanic was made

Stormont House

Peace Line, penuh dgn murals

Petang around 5 kitorang pun get ready to go home. Flight pukul 8++ mlm, so melepaks la di city airport. Alhamdulillah, akhirnya selamat sampai ke rumah. Sampai2, trus masak nasi + sardin + telur dadar. haiyoo, rindu nasi punya pasal..Qystina pon berselera makan, bertambah2. 

at the airport

It was a fun trip. Thanks a lot to Abah  for bringing us there. We luv u so much. Pasni bawak kitorang jalan2 lagi yerr..hehe

Tenang..

Hati yang resah kembali tenang bila mendengar alunan ayat Al-Quran. Surah al-fatiha dibaca oleh syeikh Fahd Al-Kanderi

award??

1. Thank and link the person that gave you the award
    Thanx to Mrs Suzek yg berada nun..jauh di swiss. terharu dpt award :)
 
2. Pass this award to 15 other bloggers you've recently discoveres and think are fantastic ~  
    tak cukup la plak.. ok, sape2 yang baca entry ni, silalah terima award ni, dan tempek di blog anada ye :)


3. Contact them and tell them that they've won the award 
   i considered it DONE

4. State 7 things about yourself
   i. very family oriented- can't function well without them.hehe
   ii.sangat suka melayan anak2
   iii. suke masak
   iv. suka makan (isy..)
   v. suka shopping (isy2..)
   vi. suka mengadap internet (isy3..)
   vii. value friendship very much


sekian, terima kasih

update jugak akhirnya!

the following is part of a conversation that took place last week:

miss fizz: akak..dah lama xupdate blog ye?
me: ha'ah..malas betul.hehe
miss fizz : sini dah xblh bukak fb..susah nak tgk gambar2. aritu  sy curi2 je bukak tgk fb nk tgk gambar.
me: yeke? dasyatnye.
miss fizz: nanti akak upload le gambo kat blog
me: ok fizz, nnt akak upload kt blog n flickr ye.

the conversation is much longer before and after that part, but i HAVE to cut it due to (ehem2) ada sesi menganyam ketupat.ehehe..

ANYWAY...here they are, especially for miss fizz, gambo bunge-bunge yang diambil masa gi jejalan melawat sefton park last weekend. pergi dengan kawan2 "sekampung" disini, semua sekali 4 family.seronok gi melawat taman tu..tak jauh pun dari our home. seronok sebab rasa macam berbaloi bersabar menempuh winter yang sangat sssseeeejjuukkkk. bunga2an kt taman tu isy2, Subhanallah...sangatla cantiknye! buat masa ni, bunga2 daffodil yang tengah mekar berkembang, so warna2 kuning + hijau meliputi taman tu.. menurut member yang dah lama kat sini, sampai satu tahap bunga2 ni akan layu, then akan diganti dengan bunga spesis lain pulak..camtula sepanjang musim spring ni..bunga2an silih berganti berkembang. TAK SABAR nak menikmati semuanya :)

qystina sangatlah sukenya tengok bunga, tak abis2 nak mengutip bunga je kejenya. pandai2 je petik bunga daffodil tu, walhalnye mane boleh! selain dari daffodils, kat celah2 rumput pun ade gak bunga2 yg keluar, kecik2 kaler putih, macam daisy bentuknya. bunga ni paling qystina suke nak kutip. pantang jumpa!
qaisara pun cam hepi je dapat jalan2, tak menangis pun die. kagum agaknye tengok view yang sangat cantik OR kagum tgk ummi, abah n kakak yg asyik berposing menangkap gambar!

lepas puas tgk + POSING dekat bunga2, kiteorg gi menikmati sunset view plak, dekat otterspool. view sini pun boleh tahan, tp takde bunga2. just menikmati sunset n borak2 je..

esoknye rombongan bertolak pulak ke wirral..niat dihati nak tangkap gambar kat bunga2 tulip pulak, sekali tgk2 bunga2 tulip tu belum berkembang lagi..aduhai.. takpelah, last2 bergambar jelah dengan apa2 bunga yg ada (which are just as beautiful). lepas puas bergambar, berpiknik pulak kat new brighton beach. kat sini memang sangat seswai utk piknik n to spend quality time with family. sebelah kanan jalan padang rumput seluas pandang, sebelah kirinya laut. permandangan yg sangat cantik, dengan rumah2 org nampak dikejauhan (eceh, mcm puitis lak). kesimpulannya: makanan sedap + view cantik, what more can one ask? tapi Subhanallah...sangatla sejuknye, terutama kawasan tepi pantai tu, dengan angin kuatnye..nasib baik pakai baju tebal, kalau tak..gigil2 la.. tapi yg peliknye, mat saleh rilek je berbaju selapis..kebal betul, yela, dah dibesarkan dengan cuaca yg sejuk, lainla macam kite, yg datang dari hot country nih..
ANYWAY, sangat bersyukur dapat menikmati keindahan bumi ciptaan Allah ni. view yg sangatlah berbeza dari Malaysia. betullah, jauh berjalan luas pandangan. lepas2 ni jalan jauh lagi..yes, insyaAllah :)

Sefton park, liverpool: sangatla banyak bunge daffodils, seluas pandangan

daffodils yang mekar berkembang

 

cubaan menyebut perkataan 'flower'

 

daffodils field, the almost setting sun and leaveless tree. nice view isn't it?

 

anak2 menikmati (macamla faham sangat) sunset

gambar2 sekitar wirral and new brighton beach

beautiful song

Maher Zain - Open Your Eyes

 

merepek sekejap

i miss my  mum and dad
i miss my brothers and my only sis
i miss all my nephew and nieces
although we chat all the time ;)
and share hot stories and gossips sometimes!

i miss my friends..how are they?

i heard some are blessed with little angles
but some are faced with tough challenges
oh..hang in there friends!

i miss my home in chemor
but i miss my home in kuantan more

 i even miss the city,
with its hot weather and ikan bakar
keropok lekor..oh definitely miss that!


huhu...baru 3 bulan dok sini. lama lagi weiii.....

Shopping jimat cermat

Shopping..shopping..shopping. Orang pompuan dan shopping memang tak boleh sama sekali dipisahkan, betul tak? Di mana2 pun orang pompuan mesti nak shopping, walaupun hanya untuk membeli barang keperluan dapur je :)

Duduk merantau ni aktiviti shopping kena dikurangkan dan di improvise. Tak boleh la nak beli barang yang ntah apa2 macam kat mesia, al-maklumlah, sekarang kan housewife.. Tapi, macamana pun tetap bershopping, walaupun dengan berjimat cermat!

Shopping di sini tak sama macam shopping di mesia.. kenapa ye? sebab nilai matawang! GBP antara nilai matawang tertinggi kan? so, jauh benar beza matawang GBP dengan RM.. Latest rate (lebih kurang) 1 GBP = RM 5.35. Banyak beza tu..

Jadi, apa impaknya? Ok, disebabkan value duit die yg tinggi, jadi, dengan GBP 1.00, kite boleh beli bermacam2 barang berbanding RM 1.00. Harga barang2 sini pun memang rendah berbanding mesia. Banyak barang2 yang harganya tak sampai 1 pound. Bayangkan, last week, nak masak spagetti.. so gi hypermarket utk beli bahan2. Harga sebungkus spageti GBP 0.69, n kuah die, GBP 0.30 sebotol, utk sekali masak, boleh makan 4 orang.. so dengan modal 1 pound, dah leh masak dah, spageti..tapi kosng jela..tambah daging cincang, sayur2an totalnya still under GBP10.00. kalau kat mesia? dengan RM10, kita hanya dapat beli sos n spageti jer..takpun gi fast food, dapatla makan sepinggan, utk seorang makan je..hehe. Memang mengagumkanlah mula2 bershopping dulu..sebab tak biasa beli barang harga sen2 jer..biasa main ringgit2 je..

Every week kiteorg shopping barang2 keperluan harian di hypermarket, total biasanya tak sampai GBP50.00.. barang yang dibeli sama banyak dengan barang yang kalau dibeli di hypermarket mesia, dalam rm300 i.e penuh satu troli. Memang jauh beza betul! untuk lebih menjimatkan, kiteorg biasanya pilih barang yang jenama hypermarket tu,so lebih murah! sangat menjimatkan..

tapi tak semua barang yang dijual murah2..ada juga tempat2 shopping yang mewah n mahal..tak pernah menjejakkan kaki ke situ pun..hehe. takut nak gi, takut terbeli! Lagipun nak buat ape, bukannya kita duduk sini utk bersuka-ria..tempat orang, duduk sementara je pun, kita merantau, kena la berjimat cermat :) lagipun, tak sampai hati rasanya nak menghabiskan duit elaun husben dengan benda2 yang membazir!

Kalau nak lagi jimat, beli barang di carboot. Satu lagi keistimewaan kehidupan di sini. Penghuni di negara maju ni pandai menjaga barang..guna elok2, lepas tu bila dah tak guna recycle or jual di carboot sale. Rumah dierg ni sempit kebanyakkannya, ruang simpanan tak besar..tapi dierg tak buang barang2 yg dah tak nak pakai, selagi barang tu elok, boleh guna, dierg takkan buang,so bg kt org atau jual semula.

Macam2 barang ada di carboot ni, setakat ni pernah gi sekali je, sebab sejuk sangat..huhu, tak larat la shopping sejuk2..tunggu lepas abis winterla baru nak aktif ke carboot.hehe. Menurut kata kawan2 yang dh lama disini, memang seronok gi carboot ni, boleh beli macam2, dengan harga yg murah. Tapi kena pandai pilih la..Haritu pergi, macam2 beli, siap beli kapet yg besar, dengan harga 4 pound je..murah betul :) kena pegi selalu ni..hehe

Nak lagi jimat?? Recycle! rupanya ada juga mat saleh yg tak suka carboot2 ni..so apa die buat, barang2 yang dah tak nak pakai tu, die akan bg free je pada sesiapa yang nak pakai..dasyat kan? pemurah betul..Biasanya dierang akan advertise di group2 recycle kat internet. so mane2 member group tu yg berminat, bolehla balas advertise tu n kalau dipilih, bolehla ambil barang tu. macam2 barang ade, dari baju, barang elektrik, perabot,barang mainan budak2, even syampu rambut pun ade org nak bagi!

Ops, last but not least, shopping through ebay! satu lg cara shopping di sini :) Tapi, leceh sikitla, nak kena bid. Setakat ni beli mainan bebudak ni, dengan car seat through ebay. Berbaloi la jugak, harga asal car seat tu, kalau yg baru seratus lebih pound, tapi, kiteorg dapat 20 pound jer..sangat jimat and still in gud condition, boleh bawak balik mesia nanti :) Tapi tula, kena ada skill bidding yang tinggi. jari kena pantas menekan keyboard,n mengklik mouse, terutama minit2 terakhir..kalau tak, kalah la jawabnya, tak dapatla barang yang diidamkan tu..

Realitinya, memang duduk di negara orang tak sama dengan tempat kita, tapi kita kena berubah n go with the flow. nak duk disini, kena la ikut cara sini..ye tak? apa2 pun, shopping tetap ON!

Ok, time to go. Nak solat zuhur n kemas rumah sikit..budak2 tengah lena diulit mimpi..