Meet Mortimer :)

I had to stop blogging for awhile as my old laptop ‘Daisy’ was in her last dying days after five long years of dedicated service. I could only type for about fifteen minutes before she overheated and died which made any kind of work impossible. I did manage to extend her life by half an hour if I plugged her in and clamped her onto a strong fan but even then it was like playing  a cyber version of Russian Roulette. There were many times when I screamed in horror as I lost many memos, letters and lesson plans but I guess, in an act of final denial.. I stayed faithful to Daisy until I could find a suitable replacement… I left much of the search up to Pete as he is such a gadget junkie. my only questions were

1. What colours are available?

2. How much does it weigh?

3. Is it shiny?

Pete did all the researchy stuff and went to all the shops while I happily remained oblivious either at home or in a coffee shop. He finally narrowed it down to the Aspire and the Dell and after MUCH deliberation, we went for the DELL!! So trusting Pete paid off and today, after a tediously loooooonnnngggg workshop at work, we went to the Mall and bought me a brand spankingly new laptop/ notebook.

Look at how shiny! How red! How SHINY!!

Murphy is my model, you know, like a model you get posing with a brand new sports car

I decided to call my new friend MORTIMER… just because I like how it sounds! The pink felt flower covers the DELL logo and the reflection you see on its top is from the TV where Pete is playing Civilisation on his XBOX. YES… Pete plays his XBOX in BED!!!

Mortimer is amazingly fast, gorgeously sleek and makes lovely plick plucky sounds when I type on the keyboard… Much in love!

It is so nice to be able to blog again and not worry about being cut off mid sentence.

I have SO MUCH to tell you!!

But its one in the morning and I am starting to go crosseyed..

so excuse me while I tuck myself and Mortimer in bed.. we will catch up tomorrow!

GOOD NIGHT!!

 

Gourock, Loch Loman and Glasgow

My friend Neil tearfully called me last weekend with some sad news, his beloved dog Tess, had to be put down due to a terminal illness in her spine.  He was so upset that I felt I needed to go up to Scotland as soon as possible to comfort him. Pete couldn’t leave London as he had an important assignment to hand in so I was going  alone. I was lucky enough to get a ticket that flew last Friday and I came back to London Monday night so it really was a fleeting visit.

The Late Beautiful Tess

Neil lives in a small town called Gourock just outside Glasgow and it was incredibly beautiful! I have never seen anything like it! It is banked by the river Clyde and the sights from the hills were inspiring. Neil took me down for a walk by the riverside and we talked about Tess. I met her only once and thought she was a lovely dog. It was hard for Neil and his parents losing such a beautiful creature, she brought a lot of joy in their lives. As we walked by the riverside, he would point put some of the places Tess would play and often bravely wade into the water regardless of the weather.

A baby Cygnet by the riverside in Gourock

The next day, Neil decided it would be fun to drive around LochLoman… an hour away from Gourock. The scenery was astounding, although I did feel a tiny bit car sick because of the tiny winding roads.  The mountains towered above our heads, some snow capped with beautiful waterfalls streaming down like crystal tears. The Loch itself was gorgeous and when the sun came out, rainbows rippled everywhere!

Grumpy Neil

Beautiful waterfalls

Kilin

Smiling but absolutely freezing!

My favourite shot!

We stopped by Fortingale where the oldest living tree in Europe was, an old yew tree that is estimated to be 5000 years old!! It was creepily situated in a church yard surrounded by grave stones… I certainly felt quite uneasy there!

Neil made a meal for me on Sunday and we spent my last day there walking around Glasgow. He showed me Glasgow university where he studied and it was such a gorgeous university! It was what I imagined Hogwarts would be like from Harry Potter with beautiful courtyards and awe inspiring architecture. I could imagine great minds being inspired there surrounded by so much beauty.

Much too soon, it was time to leave. I had a lot of fun in Scotland but I was anxious to get home as Pete was down with a cold.. typical! The first time I leave him by himself for a few days and he falls ill!! I hope I cheered Neil up a tiny bit and he promised to come down to London again very very soon.

5 years of Marriage

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of our wedding day five years ago. It was most definitely one of the happiest day of my life, not because of all the pomp and ceremony but because it was an incredible beginning with the man I am madly inlove with.

We had our Nikah at my parent’s house which involved poor Pete reciting everything in Malay. He spent the whole week memorising the Nikah as it was important to say the whole sentence without hesitation. He did it in one try!

My mum told me to shake my head demurely when the imam asked if I was forced into this marriage. I completely forgot and said ‘no’ quite firmly… hardly the demure bride! hehehe..

I don’t think we chose a very good imam as he burped quite loudly throughout the whole ceremony!! I will now bore you with many many wedding pictures!

Then it was another quick change to our sanding gear. Instead of doing the traditional Malay wedding which often involves three or more ceremonies encompassing a whole weekend, we decided to do a speeded version and have it all in one day! This is my favourite photo of the day as guests were leaving and everything was quietening down. We all look exhausted but happy!

That Sunday, we had another small wedding in a hotel.. A mock English wedding with my little sister Audrey as our pretend Minister. It was a small affair with only a hundred guests in attendance. We said our own vows and danced to our song, My Funny Valentine. Our wedding cake was a hundred and twenty Dunkin Donuts!!

The wedding was very special but our marriage is worth even more. It was fun to celebrate our love with the whole world but once the gorgeous wedding dress and suit are packed away, the gifts unwrapped and the photos gathering dust… it is the here and now that excites me. Our marriage no longer feels brand new, I happily hold the title ‘Pete’s wife’ as much as he loves being called ‘laki si Adik’. Life is exciting and is much much more now that we have eachother.

I found this meme about marriage on one of my favourite blog called dooce and I thought what better time to answer it then on the eve of our wedding anniversary!

What are your middle names?
It is a tradition in Pete’s family to give the father’s name as a middle name so Peter’s middle name is David… He wants to carry this tradition on but also wants to use his father’s name for our ‘not yet conceived’ son so the poor dear might be called David Peter… If we follow the Malay tradition of sticking the father’s name in the end of the son’s name then my child could potentially be called David Peter Peter David Shannon… The mind boggles!!

I, however, do not have a middle name.

How long have you been together?
We’ve been married five years but have known eachother for twelve.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
I met him in  drunken campus party on the 15th of December, we went out on our first date on the 17th and we were engaged a month later.

Who asked whom out?
He asked me out.

How old are each of you?
I love this question as I will always be a year younger than Pete.. He is 33.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mine… I have four siblings so we see them a lot in Brunei.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Economic problems… I had my dream job in Brunei but Pete couldn’t find much computer work that paid enough. It is not a problem now as we are both students but we will be faced with this again in a year.

Did you go to the same school?
We went to the same university but on different campuses.

Are you from the same home town?
No. We are from different sides of the world! I think it adds an element of fun to our marriage as our cultures clash constantly!

Who is smarter?
We haven’t decided.

Who is the most sensitive?
Peter… definitely!

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
At the moment, we love Belgos in Convent Garden… the mussels are to die for!

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

Depends on which side of the world we are on… Brunei to London?

Who has the craziest exes?
I do… I dated some really sad characters!

Who has the worst temper?

I do, it takes a lot for Pete to lose his temper..

Who does the cooking?
Pete!

Who is the neat-freak?
Neither, we love clutter!

Who is more stubborn?
I am.

Who hogs the bed?
It depends on who is on the bed first! If in Brunei, definitely our five cats!

Who wakes up earlier?
It depends on who has the earlier class…

Where was your first date?
West End, London.

Who is more jealous?
Not really an issue with us..

How long did it take to get serious?
We didn’t realise we were serious… we just enjoyed each other’s company so we carried on.

Who eats more?
Pete always finishes my plate for me, I always out of habit give him the first and last bite.

Who does the laundry?
Pete cooks so I do laundry.

Who’s better with the computer?
Pete has a degree in computers! I write better blogs though!

Who drives when you are together?
Out of habit, Pete… although he is always complaining that I am a back seat driver! Hehehe…

Phew.. that was a long list of question! To all married couples out there, please try it if you like!

p.s.

Happy 5th Anniversary Sayang.

A New Goal!

more animals
After whinging for so long about my weight, I have finally decided to do something about it… I have joined a gym! (GASPS!!)

It is a really nice gym with a gorgeous pool, modern gym equipment and fun classes like gliding and intro to boxing. It is also literally a three minute walk from our flat. The trainers that work there are really nice and make you feel very welcome as soon as you step through the door so we are very happy with it!

I have been thin when I was growing up, always fluctuating from 40 to 50 kg but never more than that. I was 55kg when I got married and now I have gained 25kg in 5 years!!

I blame it to being too happy and content with married life! Pete is such a good cook, every meal was consumed with great gusto! Around the same time I also discovered baking… I have always had a very sweet tooth and it was fueled by many happy hours of baking and the inevitable tasting. The weight crept in really slowly.. then you wake up oneday and realise you very much resemble a blimp!

Suddenly my clothes were getting tighter and I had to buy a few sizes up.. People keep asking if I am pregnant and when am I due. When you are plump, people tend not to take you seriously, you are often overlooked and sometimes cruelly taken the mickey out of.. Relatives and friends make painful remarks in the hidden veil of jest… I stopped wearing makeup, I stopped trying to look pretty and settled for presentable. My mirror became smaller, I concentrated on my face and turned away from my body. Buying clothes have no interest for me because it was too distressing to find how everything doesnt fit. This went on for years.

So now, I have decided to do something about it. With more free time, I can afford to go to the gym for an hour then spend the rest of the day working at my desk. My whole body is sore and we eat a LOT of salad. I dont want to be thin to be pretty again… I want to lose weight because I want to feel better about myself, to regain something I have lost and to feel happy with what I see in the mirror.

I have done two weeks of rigorous exercise, my whole body is sore today after a particularly grueling session at the gym but I feel better about myself, about what I have achieved and I am excited with what the outcome will be… one day…

A Fun Night Out

A humungous weight has lifted off my shoulders (for the time being) and it was time to party! After catching only three hours of  sleep after pulling an all nighter, Pete and I rushed over to Jom Makan Restaurant in Trafalgar Square, a trendy Malaysian restaurant right next to the National Gallery. We were meeting up with some of my university friends and for most of them, it was their first time eating Malay cuisine!

As you can see, we tried EVERYTHING on the menu!! They loved it, we had Kuey Teow, Rendang, Kari, Nasi Ayam…

The Taiwanese students were a blast! They loved the lamb curry!

Pete and Matthew tucking into the rendang!

Matthew is British but has worked in Indonesia for a long time. His indonesian is impeccable!

Janice is American and worked in Korea.

Camille is my study buddy and is Taiwanese.

That’s me in the middle giddy with lack of sleep and teh tarik.

After food, we went off to Trocedero and played pool. I was rubbish but everyone else was awesome!

Camille and me

Final parting shot!

Have a brilliant christmas to look forward to. First is a visit from a really good friend who I taught with in Brunei. Neil is Scottish and a wicked sense of humour! We havent seen eachother for almost five years now but kept in contact through email all these years! He promised to spend a LONG weekend with us and I can’t wait.

My little brother is coming for a lengthy visit in a few weeks and I am over the moon that I managed to get him really good tickets for the Arsenal Liverpool game! He is the biggest Arsenal fan! It will be nice to have family for a little while though I know he will be very busy meeting up with all his friends. It will be fun to see all the sights again and to hear news from home.

So for the time being, it is back to the grind! Already have two assignments to work on that is due soon after christmas and articles to read. *sigh*

Happy Birthday Audrey.. Blog about cats

A very Happy Birthday to my gorgeous sister Adriana, who is doing her MBA in Japan. Have a brilliant time there and hope to see you very very soon!!

Birthdays are such a fun affair at home, we will have dinner together as a family, shower the loved one with gifts then everyone enjoys a massive piece of cake. Simple I know but it does make your birthday a little bit more special. I am sending you virtual hugs and kisses and virtually having a very expensive dinner with you, eating a big slice of cake and have bought you Tiffany diamonds!!

I can’t deny I am missing my family, friends and cats at the moment. Especially when I am curled up on the sofa reading one dry article after another. Still, I musn’t complain because it is such a privelege to be here.

I keep in contact with all three sisters and my little brother. Kaka is in New York at the moment, Audrey in Japan, Amar is at home swamped with work from Uni and my darling Mayin is studying hard for her O Levels. We keep in touch through the internet and I must say, Skype is a godsend!!

My babies at home are being taken care of by a very kind friend, I couldnt have left them with anyone better! But I do miss everything about them!! I love the way Murphy collapses heavily on us when watch tv (he is a very big cat). The way Bubbles sleeps all the night through just by my pillow, her purrs lulling usto sleep as I drift off, the way Lullabee follows me around everywhere, from the moment I come home from work to the time I am in bed just because she is very glad I’m home. The way Toulouse plays excitedly with everything that moves, his addiction to feathers and his lovely smile when I give him head scritches. Lastly, I miss Midnight who squeals every time she is picked up and everytime she is put down.

On our very last day in Brunei, we went to the petshop to get a year’s supply of cat litter when I spotted this!!

It costs a small arm and a leg but we couldn’t resist giving our babies one final gift before leaving them that afternoon. They loved it as soon as we finished assembling the cat tree in pride of place in the living room!

Right now, I am imagining them doing this waiting for us to come home!

Sigh!! Promise to write a food blog next to cheer you and me up!!

For the time being though, give a loved one a hug just for me…..

My 32nd Birthday

What a day! Pete had everything planned from the moment I woke up to the time I fell asleep. Hehehe, I guess when I said I leave my birthday in your hands, Pete took it very very seriously!!

I woke up with breakfast served in bed of porridge then fish fingers?? Then it was time for presents! Pete gave me a gorgeous bone china cup AND tickets to the musical AVENUE Q for that evening!

After pottering around the flat for a bit, it was a romantic walk through the park. Autumn is just settling in but the weather yesterday was lovely, it was just like summer. Here are some pictures of the park..

The entrance to the park from the busy high street

Then it was off to lunch at a halal burger joint. Pete had a huge burger and I had three little mini burgers…. It was DELICIOUS and so terribly cute. They were smaller than my hand!

We caught a bus to Trafalgar square and said hello to our lion then it was a walk to Leicester square where Pete spotted the cinema we went to on our first date 11 years ago! He is such a romantic… Our first movie was 101 dalmations! Hehehe

Then it was off to Charlie Chaplin’s statue in the little green in the middle of the square! I love Charlie Chaplin and this time, some one put an ACDC t-shirt on him which made it look so COOL!!

It was finally time for Avenue Q and we rushed over to the Noel Coward Theatre. It was a fairly packed show but that just made it more fun!!

*Pictures were taken off the net as we were not allowed to take any pictures..

It was so FUNNY! We laughed from beginning to end – just a word of caution, although it has puppets and is a satire of Sesame Street, it is a very grown up show and not at all suitable for children!!

It was quite late when the show ended but we walked down to Convent Garden before taking the train home. As I was getting ready to go to bed, Pete had one last surprise… a tiny chocolate cheesecake!

It was a lovely birthday and I am so grateful that Pete spent so much effort and time planning  to make it special. I do miss my family and friends at home and would like to thank everyone for the very many birthday wishes that flooded my phone and facebook account yesterday.

So I’m a year older now and none the wiser! Now I am off to have one more slice of that yummy cheesecake!!

Adam!!

My little sister just sent a sweet picture of  cute little nephew, Adam and I just needed to share this with everyone!

Ready??

Everybody say ‘AAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!’

High Street Kensington ROCKS!!

Finally in the new apartment and it is the same size as our bedroom in Brunei!! We love the pull down bed except the mattress is a bit thin and the springs sticks in to your sides a bit..

And infront of the bed is the TINY sofa and a TINY tv! In the hallway is a tiny dining table with a tiny kitchen and a tiny bathroom!! Pete said its like we were playing house! The flat was in aterrible state when we moved in so we spent a whole day cleaning. Our landlady was kind enough to help and she had this amazing steamcleaner that cleaned EVERYTHING!! From floors to glass windows, from carpets to bathroom tiles-  I am determined to get one soon and will buy one for Babu too.

My TIny Kitchen!

The Front of Our Building!

The building itself is gorgeous! We have a very friendly porter who is ever so helpful and we also have these old fashion elevators all around the building. I haven’t been in them yet because we live on the ground floor but I will try them out one day.

We had a bit of time to explore High Street Kensington and I am so excited to live here. There are so many of my favourite shops here like Mark and Spencers, Waitrose, Waterstone, Topshop just to name a few. There is even a huge cinema literally minutes from our front door. There are several parks for Pete to jog in and we are also minutes away from Bayswater and Oxford street. This is why I wanted to study here, to live right in the heart of London and to enjoy every second of it!

High Street Kensington

I have enrolled at Kings College and attended the induction course last Thursday and Pete was kind enough to come with me so I don’t get lost on the underground trains. When we got to the Strand campus, we were an hour early so we decided to explore the area.

Strand Campus is the orange building

It was a wonderful surprise to find Somerset House right next to the Strand building. What an amazing sight! We didn’t have time to have a look at the exhibitions but we did take a few fun pictures of the beautiful carvings they had there. I don’t think the statues look very pleased to see us…

Somerset House

Saja posing!

Gorgeous water display!

Grumpy Statues

Another Grumpy Statue

A very happy Peter

So I enrolled at uni and met all of my classmates now! There are a few more induction courses this week and we start lectures next week. I really like my classmates and we are so multiculturally diverse. There are some students from America, Lithuania, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Iran just to name a few places. I am so impressed with the university, everything is so well organised and everyone is so helpful! I just know I am going to love studying at Kings!

So I am off now to make dinner in my tiny kitchen, I dont have any baking stuff so I cant bake anything yet. I will however leave you with this wonderful find I bought in the supermarket today… Have a look at this!

So what you say? It’s just a Kit Kat… Yes, but it is exactly that! Instead of the usual four bars of small kitkat… this is one mighty big bar of kitkat!! YUM!!

Just try and imagine how nice it taste!! Hehehe….

Pig with Phobia

OMG!! THis is so cute!

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