Eid Day!

30 September 2008

It's Eid day today. I was hoping that the weather would be as bright as my Eid mood. But unfortunately, the morning started to be as grim as last year's. Autumn in Cambridge...so full of cold weather, rains and wind. Not a very good way to celebrate Eid.

Nevertheless, I walked in my blue baju kurung and my new boots to my department. Still in a very good Eid spirit. Walking along the road, through St John's College and Trinity Street up to Downing Site. Everyone I met in my department greeted me with smiles and some with Eid wishes. Hemm...they're aware of the Eid day.....

Called Mdm Zett and Ms ZZ before 10 am and planned to have tea together at my department. At least, we are together to celebrate this special day. But sadly, we didn't have rendang and lemang and all other food that we normally have for Eid. Just some biscuits and a cup of tea/coffee for everyone...

Having instant biscuit and tea/coffee for Eid in Genetics tea room

Mdm Zett and Ms ZZ

Mdm Zett and me

And we were still happy

We took a few pictures near Genetics new entrance. Then, we salam2 Raya and bermaaf-maafan and exchanged Eid wishes. It is sad to be away from home and families but at least we have each other. Girls...thank you for making my life so joyful here in Cambridge and during Eid...

My labmates commented that I looked good in my baju kurung. We even took a photo together!

Nick, me and Chris

I booked a table for two at 6 pm at a new restaurant near Regent Street, Cambridge - Asia. My boss and I were supposed to go together with my other labmate, Claudio but he went back to Germany. This restaurant was opened six weeks ago and offers halal Asian food. Yummy! Couldn't wait to try.. And my boss was paying for that! Haha! As my parents were far in Malaysia (huk!huk! so sad!), my boss played the role as my parent for this Eid. Thank you boss...

Interesting menu booklet

The restaurant is not very far from my department, about five minutes walk. The waiter/waitress were friendly and greeted us with smiles. The decor is nice and interesting and made you feel comfortable to dine in.

We started our dinner with these :

Tom Yam prawn soup

John really enjoyed the tomyam but I didn't as it was a bit hot...


But I enjoyed my chicken satay but the peanut sauce was not as tasty as what I used to have in Malaysia. Maybe they should learn from Hj Samuri or my mum!

We didn't order much as both John and I were not really big eaters. We had Penang beef, grilled lamb and brocolli with mushroom for vege as our main dish.

Grilled lamb-very tender and tasty

Salad-came together with the lamb

Penang beef-more like beef curry in very thick sauce

And brocolli with a bit mushroom cooked in oyster sauce- the vege so lightly cooked that it was still crunchy!

Overall, I would rate the food as good and the place was nice. I'll definitely come here again... and again if they maintain their standard!

Anyway, to all my friends and everyone, once again, Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin!

Pre Eid 2

29 September 2008

Monday was the day to know when we are celebrating Eid - Tuesday or Wednesday. Very excited with the coming Eid and as I plan to wear baju kurung on Eid day, Mdm SA, my labmate from Bangladesh and I went to M&S to buy a new pair of shoes. I didn't have any decent shoes to go with my dress according to Mdm SA. Well...I believe now I do. I bought a pair of boots for my Eid. I'll wear them tomorrow!

I couldn't wait and tried my new boots with my blue baju kurung. As it would be cold to walk from my college to genetics, I will have to wear long stockings with my boots. I couldn't resist taking a few photos of me in my baju kurung. Kira macam syok sendiri le jugak. Hehe!

Read from Cambridge Muslim Online that we are celebrating Eid tomorrow, Tuesday 30th September 2008. All this while we and mostly everyone predicted that Eid would fall on Wednesday. Well guys...we are celebrating Raya one day earlier than people in Malaysia. Hooray!!

Apa-apa pun, nak ucap Selamat Hari Raya pada semua kawan-kawan and everyone yang baca blog ni. Maaf Zahir Batin if ada terkasar bahasa and tersakitkan hati secara sengaja atau tidak.

Esok, tetap pegi lab macam biasa. Kalau sempat, jumpa kawan-kawan Cambridge and salam-salam raya. Dinner- Abg John janji nak belanja. Ok le jugak than takde apa-apa langsung aktiviti...

Pre Eid 1

25 September 2008

We are so happy that Eid is approaching soon. And to make us happier, we planned a photo session together among a few close friends in front of King's College. Yeahh...baju kurung time!

Mdm Zett, Miss J, Ms ZZ, Ms Intan, Mr. Izz and me met near King's College. Mdm Zett and Ms ZZ's labmate, Catherine came to help us taking the photos.

People kept stopping me in my department as they are interested to know about my baju kurung. But I didn't mind at all explaining and very pleased that they were interested in our traditional dress which seemed to them to be colorful. Yeah...our dresses are very colorful, compared to the color that people here used to. Which is sadly, grim....

I walked with Ms ZZ to King' s College. People kept staring at us as we walked from our departments (Genetics and Plant Sciences). Hemm...possibly because our baju kurung were very colorful and not something the normally see here in Cambridge. Well...we were and are very proud of our traditional dress and will always wear it whenever and wherever fits....

Here are some of our photos to be shared :

Me, in front of King's College

Ms Intan, me, Miss J and Ms ZZ in front of King's College

Mdm Zett, Miss J, Ms ZZ, Mr. Izz, Ms Intan and me in our baju kurung-except Mr. Izz of course!

It was a bit cold and windy a few days ago. Fortunately today, the day was very sunny and a bit warm. What a fine day for taking photos. May be it was a blessing....

Mdm Zett and me. She wore high heels which made me looked like a bit short! Huk! Huk!

We had a very great time doing all the photos in our colorful traditional dress. We are promoting Malaysia to the Cambridge community and guests. Well...sort of like being Malaysian duta la...

Well girls and guy. Shall we do it again next year? I'm really up to it!

Leaving for Cambridge....

29 August 2008

After being in Malaysia for than two months, it was time to go back to my PhD world. Huk!Huk! Sedih pulak rasa to leave everyone...my family, friends, Malaysian food etc. But I'd to go orr...my PhD will be doomed!

My flight was sheculed at 8.15 pm. I met Abg John at KLIA. He'd been there since 2 pm this afternoon.

As usual, my big family accompanied me to the airport. After checking in our luggage, my family and Abg John lepak at the usual teh tarik place and had tea and whatever food my family brought from home. Like having a picnic la...

Chatting while waiting for the time to check in...

At our usual teh tarik place

Abg John met my family once last year. To him, we are family now and there was no barrier to communicate with each other...not even language (hard to believe as my parent don't speak English!). Hehe! Yeah...right!

We went in at 7 pm after all the hands shaking and hugs and gave our last wave. Saat yg sentiasa menyedihkan...even for someone like me who'd been living on my own since I was 18.....

A picture of us with my family

Waving our final goodbye for now...

And in we went....

Not our day....

29-30th August 2008

It was really not our day. We started very well the night we left KLIA and boarded MAS. Once we were on board, there was a slight delay in taking off. We were not worried at all at that time because we thought that we had about two hours gap between this flight and the next one, 10.50 pm BA flight in Changi.

When we arrived in Changi airport, we were not allowed to get off the plane as there was some sort of missunderstanding between the airport schedule and our flight. Huh! We had to wait for quite some time till the airport crews came with all the necessary tools to get us off....

Waiting patiently for permission to get off the plane

Airport crews were waiting for instruction to prepare our boarding off...

Then, both Abg John and I, and some of the passengers rushed to Terminal 1 for our transfer flight. We were informed by BA that we missed the time scheduled to check in. I started to have this terrible headache and felt very hungry and thirsty from all this rushing. Gosh! We knew that we were going to miss the flight. We asked the counter and were informed to go to the nearest MAS counter and asked them to be responsible. We went from one terminal transfer counter to another until an airport officer came to our aid and help to make the process easier.....

Changi terminal

Taking skytrain to move from one terminal to another....




I was lucky that Abg John was so efficient that he managed everything, from dealing with the MAS representative, getting me some food, water and paracetamol to taking me and all our belongings to BA lounge to eat and rest while waiting for our standby flight to be confirmed.

BA lounge in all its glory....

Comfy sofa for someone like me with a terrible headache to lie down...


Thank God they had food that I could eat-tuna pizza, sweets, apple, hot chocolate....

Luckily, MAS managed to get us two confirmed standby, 12.40 am 30th Augt 2008, Qantas flight to Heathrow. It was a bit strange to fly in BA and it was stranger to be flying Qantas. There was only me... a single Muslim girl in both flights! Luckily there was a chinese Malaysia steward on board who asked kindly for my breakfast preferences as he knew the omelette served came with bacon underneath. I was given some cereal instead.....

In QANTAS. Felt like flying in BA only worse. You could hear all the noises coming from the old plane. They were really pushing this poor plane into limits. And all the stewards and stewardes were a bit uninteresting (old!)...unlike our MAS!


But above all that happened to me this two days, I was very grateful that I arrived in Cambridge safely and Abg John was kind and thoughtful enough to get a limo and took me to my college and help me carried all my luggage up to my room. Thank you very much for your kind help. I'm very lucky indeed.....



And I was really worn out from this trip!! Eeeekkk...

Iftar in Cambridge 3

20 September 2008

Mdm Zett invited us to have our Iftar at Thanh Binh, a vietnammese restaurant near Magdalene Street. We came to her house first to break our fast and maghrib prayer.

At Mdm Zett's new place

Five minutes before 8 pm, we left her house and walked to the restaurant which is very close to her place.

Thanh Binh menu booklet

We ordered a fish dish, prawn, soft crab and mix veg. And had mango juice for drinks.

Soft shell crab as our starter

Prawn in tamarind sauce

White fish in thick coconut milk gravy. Taste like fish rendang ...

Stir fry mix veg in oyster sauce

And tasty mango juice

The restaurant is quite cozy and packed with people from everywhere in the world. The food was good and tasty but they don't have any interesting dessert.

Mdm Zett and me

Miss J and Ms ZZ

We had a lovely Iftar here in this restaurant. Thank you Mdm Zett for the treat. Make it more often and we'll be round like baloons!

Iftar in genetics department

I had few misfortunate occasion having to have my Iftar in my boss's office. I was very busy learning and doing my informatics work and had to learn a lot from my supervisor, Abg John. It was not really sad moments but it would be very much different in Malaysia. Frankly, I missed all the food especially from our bazar Ramadhan.

8 September 2008

Had chicken kebab and a can of coke. Didn't really enjoy the kebab as it was a bit hot and spicy...

Abg John had Lamb kebab and coke. He love hot and spicey food and found the kebab to be tasty!

In Abg John's messy office...

9 September 2008

Today was the saddest Iftar I ever had in my live. I almost had to have my Iftar in our dept again. I rushed and left my department around seven. I didn't have enough time to prepare proper food for my Iftar. I had to make do of whatever food I had left. I had a doughnut, a date, an apple and a banana with peppermint tea to cool me down. I was angry and stressed today and really needed that tea to control my sanity!

Later, I cooked some fried rice after my prayer. My mum would be very sad if she ever find out what I had for Iftar....

11 September

Another day to work until late hour with Abg John. I didn't have time to go out to get food for Iftar. I only managed to get some hot chocolate and a Twix to break my fast today. Another sad way to have Iftar....

Luckily, I still have some leftover from yesterday. Later, I cooked some rice and had it with some chicken curry. I shouldn't be complaining, I know. At least I still have food to satisfy my hunger...only it took me a little bit longer.