Updates

Hi there my dear diary.. It's been almost 3 months since the last update. I'm sorry but I can't help myself from being too excited for being home and too busy to adapt with the surrounding here. (Plus, I have no internet connection except gprs from my phone. I hope that will explain everything.)

Not sure where to start. Maybe within 8 days from my last countdown?

12th September 2008

Last view of my favorite little town, Norwich city center. We took a walk around the town and enjoyed every moments there, breathing the fresh cold air.. Snapping every pictures and little details there in our memory, hoping that it will stay fresh forever in our mind.




(Left) Cafe Nero. Our life-saver during cold, rainy spring (First outing in town last March 2008)




(Right) Chappelfield Garden. I used to ignore the brutal wind and cold weather just to sit there on that bench, enjoying the free wireless connection. Not to forget, the fresh air and colorful flowers around me during spring.. plus, our first snow experience there!











14th September 2008

1 day before our journey ended. It's Lotus open day. I was excited to see the place where Teddy has been working for the last 6 months. It was one of his biggest achievement. I wanted to see the final product of his 'Eagle project'.

Here I present you, the stylish Lotus Evora! I'm proud of my Teddy..





.. to be continue ..

Journey completed!!

8 more days to go..

Our journey here almost come to an end.

15th March - 15th September 2008.
Norwich, UK


"Too many to remember
All the sweet and unforgettable memories
will be kept forever
in our heart.."


Love,
Isa Yassir Arafat & Ilyana

I will always cherish every moments here as a part of my journey through life. More than satisfied with a fulfilled childhood dream. It's more than what I have asked for. A perfect little life with my beloved Teddy, exploring this world together. We have conquered some part of Europe (Paris & Rome).. and almost all part of England.. including Scotland and more to come, soon. Insya Allah..

I'm excited to be back home in Malaysia.. to smell the fresh hot air in my beloved hometown.. to eat everything that I've craved for without having any difficulties to make them.. to meet my families and friends (including my nyanyaws) that I miss everyday.. and to begin a new family life with a new home and environment. It won't be easy, but hopefully everything will be doing smoothly according to plan.

At the same time, I'm sure will be missing this place. A fine city called Norwich somewhere in East England. Unthank Road, Chappelfield Garden, Castle Mall, Bowthorpe, etc. etc. etc. I will never forget our first snow experience, last Spring.. 22nd March 2008. It's amazing to wake up early in a cold morning and open up the window blind to see everything white in colour. Still fresh in my mind how we shivered with cold during our walk in town and a cup of hot chocolate at Cafe Nero was our life saver!

What I love most about Britain are the people here. British people are always warm and friendly. It's hard to find anyone rude to you (except when you are driving) and shopping experience will never be better here. It doesn't really matter how little you spend because you will be treated properly as a customer. Strangers will smile back at you and sometime say hi to you with a friendly face. You will hardly (or can I say, never??) find that in Malaysia. If you do that, people will react with a weird face with 'Do I know you?' impression.

British weather is just nice, but my body still can't really cope with the strong, heavy wind. I love cold weather but it will be nicer without the wind (and with some sunny spells, of course). The weather here is unpredictable and sometimes you have to depend on the weather forecast to plan for a holiday or even for BBQ in the garden. Mostly it will be cold and windy and during summer, a lot of rain.. Back in Malaysia, you just have to expect either it's going to be a hot or rainy day. You can plan for your holiday anytime, except during rainy season (Musim tengkujuh) in some part of Malaysia. You will see the sun almost 12 hours a day and that's why you can find a lot of Malaysian HATE the sun. The idea of 'sun bathing' on the beach can be define as 'crazy' unless if you want to be burnt red like a lobster if you do that on Malaysian beach. We don't have to do that because we always have a tan.. and yes, we want to be fairer.

Enough mumbling. I want to share about our Euro Trip in Paris & Rome. Not to forget, journey to The South England too.


Dear Diary, Please remember this..



24th August 2008 (It's our 3rd Anniversary before we got married)


Departure : 19.25pm

Flight to Paris with EasyJet. My first experience using Airbus (Just like Air Asia in Malaysia). Almost 1 hour journey from Luton Airport to Charlles de Gaulle Airport in France. Free seating and don't expect to find anything fancy like a LCD screen for movies. The landing experience was horrible since we can obviously feel the heavy force when the tyres meet the ground. I was shouting "O mak ko!!" (sempat melatah tu..) and few passengers did shout a bit.. then, burst out with laughter when the plane finally surf safely on the ground. Maybe it's normal, but I didn't prepare mentally and physically for that.


Arrival : 21.45pm

Took a cab straight to the hotel, Premiere Classe Roissy. €22 for the cab fares.



25th August 2008


Bonjour, Paris! We started our journey early in the morning using a 'Gare' (pronounce as Gahr, means Train). There's a RER station (something like LRT or STAR in Malaysia) near our hotel, station 'Gare du Parc des Exposition'.

Dear diary, it's important to remember things like this because we might come here again some other time, right? It was so convenient because it's just a walking distance from the Hotel and can go straight to the Airport using B3 RER line.


It was a beautiful day. Bright, sunny day with small breeze and clear blue skies. Not much things to explore than to admire the great architecture of Eiffel Tower (1 of my childhood dream to witness the beauty live with my own eyes) and the beautiful Arc de Triomphe. Other than that, we just took a walk around Paris, holding hands together and enjoying the breathtaking view of one of the most romantic city in the world (Actually it doesn't really matter where you are, as long as you are with your loved ones, right?). I was sooo.. on top of the world to be there. It was just like what I have dreamt of. Blue skies, green grass, holding hands with my loved ones.. and there's Eiffel Tower standing proudly in front of us. I'm blessed!

Paris, here we are!!

We had a great time in Paris, although just for a very limited period of time. We have to hurry back and catch the Gare back to CDG (Charles de Gaulle) Airport. Another interesting journey await us ahead..


Departure : 18.05pm

2 hours flight from Paris, CDG Airport to Rome, FCO (Fiumicino) Airport using Vueling. The flight experience was better except for the heavy vibration during take off.


Arrival : 20.05pm

Took a cab to the hotel, Hotel Chopin. Surprisingly, we had to pay €65 (approximately RM300++) for the cab fares! It's just 5-10 minutes driving from the Airport. Not sure either we had been cheated or we took the luxury cab by mistake. (Not so luxury for me since it's an Alfa Romeo!) My advice, be more careful when you want to take a cab in Rome. From the FCO Airport to Rome city center should not cost more than €40 (Source, Faz). Ask her if you are interested to travel in Rome since she's a local there! hehehe...

Our room costs us €70 per night but I was relief to find that it really worth it. It was a big honeymoon suite and doesn't smell funny like most of the hotels in London ;p





26th August 2008

Buongiorno, Rome! We went back to the FCO Airport to take the non-stop train to the Termini Station (€11 per person).

We took a bus from Termini Station to Piaza Venezia. This square is located in the heart of Rome, at the end of the Via del Corso (it's the name for the road. Correct me if I'm wrong, Faz!). If you take a walk along Via del Corso, you can see some of the Rome's famous sight such as The Pantheon and Fontana de Trevi.

It was a very hot summer in Rome. We decided to head straight Via del Fori Imperiali to reach our main destination, the famous ancient amphitheater.. Roman Colosseum. We passed by a lot of well-preserved ancient ruins but sadly I can't identify them (obviously because I'm bad in my History subject in school and didn't do enough research about that). So, please.. be well-prepared with your history knowledge before you come here! hehe..

I was melting and exhausted when we finally reached the Colosseum. It's extremely hot and I can say it's hotter than 12 o'clock sun in Malaysia. I really can't stand the heat and decided to put off our plan to see Fontana de Trevi and other attractions in Rome. Hopefully we can come here again some other time, and I will make sure that it's not going to be during Summer!

The Colosseum was so huge and it felt amazing to be there, to witness another famous world center of attraction. This elliptical building was built for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles.

Did you see that? My bump started to show.. I guess, I can't hide it anymore. Hehehe..

Teddy was exhausted too..

Rome is a beautiful place with a lot of ancient buildings. You will definitely be amazed with all the architectures and statues, especially if you are an art lover. Don't forget to try the delicious pastas and pizzas here! (Try Penne all'arrabiata if you are a fan of spicy food + vegetarian).


27th August 2008

Back in London. Exhausted and head straight to the Hotel near Heathrow Airport for some rest.


28th August 2008

Gain enough energy to begin another journey to the South England. Our first destination, the Windsor Castle. South West London, just 10-15 minutes driving from Heathrow Airport. Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world.

It was so huge that we had to take about 20 minutes walk along 'The Long Walk' (a park opposite the South Wing part of the castle) to take a good view of the castle.



We drove more to the South to see the Stonehenge. It's one of the famous prehistoric monument in the world. Click here to find out more about Stonehenge.




Our journey to the South continue as we headed to Bournemouth.


29th August 2008

A beautiful day on the beach. It's Bournemouth Air Festival. The air show was quite boring except for the Red Arrows. The weather was fine and I enjoy walking along the white, sandy beach with Teddy. The sea water was as cold as our Malaysian waterfall and I wouldn't dare to bath there.


It's the end of our journey here. To complete it, we went back to London to take a last good view of London Tower Bridge.



Ok.. Journey completed!! It's time to go home.. ;)

Spiral Curry Puff & Euro Trip

Spiral curry puff? It's actually 'karipap pusing' in Malay. Yesterday I did my first ever spiral curry puff. Not bad actually (for a first timer like me. hehe..). Thanks to Elly for showing me how to make the 'kelim' or closure for the curry puff. I know, I know.. it look like dinosaur's spikes. Ugly but I'm more than satisfied. It's one of the hardest 'kuih' or traditional malay cookies that I have ever made.

I won't be around for the next 1 week. I want to complete my Euro trip journey before I'm going back to Malaysia. Back for good, of course. Wait for another journey updates later, ok?

Journey to the North

27 days to go. Countdown time! I'll be back for good. Too little time, too much to explore.

Last weekend (15-17 August 2008) we went to the North of England. Actually, we didn't plan it at first. It just popped out from my head since we didn't have any plan for the weekend.

Remember our last trip? Journey to the West of England (Norwich - Birmingham - Manchester - Liverpool). That was 2-3 months ago. After that, I was being quarantine at home since my health condition didn't allow me to travel. My nausea really killing me!

I'm now in a 'safe pregnancy stage'. My nausea slowly gone and I'm strong enough to do a lot of things (except dealing with garlic). My pregnancy glow started to show and my mood swings are more controllable. Thank God. Alhamdulillah.

We started our trip on Friday (15 August 2008), around 4pm. Arrived at Bewick Hotel, Newcastle around 9.30pm. Check in for a good night rest.

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Saturday (16 August 2008), 7:00am - Full English Breakfast. Eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans (without bacon and sausages of course!). Not to forget, orange juice and toast. Simple but delicious (..somehow I still miss nasi lemak and karipap for breakfast).


9:00 am - Check out. Headed a little bit South to see the famous Angel of the North, Gateshead. It is Britain's largest sculpture and believed to be the world's largest angel sculpture. It rises 20 metres and has a wing span of 54 metres - almost as big as a jumbo jet.



11:30 am - Arrived at Alnwick Castle, Nortumberland. Famous as the 'Hogwart', film location for Harry Potter, the Philosopher's Stone & Chamber of secret. It's huge and full with every little details inside. I was amazed with all the spectacular artworks, from the silk wallpaper, antique clock (still ticking), beautiful furnitures to the heavily crafted ceilings.


2:30 pm - Finally, arrived at Edinburgh, Scotland. It was cloudy with some sunny spells to remind us that it's still summer. Cold, windy summer. Again, I was stunned with all the beautiful and unique buildings there. I bet it's more beautiful than London. Our short vacation was really worth it! The journey to the North now completed.

11:30 pm - After a very long, tiring drive from Scotland, we arrived at Holiday Inn, Leeds.


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Sunday (17 August 2008), 9:30 am - Another English Breakfast. Buffet with additional delicious hash brown and fresh fruits.

11:00 am - Check out, headed back to South and stopped for some shopping at Nottingham.


3:00 pm - Continue journey along M1 motorway to the South, stopped at Kirby Muxloe in Leicester. A nice, small castle surrounded by water.

5:30 pm - Headed back to Norwich. Arrived home around 7pm. Exhausted but we were glad that we finally made it! Our final last days in England will be fully used to the max and wait until we explore the rest of interesting places in Europe, next week..


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** Updates for my little one **


Today is the first time I hear your heartbeat. My midwife is having difficulty to track your heartbeat since you move a lot. What an active baby you are!

I can feel little movements inside this morning. Is it really you?

My midwife, the lovely Ms. Allison Allen told me that I'm not immunize with Rubella. I thought that every young girl in Malaysia, including me is already vaccinated. That worries me a bit. Hopefully everything going to be alright. Stay strong and grow up healthily dear baby..

Raya abroad?

No, you don't have to double check your calendar. It's still August.. 12 Syaaban 1429. Not yet Ramadhan, and Syawal is still 1++ month to go.

Wondering why there were 'raya cookies' on top of my kitchen table? It's neither for sale nor booking sample. Last Tuesday, we made 'honey cornflakes' and 'kek batik' (It's quite messy in the picture above, but believe me.. it's yummy!).

It's actually for a special event yesterday, (13 August 2008). TV3 team from Malaysia came here to Norwich and did some shooting for their Raya program. We were asked to make Raya wishes to family & friends in Malaysia and act for a Raya celebration, abroad. It's a great experience and I found it really amusing especially the part where the cameraman and Majalah3 host, Nurul Syuhada ask us to sing a Raya song before the wishes. I really hope that it won't appear on TV.. It will be sooo humillating since I'm already at home in Malaysia during Raya. hehe.. Sorry peeps, I just can't help myself from being more glamour than you guys! ;p



What I'm really excited about that was the foods! (Despite being glamour and being able to meet Nurul Syuhada, Dato' Farid Ridzuan, CEO of TV3 and Zuhairah @ Ira, News presenter from TV9). There were nasi impit, kuah kacang, lontong, ayam masak merah, rendang, beriani, karipap, popia, cakes, and of course.. our special raya cookies (We received a lot of compliments for our effort in making those cookies and the superb taste). I was stuffing myself to the max and didn't care what people said about that. I'm eating for two.. It's an acceptable reason, right? It's not that I'm hungry or craving those foods. I'm just missing the taste of 'Malaysian'. I enjoy meeting a lot of Malaysian and sharing stories about my weight loss. (They said I look thinner than before!). Teddy was enjoying himself also.. stuffing himself with delicious lontong.

Before that they (TV3 team) made a documentary about Proton workers in Lotus. It will be aired on Majalah3 this 31st August and there might be a glimpse of my Teddy on it! hehe..