Sunday Brunch Munch

I woke up feeling like wanting to do something special today with the family. We decided to have brunch at Cafe Rouge near Warwick Avenue. It is very near our place at Maida Vale but we never been there. So we better go now before we move home this end of the year.

Maida Vale will be missed. But what to do? My employer is cutting down our housing allowance, hence cutting down some aspects of quality in life. I think they expect us to stay at council housing (which we are not entitled anyway...) then they feel they are being fair. Sounds bitter? You damn right I am! I feel that my rights are being violated!

Any hoo.... Back to cafe rouge..






As the name suggests, the Restaurant's setting is ala Parisian chic, the dish titles are in Francais but with Anglais descriptions.

We ordered a baskets of French patisseries for Noah and he loves them.






What's left is just the basket for him to occupy himself whilst daddy and mommy enjoy their coffees.








Cappucino. A dose of caffeine to kickstart the morning!






No sayang... Not old enough for caffeine. Do not want to stunt your growth. You will grow up to be a 6 footer!








Muz ordered smoke salmon croque with gruyere cheese. Very delicious indeed!






Crepe with tomato, mushroom and fried egg for myself.

Noah's verdict, daddy's choice is better!






Mommy's one is healthier but not when you chomped them down with pain au chocolat and buttered croissant!

After exam start working out again. Yes... we are seating for a CIMA paper this Wednesday. Wish us luck!

*sigh(s)*

It is cold and wet outside. It has been like this all week... Oh well, we've been thinking, discussing, arguing about it all week too... (The gloomy weather is the last thing we need to worry about right now...) *sigh*

Why the long face?

We are at one of life many crossroads: we have to make important decisions that would ultimately alter the course of our life. Ok la, to a certain extend, all decisions are potentially life-changing ones... but I guess the magnitude that makes the difference. To illustrate, the problem we are facing right now is challenging even the existence of this blog! How huge is that? Hahaha... If you know what I mean... I've been trying to apply everything I learned from work and CIMA: decision trees, scenario planning, sensitivity analysis etc to help us make the right decision, but somehow it seems much more complicated and difficult in real (personal) life. I feel like we have too many unknowns in the equation that by just applying assumed probability for things to happen is too big a risk for us to take at this juncture. Faham tak? Neither do I... I think what I'm saying is that we are not sure what to do next, considering the new circumstances that are upon us... *sigh*

"Deal with just one thing at a time" Abah advised me. So, here we go...

The first thing on our list is our CIMA exams. In less than 2 weeks time, both of us will be sitting for yet another paper (each of us is taking different papers) in our never-ending quest for the professional qualification. Yup, I know... After 3 years you would think that we should really have our certs already... Yup, we REALLY are taking our sweet own time! And without fail, again this time, we left the studying to the very last minutes... Mana la tak stress! *sigh*

Next, come January, our tenancy agreement for the Elgin house will expire. The landlady has been pressing for our answer whether or not to continue with the tenancy. In fact she wants the answer by this Monday, so that she would have ample time to look for a new tenant should we decide to move. We would love to keep staying here but the thing is, with the certain reduction of our housing allowance (another issue in its own right *SIGH*) coupled with the inflating rent, we may no longer be able to afford it. Sounds like a straightforward decision? Think again... Moving costs money upfront, quite a big sum pulak tu! We would need a minimum of 6 weeks rent for deposit, plus some dough for cleaning and moving services. Moreover, we haven't got the chance to really look for alternative houses, as the bad news about the allowance came only very recently. Only then we can do a little bit more detailed comparison of the relevant costs of staying vs moving: rent, commuting cost, nursery, council taxes etc for us to make the right decision.

This predicament, I believe, on its own is no big deal. Only that it is being magnified tenfold by the fact that I'm still jobless. I've been applying for some jobs that I thought would be good for my career and at the same time make good use of my skills and experience. Sadly, I've hit a wall taking that path... *sigh* Now I have no choice but to try for everything, to go for anything that I can get hold of, tak kira la kerja apa... "Desperate time requires desperate measure"... *sigh*

But hey, I'm still quite positive that I'll get a job, and that it's just a matter of timing. Unfortunately though, time is what I do not have right now... Here in the UK, thousands of workers are being laid off and thousands more are reported to follow suit, all fallen casualties of the current economic recession. My optimism is running (very) thin... *sigh*

The thing is, it's quite... Err, I stand corrected, it's REALLY difficult to enjoy a quality life here by relying on just one income. Of course we can survive, but is it better compared to living in Malaysia?

Are these ques for us to move back to Malaysia? I don't know... But it's an option that we are seriously considering if the situation does not improve i.e. if I don't get a job soon... *sigh*

On a different, unrelated note: my parents, older brother and some of my aunties including Cik Yam are going for Haj this year. They'll fly off for Mecca this coming Monday and will be back a few days after Christmas. I wish them all a safe journey, and semoga dikurniakan haji yang mabrur, amin...

Double celebrations

Last weekend was a special one. One is turning 6, another is turning 35 25. We celebrated double birthdays of two very special ladies in my life.

One of them is the person that I always able to count on, my loyal confidante, my advisor, my supporter, my sparring partner, my fair assessor, my GIRL FRIEND!!, my strong advocator, my role model, my gossip buddies, my partner in crime... who is happened to be my only sister.

I remember when I was small, you were so garang but I still follow you around because in my eyes... you are so terror and so clever. A lot that I wanted to learn from my big sister so it didn't matter to me whether I was being pushed around. Hahah...

It is undeniable that you have a garang persona, but it is also indisputable that you have the kindest heart. We are proud of what you have accomplished and what you have become!

And.. you are also a wonderful and proud mother of another girl we were celebrating on that day, my darling niece Rahil.

Rahil darling, you are 6! It has been a great 6 delightful years knowing you and I am sure you will bring more joy and delight for years to come (even during your teen years...i hope!)

Mama Eju, Ayah Muz and Noah love you so much. It is amazing that you are so young yet you never fail to make us feel very proud of all the achievements thus far. You can be sure that you can always count us to be the loudest who will cheer for you... especially Mama Eju... your uber chic and fabulous aunt! Wink! Wink!

A smart and intelligent girl you are and I see a lot of the strengths of your mother in you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please raise your glasses. Here are to my two special girls. Hope you will have more great years ahead of you and may all of your wishes come true... I wish you well now and thereafter....

More pictures of the momentous occasion...

Kenapa macam Imaan punye cake dulu?? It is the family's favourite cake - Concerto from Maison Blanc...

This cake has became another family's favourite cake - again from Maison Blanc... It is very delicious! The light spongy texture makes you feel less guilty to indulge.

Crazy pose!! Imaan mana? Taking the picture ke?

Noah and his beloved kakak Rahil.

He enjoys the cake very much. Yeah... it shows.

Imaan just woke up from afternoon nap, straight to devouring the cake. His eyes are barely open...

"This train terminates at East Grinstead..."

Today was the third and final day of our intensive Advance course in East Grinstead. Err... where? Never heard of this place? Neither did I... It's a small old town in West Sussex, about 30 miles (that's the straight line distance, according to Google Map lah... TomTom's fastest route comes up to more than 60 miles!) south of London. It is really small - you can walk around the town covering all the important and not-so-important landmarks (e.g. the high street, cathederal, theatre, cinema, museum, library, supermarkets etc) in less than an hour! I found it quite unique, a lovely town, a piece of 'Ye Olde England'. Hmm, I think pictures would describe it better than (my) words...





















Anyway, the reason I went there was more for 'bonding' with my nephew, Imaan sementara his parents concentrated on learning the massaging technique...









Btw, unlike the past two days, today I took the train because Adam's car was full, with Eju tagging along to East Grinstead... It was my first train ride since a very long time (underground tak kira la...). I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it albeit it was only about an hour ride. Both return trips were smooth and comfortable, but the outbound journey was particularly more enjoyable, thanks to the beautiful view of British suburbans and countryside on an autumn morning (everything was brown, green and gold!). Anyway... The best thing about taking the train is that you don't have to worry about which route to take or whether there'll be traffic jams. You can, more often than not, depend on its very reliable schedule. My ride today was no different - on time even to the minute, and almost right to the second!









The last time I took the train, if I can recall correctly lah, was during my uni years, probably a trip from Lancaster to London (one of many of course...) which took more than 3 hours a trip. Back then, I was travelling with a student travelcard which made tickets much cheaper and hence, the frequency. But those were the days, no more discounted train rides for me... All is well though as I hardly take the train anyway, yelah with Noah and all...

Love is here!

I don't have much to write, just want to share some photos of Noah having a stroll in the park on yet another beautiful autumn day. If I'm not mistaken, days like this that made Eju loves the UK so much...

Last weekend

Yet another eventful weekend had past...

Well, more like an eventful Saturday. Adam, Kak Tita and the kids came down to London on Friday night and spent the weekend with us. They were here for the Scotson Technique Massage Therapy session on Saturday afternoon in West Sussex, which was about 1 1/2 hours drive from our place. Anyway, it was great to have them around, especially so for Noah as he could play with his beloved cousins Kakak Rahil and Abang Imaan. I guess it was a pleasant change for him from the same everyday faces of his Mama and Daddy!

On a different note, I've added another activity to my weekly routine - playing badminton on Saturday mornings with a bunch of guys I hardly knew. I didn't know any of them (at all!) before my first session last week. Eju met some of them during the CIMB Buka Puasa do last Ramadhan and decided to register my name into this badminton club (Seymour BC is a small recreational club, of which members consist of mainly Malaysian and Bruneian). I supposed she felt that i was in a dire need of some real physical activity, perhaps gauging from the increasing size of my waist (apparently playing Wii does neither qualify as a REAL physical activity nor help reducing waist size, at least not by the way I play lah kot!). Hahaha... Err... but the best part of this activity is actually the nasi lemak and teh tarik breakfast at Malaysia Hall after the game! Hehehe... tak membantu betul!

Ok, moving on...

That Saturday afternoon, we went to presumably our last Eid open house, since the month of Syawal had already passed. The event, hosted by Petgas for its stakeholders, was held in a small yet cosy tent near the pavillion in Hyde Park, set on a very beautiful autumn day, albeit a little wet from the light on-off rain throughout the day. The food catered by Delima was just OK, but I can't say a lot about it because I didn't eat that much (yup, that was very unusual of me...). There were satay, rendang and other Hari Raya's usual suspects, and a chocolate fountain! The fountain was a nice touch, it made the do not your typical Eid open house... (No wonder lah the children were extra active - they were high on sugar!)

All the kids had loads of fun playing in the playground next to the tent, Noah and Rahil included. Noah was extra energetic (despite no chocolate fountain for him) and very excited about the whole outing thing, which meant extra work for me! Rahil pulak managed to make some new friends while on the playground. Kids, so easy to get along with each other...

Btw, last Sunday marked the beginning of the Daylight Saving Time i.e. people in the UK (not sure about other countries la pulak...) wound their clocks/watches back by an hour (for additional sleep time!). So, as a result, the time difference between KL and London is now 8 hours. Please take note peeps! :P

To blog or not to blog...

"Hi, my name is Muzamil and i'm a first time blogger."

Yup, this is my first ever blog entry - despite the fact that Eju has been bugging me to contribute to this blog for more than 9 months now, since day one she started this blog. "This is OUR blog... You should write something too!" The thing is, I've never been good at writing (or reading for that matter! But that's a different story. Maybe worth another blog entry?) She told me to write about things that I like - treasure hunts, cars, gadgets or movies. But I don't think I'm qualified to give my two cents worth on those areas... We are no longer treasure hunting, I don't test drive cars or own many gadgets, I'm not even an avid movie-goer! Most of my knowledge are from secondary research aje. Ah, ok lah... (thank you Adam!) maybe a word or two, here and there perhaps. I'm sure I can't stay away from those interesting topics for long! (Hmm... I think I'll have a short paragraph on my interests at the end whenever I post an entry into this blog. Ok tak?)

Btw, another reason why I didn't write earlier is because I like to read what Eju would pen in this blog... In fact, it's one of the things I look forward to almost everyday! It just doesn't happen that often, unfortunately... Oh well, she has been busy enjoying her (not so) new job!

Now, here goes...

It has been 9 months. Wow. "Time flies when you are having fun" they say. In my case, time flies even when you are not doing anything! Hahaha... No lah, although I'm not working, my hands are pretty tight - all thanks to one Noah Amzirin! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all... Believe it or not, I'm actually very proud to say I'm a full time househusband whenever people ask me what I'm doing, or where I work in London. In fact, it has been a great 9 months being a dedicated father to that boy! Kena banyak bersabar aje la...




Interest: The mother of all hunt - The Sun Hunt is back and is just around the corner, in November. This will be the first such hunt we'd miss since we started hunting in 2004, if I'm not mistaken lah. Treasure hunting is one thing that I really miss... I really enjoy it and I think it's a great way to spend a day or a weekend. The last hunt I went was a closed hunt, the MISC Hunt back in July with Ami and Linda (they were not my usual team, but we worked well and won!). They'll be in the Master Category this time around and I wish them all the best. So, Acat and Ezanee, tak join?

Need a dose of motivation

Wish I can pop a pill which will turn me into a motivated freak at work!

 

After hearing the news that they will reduce the allowance that they are giving us, I have gone down into the valley of frustration. Frustrates of lack of choices, either accept it or leave! Yup, they are so good at that. This is not the first time and doubt that it will be the last time. Quite optimistic that there will be many more in the future. I dont know how many more I can take. Maybe one day, I will take the other option. LEAVE!

 

Effective date November 1st, but we are yet to be briefed. We definitely need to move. perhaps outside London where it is a lot cheaper. Too bad... forget about efficiency, we have to be frugal.

 

Ezura declares that today is her Can't-Be-Bothered Day! But changed her mind shortly after looking at her to-dos list...

It is never enough...

Why is it that it is never enough no matter how much you are earning...?

 

If somebody told me a year ago that you will still feel the pinch eventhough you would be earning 4 times more that your salary then, I would say... hahah.. yeah right! Unfortunately, this is exactly the case. What's worse... I used to be able to save but now I just can't!

 

I saw at the back of a bus this morning, 'it is not how much you earn, it is how much you save...' just not helping to my nerves right now!

 

What is wrong with me?? In the past few months, I have to pay higher council tax, higher car insurance and of course - much higher childcare. We want Noah to get the best early education as much as he can and it seems that it has created a huge dent in our pockets.

 

Nope it is not the handbags. Momma has stopped buying handbags months ago... Honest!

 

Have to evaluate our spending and see areas to prioritise. Pastu, have to learn to bersabar (patience) dan bersyukur (thankful)... which I always find it hard to do especially on the patience part... It is in my nature to PANIC!!

 

We definitely have to find cheaper place to rent. Bye bye to the convenience of being only 20 minutes away from work!

 

 

 

 

The small talk on a big issue...

Black tie event -an Inauguration. We were out at the balcony appreciating the wonders of Wales' nature in the evening.

A Welsh lawyer bidded me & hubby to come over...

'Come, let me introduce you to The Mayor!'
'Mr Mayor, these are the true Malaysian, they both are Malays, one of the main race group in Malaysia.' 'Malaysia is a multiracial country. The minorities which are the Pakistanis and Chinese, live side by side with the Malays. There are very tolerant lot', he added.

In my head- Its Indianlaa... not Pakistani, but I didn't bother to correct him since I was kinda excited to meet the local mayor.

The Mayor said,'Hello! Nice to meet you'

I couldn't help but noticed the long chain of medals around his neck that forms some sort necklace or vintage costume jewellery that is in fashion nowdays.
I then said with a slight curtsy (that seems to be an automatic gesture came out of nowhere...)
'It is a pleasure to meet you. I sort of know that you must be of importance when I see that amazing chain that you are wearing!'

'Yes, I am the Mayor!'

Ok already - we got it the first time, I thought.

'So tell me, is it really that all the different races live in harmony without any feuds. Are you really integrated?'

'Yes, of course! We celebrate all different race's festive seasons, we go to school together, work together and inter-marriages are very common..'

'My grandma is Chinese!', my handsome hubby said.

'That makes you quarter Chinese!' the lawyer said.

They all nod appreciatively.

In the meantime, I was thinking that I have to thank the Javanese and Chinese parentage for my hubby's good look. And may I add... he was also looking extra dashing that night with his tux on. Hehehe...

But I felt the need to tell The Mayor about my views and what I truly think about the plight of Malaysians nowdays... I continued on without much thought...

'However, it does feel quite different recently. I am indeed very sad that now days our own so called leaders are instigating the animosity amongst us. The politicians are using this race issue for their political gains...'

'Politicians you said?' The Welsh Lawyer stopped me before I can elaborate more....
'Hmmm... On that note, lets have our dessert...' he laughed sheepishly and ushered us back to our tables...

The Mayor followed him with a poker face...

Ooops... I just blamed the politicians to a politician. He is The Mayor after all. Oh well... so much of small talk...

Bump into him again that evening, I smiled... he didn't smile back. In fact, he was not smiling to anybody at all... I decided that The Mayor is not that friendly after all, just like some of the Malaysian politicians... after they won the election that is...

Came across a video which is a brilliant depiction of Malaysia and her different races. It summarises well of what I think about my Tanahair... Enjoys...