Coretan Uncle

The Final Semester 2012

2012-02-02T00:56:00.004Z

My coursemates and I just finish our examination today. Alhamdulillah, everything went well during the examination period. We were given good health, good sleep, and of course good sustenance to keep us on track. Now, all we need to do is wait.

Image from spanarburuk.blogspot.com

I'm trying to keep this blog alive. :p

Southend-on-Sea (Melawat mokcik)

2011-02-20T10:03:00.007Z

Sebelum ke Southend-on-Sea, aku memang tak tahu kat mana dan berapa lama masa utk ke sana dari Sheffield. Maka, rujuklah aku kepada google maps dan ini yg aku dpt.

Petunjuk daripada Encik Google Maps.

Mcm biasa la, Encik Google maps kuat sembang. Journey yg 3 jam boleh jadi 5 jam. Aku ambil keputusan utk drive ke sana memandangkan kos yg lebih rendah berbanding naik train atau bas. Senang pun senang. Kami dikurniai seekor 'Anak gajah' a.k.a Vauxhall Meriva 1.4 sbg tunggangan ke sana.

My crews; Thoriq, Ana, Siddiq & Juju.

Kalau bab jalan2 ni, aku mmg pakai prinsip 'pertama dan terakhir'. Kalau yg jenis byk songeh, tak boleh bg keputusan cepat, sure2 aku tak ajak dh utk next trip.

Aku dan rakan2 bertolak dr Sheffield sekitar pukul 7 ptg dan sampai di Southend-on-Sea pukul 1 pagi, agak lewat sbb ada masa kecemasan utk ke toilet. Alhamdulillah perjalanan lancar, cuma ada sedikit kesesakan sebab ada accident kat highway, satu jam sebelum masuk Essex.
Sampai2, Cik Anis (mokcik aku) pun dah tido, anak dia pun dah mamai. Sungguh tidak patut aku ini, tapi apakan daya.

Bangun esok pagi je, terus dapat tibai nasik lemak sambil lepak2 ngan Cik Anis. Byk jugak tamparan wanita (nasihat) yg aku dpt drpd Cik Anis walaupun tgn beliau sibuk memasak. Bg aku, Southend-on-Sea adalah satu bandar kecil, tempat org nak lepas angin. Kata Cik Anis, time weekend, ramai org dr London dtg ke sini. Mmg nmpk agak sibuk terutamanya waktu tengahari. Tak banyak benda yg boleh dilawati, jd kami decide utk ke Adventure Island (theme park tepi laut) pastu jalan2 di sekitar pier yg panjang dia mcm haram. Katanya terpanjang di dunia, tak tahu la betul atau tak.

Aku dan papan tanda bermakna.

Pemandangan tengah laut di Southend-on-Sea.

Bila petang menjelma, semua dah nak balik kecuali aku ngan Juju yg tiba2 sgt nak try Starbucks coffee. Maka lepaklah kami di sana tanpa mereka2. Balik2 umah je, tgk2 mee kari dah siap. Maka makan la lagi kami ini.

Time malam pulak, tak tau nak buat apa. Nak bergumbira kat luar, tak tau nk gi mana. Siddiq dgn selambanya mengeluarkan PS3 beliau yg bleh dikatakan menjadi sahabat karib beliau di mana sahaja beliau pergi. Aku terkejut tapi buat2 cool.
Keesokan harinya pulak, Cik Anis masak nasi kerabu. Aku dijadikan sbg mangsa keadaan. Katanya aku yg minta nasi kerabu ni, tapi rasanya aku tak pernah minta apa2. Yg penting boleh makan free lg la. Memandangkan masa tak byk, kami terpaksa bertolak awal dr rumah Cik Anis utk melawat destinasi seterusnya, Cambridge.

Gambar famili.

Perjalanan bosan ke Cambridge memakan masa sejam. Bila sampai kat Cambridge, agak susah utk cari parking sbb lebih ramai org naik basikal berbanding kereta kat sana. Cambridge nampak agak bijak, dan ada gaya mcm dlm movie 'Social Network' gitu. Ada club2 yg tak semua org boleh masuk kecuali students kat situ dan lecturer2 mereka sahaja. Agak kerek di situ. Kami di Cambridge tak lama, sbb sejuk dan mendung. Sekadar tgk2 dan beli souvenir. Nak naik sampan, tak sempat. Ah, tak lupa juga, kami masuk toilet kat Cambridge. Cukup syarat.

Juju jd photographer.

Sekian sahaja laporan utk minggu ini. Zass!

Lepak?

2011-02-06T13:34:00.003Z

Alhamdulillah, exam dah habis. Aku sempat cuti satu hari je memandangkan period exam utk course aku sama dengan period exam utk seluruh universiti. Aih! Tapi takpe, at least bleh berehat utk satu hari sebelum memulakan semester baru.

Ucapan penghargaan ditujukan kepada rakan-rakan yg byk membantu aku time revision. Time study bersama, sempat juga la kiranya aku snap beberapa gambar utk menghilangkan kebosanan.

Terima kasih juga kepada Ana (cousin aku) dan Syaheeda (flatmate) beliau yg menjemput kami serumah utk dinner semalam.

Thoriq dan Jamil (dalam Macbook). Kecanggihan teknologi tak menghalang study group walaupun berjauhan. Ahah!

Aku yg sedang mendengar explanation drpd sifu2.

Toyot, tukang hibur dan pembuat air yg setia di kala beliau tak sibuk dengan 'komitmen baru' dan exam.

Tuan Guru Hj Adil, merangkap sifu tertinggi Mechanical engineering.

Semoga semester baru membuka lembaran baru utk kejayaan di masa akan datang.

Wassalam.

Just in Time

2011-01-27T13:00:00.003Z

Bagi aku, musim exam ni merupakan musim paling tak best, kalau tak bersedia la. Kalau bersedia, segala-galanya nampak mudah. Semua benda yang best aku rasa nak buat time ni. Ambik gambar, tengok movie, keluar jalan2, lepak2 ngan member dan tak ketinggalan juga nak update blog. Time ni je terfikir nak buat semua benda tu. Masa2 free sebelum ni tak digunakan sepenuhnya. Patut la Nabi pesan gunakan masa lapang sebelum sempit. Mungkin sekarang baru aku faham.

Tambah gelabah lagi bila tgk coursemates terutamanya yg rajin amat, dah siapkan tutorials dan past year papers sebelum waktunya. Kata Hilman a.k.a junior Mechanical engineering yg tidak kurang sengalnya, org Melayu suka apply JIT principle. Bagi yg tak belajar engineering atau management, JIT merupakan akronim kepada 'Just in Time'. Kiranya siapkan keje cukup2 masa la. Contohnya, esok nak exam, malam ni baru abiskan revision. Hah! Tu kalau abis, kalau tak habis, tawakkal je la. Ada gak yg lg kacak. Nak exam je, dh countdown pakai jam. Malam tu stay up pastu terus pergi exam keesokan harinya. Yg ni aku tabik sbb aku dh try buat, dan kantoi pada paper yg berikut. Rasanya prinsip JIT ni hanya sesuai utk org yg betul2 bersemangat dan ada momentum yg tinggi. Yg hangat2 tahi ayam mcm aku, elakkan guna JIT. Kang tak pasal2 menangis time exam.

Selamat study dan semoga berjaya!

JIT tidak digunakan di sini.

Happy Birthday Nyet

2011-01-21T21:15:00.000Z

Hari ni, birthday atau ulangtahun kelahiran adik aku, Ahmad Akmal Syahmi bin Noor Azahan atau lebih dikenali sebagai Nyet dikalangan member-member beliau dan Bonbon oleh 'sesetengah' pihak. Bonbon? Apekah?
Memandangkan jarak yang jauh, tak dapatla aku menyambut birthday bersama beliau. Hanyalah ucapan 'Happy Birthday' mampu disampaikan.
Akhir kata, teruskan menjadi adik yang baik walaupun mmg dah baik dah(tulis sambil rasa malu-malu).

Happy Birthday

Beliau dgn cubaan utk melakukan sesuatu terhadap burung merak (kecik je).

Last Updated: Monday, September 13, 2010.

2011-01-21T09:25:00.003Z

Wargh.

Rasanya dah lama sangat tak update blog sendiri. Tapi melihatkan kepada link kat blog ni, ada orang yg lg lama tak update, jadi takde hal lah.
Sekarang musim exam di universiti, dikala membelek-belek nota yg belum habis dibaca, tangan ni kadang-kala gatal untuk memegang mouse komputer, browse setiap website yg ada. Masa berseorangan digunakan untuk plan segala macam aktiviti selepas exam termasuklah percutian setiap hujung minggu; mampu atau tak, kita sama-sama nantikan la.
Kepada diri sendiri dan rakan-rakan seperjuangan, selamat maju jaya dalam exam.

I'm coming to you baby!

Geneva, Switzerland

2010-09-13T17:03:00.008+01:00

Hohoh! This time, we arrived in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva is not really a big city, but I love the way it is, except for the expensive collectibles including Swiss watches and Swiss knifes. A man who was siting on a flight next to my father said, items in Geneva are 3 times more expensive compared to Paris. Nonsense! In Geneva, we stayed in Geneva Youth hostel. Although it is a youth hostel, it was very comforable. Complete with a kitchen, tv room, games room and co-ed toilets. Hahaha. We had our first lunch in Geneva at Ali Haydar Kebab restaurant. Not that expensive I thought.

Ali Haydar Kebab

Trams in Geneva

We went to a park near Lake Geneva and shot some pictures there. In my opinion, Geneva is a calm city compared to London. Everything seemed classy here.

Papa and Mama in Geneva, Switzerland.

Me in Geneva.

Again, we met few Malaysians here. The boy was from France, studying petroleum engineering.
On our way to Genevans mountain to ride cable car, rain pours heavily. This was the heaviest I'd ever experienced in Europe. We had to canceled our ride to the top due to strong wind.
We then took a bus to the UN building, just to see what they had there, because there are only two UN building in this world. The first one is in New York and the second one is here, in Geneva.

In front of UN office in Geneva.

Mama's activities was the same all the time; shopping, shopping and shopping....

2010-08-30T17:06:00.007+01:00

Wargh! Again I think I am 2 months behind time, but I'm still going to finish the story about our summer vacation slowly. Hahaha.
Journey by train from Brussels to Paris Gare du Nord took approximately an hour. This time by Thalys train, not Eurostar. Since Papa booked a hotel near Gare de Lyon, we had to take Metro from Gare du Nord. It was easier if we stay near Gare de Lyon because we were going to board an early train to Geneva the next morning.
Our hotel was about 200 meters from the train station. A good spot to experience hectic environment in Paris. Since we had ample time at night, we decided to visit Eiffel Tower, for me the most popular tourist attraction in Paris.

Having instant noodle is the best way to save money on vacation.

Eiffel Tower during daytime.

I was about to climb the tower at first, but there were too many people queuing for the tickets, so I canceled my intention and hoping to get it next time.

Eiffel Tower at night.

We went back to our hotel late at night and we found some difficulties in purchasing Metro tickets when the ticket office was closed. The machine either accept coins or credit cards only. Haish!

Arriving at a Metro station near Gare de Lyon, my bag was opened by a bloody pickpocket. He pretended as he was buying tickets from machine when I look at him. There were too many people at that time. I nearly lost my DSLR camera, but thank God, it didn't happen.
On our way to the hotel, I saw a drunk man peeing on a bridge. Really drunk man. Hahaha.

London - Brussels

2010-08-29T06:57:00.010+01:00

I'll continue with the unfinished story about my vacation with my parents during summer break. Quite busy nowaday since I'm undergoing my internship at Perodua Manufacturing in Rawang and looking for sponsors to run Nasheed Extravaganza in Sheffield next year.

From the city of London, we took Eurostar from St. Pancras International headed towards Brussels before reaching Paris, our destination. I was advised by my senior to see Brussels, the capital of Belgium. I thought Brussels is a lively city like Florence but it turned out to be the other way. Brussels was very quiet. We walked from train station to the Brussels main attractions, Grand Place and Manneken Pis.

Grand Place, Brussels

Since everything in Europe is expensive, mama came out with her plan to bring or own food from che su's house in London. Great saver. We had our lunch in Grand Place, Brussels before walking back to the train station again. We stopped near the Manneken Pis, a statue of a boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Bloody little rude boy.

Rude boy

On our journey to the train station, we meet a Malaysian with her husband from Netherlands. They are also on vacation in Brussels.

Malaysians in Brussels

We end our journey in Brussels with some hot chocolate at a coffee shop at the train station before boarded our train to Paris.

Thalys train to Paris

Sheffield-London

2010-06-29T00:33:00.005+01:00

Mama and Papa stayed in Sheffield for just two days, in my 'spacious' room. We booked train tickets from Sheffield to London as travelling by train is fast and convenient. I took the easiest way to reach the train station; by taxi.

Mama and Papa in front of Sheffield train station.

This was my first arrival in London via King's Cross station. Before this, I only boarded East Midlands train and the arrival was in St. Pancras international train station. I realised that King's Cross and St. Pancras are two different station, eventhough they are situated just next to each other.

We chose to take London Underground to Che Su's house in Bayswater. On the way to Bayswater, Papa guided us to the previous Malaysian Hall, situated near Marble Arch and we took a picture there.

The old time Malaysian Hall.

Mama went to Argos, a very popular store in her mind I thought, to buy some food containers to be used in our new kitchen. Upon reaching Che Su's house, Papa again showed his natural behaviour by posing himself in front of Queensway station sign.

One finger point to to the Queensway sign and another one point to the 'queen'.

England's Countryside

2010-06-27T20:24:00.004+01:00

It was very hard for me to upload even a single photo to blogspot due to bad internet connection.
This time, it's going to be about my parents visit to my place in Sheffield. Just 2 days in Sheffield yet I gained great experience with them because before this, I didn't know that Sheffield were surrounded by many beautiful places such as Chatsworth house.
Papa and mama arrived in Sheffield a day before I finish my last examination paper, which make it hard for me to entertain them properly. Hopefully there will be some barakah there. As soon as I finished my paper, we went straight to Chesterfield, papa's old town. Nowadays, his previous house was converted to be a hotel. Abbeydale Hotel in Chesterfield, England.

Papa preferred to go to the countryside part of England rather than spending his time in big cities like Manchester and Birmingham.
We then went to the Chatsworth house, home of Duke and Duchess of Devonshire surrounded by gardens and farms. Tourists all around the world could be seen during our visit. What did we do there? Just a simple picnic and photo shoot session.

Seating on the grass like 'omputeh'.

Chatsworth house

We finished our tour around peak district at around 7 pm. We then headed to Manchester for our planned dinner in Jazeera restaurant; half-chicken and rice.

Finished

2010-06-19T01:32:00.004+01:00

The examination period for mechanical engineering was over. Sheffield was a little bit late compared to the other universities in United Kingdom. Most of Malaysian students have gone back to Malaysia now. I'm still counting for my time.
Hopefully, for this semester there will be no more exam for me and my friends. Let's have a fresh start of 3rd year.

Katil yang menjadi mangsa dikala musim peperiksaan.

Free Free Palestine

2010-06-05T18:16:00.005+01:00

Honestly speaking, back in Malaysia, I wasn't really aware with this issue. When Israel attacked Palestine two years ago, me and my friends just avoided ourselves from buying any fast food from McDonalds restaurants. After few months, McDonalds...here I come again.
In UK, this issue is taken seriously not only among Muslims but also locals who really understand what humanity is all about.
Once again, Israel had shown their power by attacking the humanitarian convoy to Gaza in international waters. This is obviously an international war crime.
Demonstration were held all around the world to protest this insane action by Israeli armed forces. Pictures below shows the demonstration held in Sheffield, United Kingdom.

Supporters

Kak Azian and Anak Buah Beri

Mr Paul Blomfield, Sheffield Central MP.

My fellow friends who really love their picture being taken.

Italy (Roma)

2010-05-09T00:51:00.017+01:00

Roma, perhaps the best city in Italy for some people but not for me. I love Venice more.
From Pisa to Firenze, I had already wasted lots of time. I had no choice unless to arrive in Roma in luxurious syle, by Frecciarossa Trenitalia, currently the fastest train in Italy. That was the most expensive train ticket I had ever bought. 47 Euro for a single journey from Firenze Santa Maria Novella to Roma Termini. Once again I decided to declare a war towards my stomach. Sorry...

Frecciargento (left) and Frecciarossa.

My accomodation in Roma was Happy Days hostel. Just like its name, everybody in that hostel seemed to be very happy everyday. Sounded like crazy but it was true. When everybody was happy, I was happy too. The workers there were really friendly until it was hard for me to differentiate between the workers and the guests. Haish!
Every night was a 'Friday night'. Luckily God gave me tiredness, so I slept rather than joining them and clubbing until 4 in the morning. Here, I met two Malaysian Chinese, Jia Wei and Xu Shen. Jia Wei is currently studying in Sweden and Xu Shen is in Poland. Both of them are from National University of Singapore, one of the world's best universities. I did get some tips from them on the best way to travel in Roma.
I also met a girl from Uruguay. She and her 8 friends were my roommates in the hostel. I wasn't sure why I was meant to be in that room. Maybe God wanted to test my Iman. All of them are girls and they also treated me as if we already know each other before. One night, something unexpected happened.
A girl was walking from the toilet into the room where I was staying, wearing just a towel. She took her clothes from a bag.

Me: Are you going to change?
Girl: Yes, why?
Me: I'm going outside so you'll feel more comfortable.
Girl: No, no. Don't trouble yourself. Just stay here. I don't mind.
Me: (Gulp...)

Guess what I did....I left the room and missed the precious opportunity. Hahaha. Don't know why I transformed to be a very good boy at that time.
The next morning, I walked to Vatican City. It was 10 minutes walking from my hostel. I was there at 6 am since Xu Shen reminded me to be early if I really want to visit Vatican City, or else I'm going to finish my time queueing.
Since I have no interest towards museum, I just entered St. Peter's Basilica. It was a very huge one. Few Swiss Guards could be seen around the Vatican City area. There was no fee to enter this basilica but you're bag need to be checked for security reasons. There was also Pope's body stored in a glass. For me, it looked spooky.

St. Peter's Basilica from St. Peter's Square.

I spent just an hour in Vatican City. From there, I walked down towards the Colosseum, the most famous structure in Roma. A not to be missed one. During my journey, I stopped a while at Pantheon.

Pantheon

I reached Colosseum after an hour walking. This one was the main attraction, so I had to queue and waited for my turn to purchase a ticket. It was 12 Euro for a ticket and it can be used to enter Colosseum, Mostra, Palatino and Foro (what the heck was this?). If I'm not mistaken, Palatino is Palatine Hill, where legend tells that Romulus traced the first outline of the city. Foro Romano is where you can see ruins of Romans empire. Too many facts in Roma. Sometimes it made me sick.

Foro Romano

In the Colosseum.

Me outside the Colloseum.

What they have in Palatine Hill.

A view from Palatine Hill.

After finish visiting the 3 places, I went to a stall outside Palatine Hill to buy a RedBull energy drink. I thought it was sold at normal price but it wasn't. It was 4 Euros per can. What the heck?
Never mind. I need to drink or else something worst will happen.
Just like before, I walked because that was the best way to experience Roma and saved my money. My next destination was the one I was waiting for since I first watched Lizzy McGuire the movie. That was 2003, when I was in form 3.
The Fontana de Trevi or Trevi Fountain. Wah....why was it really beautiful in my eyes...until today, I still don't get the answer.
I spent few hours sitting in near the fountain area. I had an ice cream, a slice of margherita pizza and a bottle of drink for my lunch. I watched what people did there. Tossing coins, taking pictures, chatting, doing business and so on. For me, everything around Fontana de Trevi was very cool.

Fontana de Trevi

Tourists and locals around Fontana de Trevi.

Coin tossing.

Then, I visited another interesting spot in Roma. The Spanish steps. It was really near to the Fontana de Trevi but I took such a very long time to be there. For the legend of this Spanish steps, you may search it in the internet if you really wants to know. I noticed lots of Americans having their school trips during my visit to Roma. What an awesome school trip! To Roma. Wargh... I cannot imagine that.

The Spanish Steps.

Since I liked Fontana de Trevi very much, I spent another two hours there and I was lucky to snap this beautiful moment. It was a photo shoot session for a newly wed couple. "You may kiss the bride".

Miauww....Grrr

I guess that's the end of my Italy report. For those who are planning to visit Italy next holiday, feel free to contact me at fariesfarhan@yahoo.com. I'll help whenever I can.
Bubye.

Italy (Pisa)

2010-05-08T12:06:00.005+01:00

I arrived quite late in Pisa, about 6.45pm and it was already dark. I thought the hostel I booked just within the walking distance from the train station, surprisingly its not even in the map. The bus driver said, "Your accommodation is just outside the map" then he laughed. Haish! Not good for me. I followed him since he's the bus driver whom led me there.Villa Leaning Tower, that was the name of the place where I slept. Quite far from the station but really near to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Hahaha...

My room in Villa Leaning Tower

Here, I met Brian and his friend from United States. They were studying in Rome and I got some good tips from them on how to make full use of my limited time in Rome. I chatted with Brian's friend. I didn't even know his name. He love snowboarding very much, and during summer they play freeboarding. A new term for me and he did show me some videos of people doing freeboarding. Cool and awesome!The next morning, I began my day by walking to the leaning tower. I went there early since I need to get back to Firenze before 2pm.Leaning Tower of Pisa looked just like a normal structure for me, except for the leaning part. It was really crazy.

Make sure you go to Leaning Tower of Pisa through this gate.

I decided to climb the tower, as advised by Pam and it cost me 13 Euro. I didn't mind about that since this may be the last time I visit Pisa. I waited for an hour before my turn to climb the tower. This was due to safety reason. Maximum number of people allowed on the tower at one time was only 32, if I'm not mistaken.

This is what most people do in Pisa. Sadly, I didn't have any companion to do that.

On top of leaning tower. What happened to my eyes?

At the same time, a parade took place around the area of the tower. I grabbed this rare opportunity by taking some pictures. After a while, I noticed that I was already late to Firenze. I grabbed a pizza and a can of drink and walk all the way from leaning tower site to the train station.

Cool!

Italy (Firenze)

2010-04-29T20:09:00.013+01:00

It was 1.30pm and I left Venezia Santa Lucia train station for Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station in Firenze (Florence). Train ticket was very expensive, but after considering the limited time I had in Italy and how precious it was, I took the fastest way to Firenze, the Eurostar Trenitalia. No more Chinese girl this time. I boarded the train and reached Firenze in approximately 2 hours.

Firenze is a very beautiful city. Lots of boutiques can be seen along the streets. My targets in Firenze were the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, another famous cathedral in Italy and Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge in Firenze. I wasn’t really into museums and historical places, and sometimes I thought Italy wasn’t the appropriate place for me to spend my holidays. Never mind, I just wanted to see how Italy is.

In Italy, I couldn’t escape from being hungry even for one day. I need to save my money for the transportations and accommodations. In Firenze, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I went to McDonalds in front of the train station and grabbed some meals.

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore with its famous dome.

For me as a budget traveler, walking was the best way to experience the city. So I strolled to Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore which was about 10 minutes walking from the train station. Of course it was full of tourists and also locals. I love Italy because lots of people prefer to use bicycle, very easy and seems very harmony to me. I don’t know how to describe the best feeling of it since my English level is still mediocre.

Woman on a bicycle.

To appreciate the architecture of a basilica, of course you must go inside. So I went into the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and snapped some photos using my camera. It was like other basilica, full of beautiful paintings on the wall.

In the basilica.

Typical Asian guy with typical Asian pose style.

Without wasting my time, I continued my journey, heading towards Ponte Vecchio. Pam said I shouldn’t miss this spot. Thanks Pam for the tips. Before I reached my destination, I step into a place named Piazza Della Signoria, where you will find Palazzo Vecchio, Galleria Degli Uffizi and an outdoor museum of sculptures. Again, I snapped here and there before proceeding myself to Ponte Vecchio.

Naked sculptures here and there in Palazzo Vecchio.

The Fiume Arno (Arno River) was very nice. Locals use this river to do kayaking and I called this moment ‘The Real Italy’. The river was very clean compared to Gombak River and Klang River. I wasn’t there for a very long time. Ponte Vecchio, again similar to Ponte di Rialto I had seen in Venice. Shops are located on the bridge itself.

Kayaking in Fiume Arno.

Motorcycle dominated the area.

Policeman or firemen?

Ponte Vecchio

Shops on Ponte Vecchio.

I rushed back to the train station because I need to take another train to Pisa. Since Pisa was not a familiar place for me, it was safe for me to be there before dark.

Next time, it’s going to be Pisa. Bubye.

Where is this? I have no idea. I encountered this on my way back to the train station.

Italy (Venice the next morning)

2010-04-27T00:26:00.004+01:00

Last night, I told Pam that I wanted to wake up early. Easy to say but still hard to accomplish but I did it, of course to perform Subuh prayer. My body began to malfunction at 6.30am and I slept until 8.30am.

Wargh! 8.30am was considered late since I need to fully ultilised my time during the tour. It wasn’t easy for me to reach Italy once again. Today, I’m going to Firenze (Florence) since Pam recommended it and I didn’t want to miss any great city Italy. As advised by Annalisa, I decided to walk to Venezia Santa Lucia train station. Pam was heading there too, so I decided to follow her because she was very informative. A Venice guidebook was held in her hand. As we walked, she referred to the guidebook and informed me about the tourist attractions in Venice. I wasn’t lazy. The book is written in Spanish. Of course I didn’t understand it. Thanks again to Pam. We went into a church, if I’m not mistaken it was Basilica San Paolo (sorry Pam). During that time, she told me that she’s Catholic and I informed her that I'm Muslim.
We stopped in Rialto and took pictures.

Pam in Rialto.

It was early and not many people were there. I was still ‘mamai’ (the state of being unconscious after sleep) and I just followed Pam. Hahaha.

Me in Rialto, still sleepy.

Venice market was good too. You could get lots of fresh food but still expensive compared to what we can have in UK or Malaysia.

Venice market

Pam knew a lot about politics while I wasn’t really good at it. Shame! In Venice, the posters for election candidates couldn’t be stick onto the wall of buildings, so they used temporary board and placed it at the piazza.

Election posters.

Finally, we reached Venezia Santa Lucia train station. I bought a Eurostar ticket to Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station and bid farewell to Pam. Hopefully we’ll meet again next time. You’ve made my day in Venice. Thank you.

Trenitalia Frecciarganto

The luxurious Frecciargento.

Italy (Venice at Night)

2010-04-13T21:00:00.003+01:00

Bad me. I haven’t updated my blog for few days, got to finish my assignment first.

Last time, I stopped about sunset in Venice. It was very nice.

I went back to my hostel to clean myself. Two times shower in a day is a must for me.

In the hostel room, someone had occupied a bed next to me. A book about Venice could be seen on the side table. I realised the biggest mistake I've made. I didn’t study about Venice properly. I should buy at least a book about Venice, so that I knew more info about the city and its attractions.

Venice at night

In the hostel kitchen, someone was having dinner. It was my only roommate. Her name is Pamela and I called her Pam. Sounded funny since the word ‘pam’ in Malay means pump. Haish, forget about that. She’s a graphic designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. A city girl I thought.

Pamela

I rested until 10pm. Then, we went out to Piazza San Marco to take pictures. Pam was very good in deciding where and when should we capture some interesting moment using our camera. I learned a little from her.

From my observation, Venice is a safe city. I felt safe walking alone in Venice even at night.

Piazza San Marco at night.

Piazza San Marco was very nice at night, especially when there was no one. Pam loved that very much, an empty piazza.Here are some pictures at the piazza.

We went back to the hostel at 12pm. I tried to find chocolate ice cream on our way back but all shops were already closed. Bye bye ice cream.

Creatures...

Italy (Venezia)

2010-04-04T00:25:00.004+01:00

My report will now focus on Venice.

As soon as I disembarked from the train at Venezia Santa Lucia train station, I went out of the train station where I could find few vaporetti stops at the bank of Canal Grande. Vaporetti is a kind of boat which functioned as buses in Venice, or properly known as waterbus.

Vaporetti stop in Riva degli Schiovani.

To be confirmed, I asked the person in charge at ticket counter on which vaporetti should I take to Giglio stop, because the stop was mentioned in my hostel booking sheet. She said, “You take vaporetti number 2 and you can buy the ticket here for €6.50”. I was thrilled when I first board the vaporetti. “Venice is fantastic”, I said to myself.

The boat stopped at few stops along the Canal Grande, the main waterway in Venice before reaching the Giglio in 20 minutes. I arrived in Giglio without any map with me. I called Annalisa, the operator of Ca’ del Pozzo to ask for direction to the hostel. Ca’ del Pozzo was the hostel I booked through hostelbookers.com. That was the cheapest hostel I could find in Venice.

Not having any map in Venice wasn’t a good idea. I was walking in front of my hostel twice before I decided to buy a map for €2.50. My hostel is situated in Campo San Maurizio. I had to climb to the 5^th floor to get to Ca’ del Pozzo. Annalisa was waiting for me since I was the only guest on that day.

My room in Ca' del Pozzo.

For those who plan to visit Venice, I highly recommended this hostel. It was very comfortable and clean. It was a value for money.

I planned to have a rest that night and study the map a little bit, so that I wouldn’t be easily lost in the complicated city of Venice. It didn’t turn up as planned. I was very hungry, went out of the hostel and follow my instinct to walk around the area nearby hoping that I will find a restaurant preparing halal food. About 5 minutes walking, I was at the most famous piazza in Venice, Piazza San Marco but no food can be bought there. It was very expensive. I headed off the piazza and found a pizza shop. A vegetarian pizza and a 500ml bottle drink cost me €7.00. It was enough for that day.

The next morning, I went into the Basilica di San Marco, the most famous church in the city of Venice. The architecture is awesome. It was a sunny day and I enjoyed Venice the most. Piazza San Marco was full of crowd. I did notice that most of the clocks in Venice was marked by 24 hour systems.

Piazza San Marco; the San Marco Basilica and clock tower.

Unique clock in Piazza San Marco.

Gondolas, water taxis and boats were everywhere in the canal around Venice. I also went to the Riva degli Schiovani, one of the most beautiful landscapes in the island. From there, I’d got to see Santa Maria della Salute, a beautiful Roman catholic church in Venice.

Lovely couple in Riva degli Schiovani. Santa Maria della Salute can be seen in the background.

Gondolas.

Me in Riva Degli Schiovani. In the background is Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore.

Birds in love in Venice.(I think la...)

Not far from there, there is a bridge, Ponte dell’ Accademia. It is one of 4 bridges in Venice to span the Canal Grande. My next destination was Ponte di Rialto, the most famous bridge in Venice where I got to find shops selling souvenirs and food.

Me in Rialto.

Although it wasn’t far from the Ponte dell’ Accademia, I took about 45 minutes to reach it. Venice was still complicated to me even I had a map in my hand.

Canal Grande from Ponte di Rialto.

I found a pizza shop, full of crowd in Rialto. So, I thought the pizza must be very delicious and had a try. Marvelous! It was very delicious. €4.00 for a slice of pizza fungi and it satisfied me. Maybe I was too hungry at that time. Everything could be delicious. I did try a chocolate ice cream too. Yummy.

Ponte di Rialto; crowd and souvenir shops.

I bought an ‘I love Venezia’ t-shirt and a gondola model in Rialto souvenir shops. I strolled around the area for an hour and walked back to Riva Degli Schiovani to enjoy the sunset.

Venice during sunset from Riva Degli Schiovani.

Italy (Milano)

2010-04-01T02:12:00.002+01:00

Most of Malaysian students in Sheffield tend to go out from UK during Easter break. I got my plan too. My objective was to complete a solo tour in Italy, so I went to Milan, Venice, Florence, Pisa and finally Rome.

I departed from my house to Sheffield Interchange at 1.40am, as advised by the taxi company. Starting this journey alone made me feel uneasy since I’d never travel alone before, especially to other country like Italy, where English is not the main language. At 2.40am, I boarded a National Express bus towards East Midlands airport, the last point in UK before I step in Orio al-Serio airport, Bergamo, Milan.

I don’t really like travelling with Ryanair because the seat was so uncomfortable, but what can I say, I had to find the cheapest one.

The weather wasn’t really good on that day. It was raining. I praised Ryanair for being one hour early from the actual arrival time, 10.00am. I walked towards Autostradale ticket counter and bought a bus ticket for 8.50€ to Milano Centrale. I rested on a bench while waiting for the time to be 10.30am. Suddenly, I realised that my time wasn’t right. It was 10.25am in Milan, an hour ahead of UK and my bus departure was 10.30am. I ran to the bus and Thank God it’s still there.

I showed my ticket to the bus driver and he sang me a song in Italian. I didn’t understand any word since I just learned the basic phrases but I did clap my hand to show my appreciation towards him. Thank you.

One hour journey to Milan made me wonder how good Italy is. The road is wider compared to what we have in Malaysia. The bus service was very efficient. After one hour journey, the bus finally arrived at Milano Centrale, where I will board my first Eurostar to Venezia Santa Lucia station in Venice.

Inside Milano Centrale.

I went into the train station, just to confirm my departure to Venice. I’ve already paid for it and I didn’t want to lose my money by missing this train. Just like any other tourist, I looked for tourist information counter and found one. The officer there wasn’t friendly at all, she sighed after each and every single question I asked her but she still gave me a Milan map which helped me a lot.

The time was 11.30am, so I went to Duomo di Milano, a cathedral in Milan. I boarded tram number 3, just outside the train station to the tourist attraction, which cost me 1€ one way. The tram was really classics, just like the San Francisco cable car. One thing to remember, always validate your ticket when you board any public transportation in Italy although they don’t check your ticket. A gentleman helped me with the direction to Duomo di Milano, maybe because my face looked really confusing when studying the map. Thanks bro. Of course I was confused because the tram rail line was not on the map.

The classic tram in Milano.

Me at Piazza Duomo

The monument of King Vittorio Emanuele II and Ray Ban sign.

I finally got to see the famous Duomo di Milano myself. Nothing special I thought. I just like the place around the Piazza Duomo, full of cafes and shops selling expensive clothes such as Bvgalri and Armani Exchange. The place name is Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle.

Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle

Me again.

Miracle Hole.

At 2.00pm, I took a Metropolitana 3 (Milan underground) from Duomo to Centrale.

Metropolitana 3; one of Milan underground rail systems.

I checked the train timetable once again and it was stated that I need to board a train at platform 11. I already printed the payment receipt of the ticket but wasn’t sure whether this can be used as a valid ticket or not. At this moment, I realised the importance of communication. I asked a Chinese girl onboard of the train about my travel document. Unluckily, she cannot speak English. A man came to help and guess what, he didn’t understand English too. It was like a duck trying to communicate with a chicken in their own language. “Why don’t I learn Italian before?” I spoke to myself. I just took a seat next to the Chinese girl and hoping that she may help me when the train personnel ask something about my ticket. I was too tired and fell asleep for about half an hour and she woke me up asking me to show my ticket, in Italian. I don’t really know how I can understand her at that time. Hahaha. She was very nice, offering me some chewing gums, chocolates and some junk foods onboard the train. She went off at one station before Venice-Maestre station and left me alone. Thank you, unknown Chinese girl.

After about 30 minutes, the train stopped at its final destination, Venezia Santa Lucia. I got off and looked for a vaporetti (waterbus) to go to Ca’ Del Pozzo, my booked accommodation in Venice.

Tag (jawab sekadar perlu)

2010-03-30T15:36:00.001+01:00

Sukacita dimaklumkan Zati al-Tompare secara tidak rasminya men'tag' diri ini untuk menjawab soalan-soalan berikut. (I have to write this in Malay since the questions are asked in Malay)

1- Siapakah diri anda di rumah?

Saya seorang abang yang patut menjadi contoh yang baik kepada adik-adik namun sehingga sekarang, kesannya masih belum kelihatan.

2- Siapakah diri anda di samping rakan?

Mungkin seorang manusia yang biasa, bukan Superman yang memang diperlukan ketika rakan-rakan dalam kesusahan, dan kadangkala dilupakan ketika rakan-rakan dalam kegembiraan.

3- 5 benda yg anda idamkan tp masih belum tercapai

Jadi pilot, jadi engineer, memiliki sebuah rumah idaman, memiliki sebuah jet peribadi dan menjadi orang yang menyumbang kepada orang lain yang memerlukan.

4- Siapakah nama pasangan anda?
Soalan tidak relevan.

5- Ceritakan 5 perkara yg paling anda suka tentang pasangan anda.

Juga tidak relevan memandangkan soalan 4 tidak dijawab.

6- Bila tarikh anda couple
Masih belum berminat untuk couple kerana saya sedar diri ini masih lagi seorang yang lemah, mudah terjerumus ke lembah kehinaan bila-bila masa sahaja.

7- Apakah kenangan pahit anda bersama pasangan anda?
Tidak relevan.

8- Lagu tema cinta anda
Masih belum tahu lagu apa.

9- Apa perubahan yg ingin anda lihat dari pasangan anda?
Mungkin perubahan ke arah kebaikan yang mampu merubah diri ini juga.

10- Tag 10 rakan yg lain
Tidak berminat kerana ini akan menambahkan kerja lebih masa kepada rakan-rakan yang lain. Hahaha.

Whirlow Hall Farm

2010-03-15T17:08:00.000Z

It was a photography time again. This time, I joined the Sheffield PhotoSoc outing to Whirlow Hall Farm, just outside the hustle and bustle city of Sheffield. We gathered at the entrance of Endcliffe Park, just next to the historical Hunters Bar. I had to walk for 30 minutes to get there. Thank God that the weather was so nice, sunny and not really cold.
At the Endcliffe Park entrance, there was no one from PhotoSoc. It was 11 am, so I text Beckie, the social secretary to confirm the trip. While waiting for her to reply my message, I walked around the park. There is a playground, full of children. Next to it is a massive field where a group of students was playing a game using tools like fishing net. "This is UK", I said to myself.
About 10 minutes later, I received a text message from Beckie. She was waiting at the park entrance. I went there and met some other PhotoSoc members.
Since it was already 12, we immediately took a bus from the Ecclesall Road bus stop to the Whirlow Hall Farm. The is no bus service exactly to the farm, so we had to stop beside the main road and walk about 15 minutes to the countryside.
The place is very nice, just like what we see in television, but not exactly the same as the place where Teletubbies live.

Sheep in the farm.

Lambs.

Some of them were very excited when they see sheep and other dairy animals. I remained normal since there are plenty of these animals in my village. It wasn't rare for me except for one. Mr and Mrs Piggie together with their children, the piglets. It was a new experience for me to see how they're breed in the farm. Of course I did not touch them. Their smell was really awful and they're very sensitive towards diseases, explaining why our group had to step on some disinfectant before we went into their barn.

"What are you doing here?", he asked me.

The lazy blacks.

I also noticed that some of them are black. No wonder my friends always say, "Hitam macam babi" (As black as pig).

Some of the PhotoSoc members in the pig barn.

There were also chickens and horses in this farm. Adam the president likes horses very much, and sometimes he did speak to the horses. Way to go Adam.

Miki photographing a horse.

Tired of being in a farm.

When it comes to photography, everything is art.

I was very unfortunate on that day and the creature to be blamed can be seen in the picture below.

The Criminal

I need to samak my shoes and trouser. Hopefully this is the first and last time for me.

Finally, thanks to PhotoSoc for this great experience.

The Blind Side

2010-03-12T18:59:00.000Z

First of all, thanks to Shahril for suggesting this movie. I really love to watch this kind of movie because sometime it inspire me to be a better person. Here is the summary:

"The Blind Side" depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/plotsummary

"Erti Hidup Pada Yang Memberi".
Thinking of myself, I have nothing to be given to the others. Maybe someday, I'll own something that can be shared with the needy.

What I learn from this movie:

Racism is not good, especially in a multiracial country like Malaysia.
Help those who are in need because you may end up helping yourself.
Don't forget the blind side.

Warning: Do not pretend to be blind!

Weekend

2010-03-08T20:03:00.000Z

Saturday Thoriq and I took part in a volunteering activity, namely Community Garden. It took place in Endcliffe village, Sheffield. We worked for about 2 hours only, since there was not much can be done at the garden. I found that Broomhill, the place where we went for gardening is much better than our Broomhall, the place where I'm staying right now. 'Tranquility', a best word to describe Broomhill. In the evening, I joined my housemates, except for Thoriq(representative of 10 Holberry Close to Maulidurrasul celebration) watched 'Alice in Wonderland' in Cineworld, Valley Centertainment. An interesting movie, but its kind of freaked me out. A rabbit with a watch, a big headed ugly queen, a flying monsters, a rat with a needle as the weapon and so on. Its really a wonderland, but I prefer to stay in this world. That night, Subway had been chosen as a place for us to have our dinner.

Sunday I woke up late. At 10.30 am I think. I slept after Subuh which is not good for our health and mind. Since it was sunny outside, I decided to join Photosoc outing to Park Hill and also Victoria Quays, but I made up my mind to stay in the city center and take pictures there. Pisang then called me, informing me that he wanted to join Photosoc activity. Once again I changed my mind. I waited for Pisang at the train station. We went to the Park Hill and finally Victoria Quays where we met everyone from Photosoc.

Park Hill, Sheffield

Victoria Quays, Sheffield

I had no idea on what kind of picture should I take, maybe because I'm a beginner in this field, or I'm not creative. Never mind. The outing was supposed to end at a pub, but we decided to go back earlier to perform Maghrib prayer.

PhotoSoc members in Wicker

Pisang asked me, "Why do they go to cafe and drink, and then go to the pub, again to drink? " Wanna pee...tut.....

Sheffield Games

2010-02-28T18:58:00.000Z

This year, Sheffield Malaysian Students Association (SMSA) again organised a sporting event known as Sheffield Games. According to Mr President, this is the second largest games after Nottingham Malaysian Games. We just smiled and nodded. Most of the students participate in the football and badminton. I don't know how to play football, also known as 'kaki bangku' in the Malay proverb. In my opinion, those who can play football well appeared to be 'kacak' and 'bergaya' especially when they are about to kick the ball.

At the pitch

Focused spectators

Lots of Malaysian from all over UK came to Sheffield to experience this event. I went there to polish my skill in photography, meet my friends, 'main-main' and the most important thing was to try different kinds of foods sold at the food bazaar. The very last event was a football match between Massoc and Bradford.

Sheffield Games Committee

Block!

Sedapnya

Keramaian yang ramai

2010-02-17T21:36:00.000Z

Setelah 3 hari berada di Cardiff bersama rakan-rakan, aku seorang diri telah me'rocket'kan diri ke London menggunakan rocket yang diberi nama National Express. Tidur di rumah Che Su semalaman untuk mengumpul tenaga demi untuk menyambung perjalanan pulang ke Sheffield. Sebelah paginya, Che Su ajak aku ke 'car boot sales' atau nama melayunya jualan daripada but kereta. Kesejukan dan kejauhan yang amat membunuh perasaan riang aku untuk menikmati suasana car boot sales.
Selepas makan tengah hari, aku keluar awal dari rumah Che Su untuk ke Oxford street, dalam misi mencari cap macam army pakai dalam usaha untuk menambahkan ke'macho'an diri. Ternyata usahaku berbaloi. Aku berjaya dalam misi tersebut.
Namun sebelum itu, dalam perjalanan dari Bayswater ke Oxford street, menaiki bas 148 (aku kurang pasti), keadaan jalan raya agak sesak. Tidak pernah aku melihat London dilanda jam. Kelihatan beberapa orang manusia berbangsa Arab berlari-lari anak. Ada rusuhan kah? Aku segera mencapai kamera digital. On terus. Aku berdiri di sebelah pintu keluar bas. Seorang pakcik Arab menerpa ke arah pintu, dan dengan selambanya menekan butang emergency exit untuk keluar dari bas. Aku segera mengikuti jejak langkah pakcik itu sambil hati berteriak, "Pakcik...tunggu dulu, nak ikut jugak".
Rupa-rupanya ada...tak tau nak cakap apa. Nak kata demo, bukan. Rusuhan pun bukan. Ni upacara memperingati pengorbanan Imam Hussain dan keluarganya yang dibunuh dengan kejam di Kerbala. "This is a battle between good and evil". Aku ingat ayat tu saja. Ayat yang keluar dengan nada penuh semangat dari mulut seorang awek Arab yang cun. Satu lagi ayat yang aku paling ingat ialah, "Would you mind if I explain this to you?", tanya seorang awek Arab lain yang cun jugak. Aku ambil masa kira-kira 5 saat untuk respon sebab terpegun dengan kecantikannya. Haish! Godaan syaitan. "You can have this pamphlet". Tu ayat dari awek Arab lain yang kurang cun, tapi aku ingat jugak. Sambil-sambil 3 orang minah Arab tu duk explain pasal upacara ni, aku duk ambik gambar jugak. Sayang sekali sebab aku lupa nak ambil gambar mereka. Hahaha. Dapat disaksikan juga tarian separuh bogel di Hyde Park Corner sempena upacara ini.

Masjid ni melambangkan apa, aku pun tak tahu

Aku baca dari sini, tapi tak faham

Wanita dan kanak-kanak tidak melepaskan peluang untuk berarak

Tarian separuh bogel dalam cuaca sejuk

Aku berpijak di bumi Cardiff

2010-02-15T18:52:00.000Z

3 haribulan Februari 2010, habis exam untuk semester satu. Aku terus 'rocket' ke Cardiff, singgah sebentar di London sebab rasa nak singgah. Hahaha... jangan marah che Su.

Beliau dan rakan beliau kepenatan selepas menjawab peperiksaan dengan tekun

Tujuan ke Cardiff, tidak jelas. Hanya untuk bertemu member-member dan menghabiskan masa sebelum kelas untuk semester kedua bermula. Aku sampai di Cardiff tak lewat dan tak awal. Dijemput oleh Tot dan Pini di Cardiff University stop berhampiran Student Union building yang tak nampak gah seperti di Sheffield. Salah sangka timbul dalam diri aku, kerana aku menyangkakan itu adalah sebuah stesen bas. Malam pertama, tidur di bilik Tot. Sunyi sepi sendiri aku benci. Sebab flatmate Tot pergi berparti. Dan yang paling susah kat bilik Tot ialah bila nak 'membuang'. Sebab susah nak basuh.

Tot yang kesepian

Keesokan harinya, aku nekad mengikut Tot dan rakan-rakan ke kelas Thermodynamics. Masuk lecture dan buat macam dah familiar dengan lecturer. Solat Jumaat skip sebab musafir, jadi masa itu digunakan oleh aku dan Thoriq untuk pusing Bute Park yang agak terkenal di Cardiff.

Kemiskinan membawa kekufuran. Minta dijauhkan...

Waktu malam pula, makan malam di Mirchi, restoran India halal. Kerana dirasakan malam masih muda, aku dan rakan-rakan lepak di kedai shisha dan menghisap beliau. Sungguh tidak patut. Malam itu juga, aku men'transfer'kan diri ke rumah Abe Mat untuk menukar angin. Abe Mat masak 'ayam masak lemak'. Walaupun aku dah kenyang, tapi aku makan jua demi menenangkan hati Abe Mat yang sudah tension menunggu aku dan rakan-rakan pulang dari kedai shisha. Pagi menjelma, aku tidur semula selepas Subuh. Bila bangun, mee kari sudah tersedia. Alhamdulillah...

Hamba Allah yang taat akan perintahNya

Tengah hari dihabiskan dengan berjalan-jalan di sekitar Cardiff Bay, ala-ala Danga Bay di Johor Bharu. Cadangan yang tak patut diterima dengan rela hati oleh rakan-rakan ialah bermain boling. Agak mahal namun berbaloi kerana masa dihabiskan bersama rakan-rakan. Sebelum aku bertolak balik ke London, kami makan-makan di Spice Route secara buffet yang memaksa aku memanfaatkan segala kudratku untuk memastikan bayaran 6 pounds adalah berbaloi. Zass!

Winter Break 09

2010-02-12T11:41:00.001Z

Alhamdulillah...akhirnya dapat juga aku meng'update' berkenaan Winter Break yang lepas. 'Gerombolan Sheffield ke PUISI', nama yang diberikan oleh Pisang selaku penasihat gerombolan. Pisang juga tidak lupa untuk menubuhkan group ini di Facebook. Patut la ko final year Pisang...

Perjalanan bermula dari Sheffield pada 20 December 2009. Hari yang disangka tenang tiba-tiba ber'snow' tebal menyebabkan kelewatan kepada gerombolan untuk menaiki bas. Tak disangka-sangka, bas pun lewat maka terselamatlah gerombolan. Namun begitu, aku dan rakan-rakan terlepas flight ke Belfast jua. Sebab yang boleh dikaitkan:

1. Bas lambat tapi flight bertolak pada masa yang dijadualkan.
2. Aku x declare liquid, jadi aku terpaksa melalui 2 kali security check di East Midlands airport.

(p/s: Sori rakan-rakan)

Pisang dengan kebijaksanaan final yearnya telah menghubungi Firdaus Rahim Notts, katanya nak tumpang rumah sebelum flight pagi esok. Macam biasa, dia bagi saja dan trimas kepada tuan rumah di atas layanan first class daripada anda. Tiket baru ke Belfast dibeli secara online dari rumah Firdaus. Aku dapat merasa percikan darah dari lubang hidungku dikala jari menekan mouse di atas butang 'pay' kerana harga tiket yang sangat mahal.

Flight ke Belfast awal pagi, ada kelewatan sedikit dek runway dan sayap pesawat sendiri yang diselaputi 'frost'.

Gerombolan dan Tepet di hadapan masjid di Belfast

Belfast macam menarik, tapi malam terlalu cepat menjelma, jadi tak menarik sangat. Kami sempat tengok Queen's University Belfast. Keesokan harinya ke Giant Causeway dan tour sekeliling Northern Ireland. Memang cantik dan mengasyikkan. Terima kasih kepada Tepet, Nubli dan Hakim di atas layanan yang paling mesra pernah aku terima. Kalau korang datang sini, tak tahu la macam mana aku nak balas.
Perjalanan seribu batu diteruskan ke Dublin, ibu negara Ireland. Kami naik bas memandangkan Dublin dekat sahaja dari Belfast. Dublin agak 'lame' jika dibandingkan dengan Kuala Lumpur. Hihihi... Malaysian Hall menjadi tempat penginapan kami seterusnya sebelum ke Perhimpunan Ukhuwwah Insaniah Seluruh Ireland (PUISI), satu program perkongsian ilmu di musim sejuk.
Masa 4 hari dihabiskan di Mount Melleray iaitu tempat kejadian dengan perkongsian ilmu daripada Ustaz Burhan Che Daud. Apa yang aku ingat hanyalah PDCA. My bad!.

Riang ria di Mount Melleray sehingga aku lupa apa tujuan aku ke sana

Rakan sekampung, sekelas, seMRSM namun berbeza dari segi kematangan
(sori e'e mung terpaksa buat apa yang aku mintak)

Selesai program, sehari masa dihabiskan di Dublin, untuk boxing day pada awalnya. Namun apabila melihat harga barang, darah meleleh keluar dari hidungku perlahan-lahan. Harga barang di Dublin sememangnya mahal jika dibandingkan dengan harga barang yang sama di United Kingdom.

Dapat dilihat kebanyakan ahli gerombolan bertangan kosong di Dublin

Apabila menjelangnya malam, gerombolan bertolak meninggalkan Dublin dan Pisang selaku penasihat gerombolan. Katanya ingin mencari ilham di Dublin.
Gerombolan tiba di Sheffield lewat malam, kepenatan namun puas dengan apa yang dilalui. Wassalam.

Kerja aku sebagai ahli gerombolan: Record video

Berakhirnya semester 1

2010-02-03T01:02:00.000Z

Masa cepat sahaja berlalu. Peperiksaan untuk semester 1 pelajar tahun kedua Mechanical Engineering University of Sheffield baru saja tamat. Kerja sekarang ialah print jadual untuk semester 2 dan susun masa elok-elok. Kena jadikan apa yang tak cukup masa semester 1 jadi lagi baik.

Sebelum exam: Study

Selepas exam: Gaya hidup sihat

Dan bila kesusahan melanda, monitor komputer la tempat aku termenung. Tengok gambar keluarga yang nun jauh di sana.

Wallpaper yang tak pernah ditukar sejak sampai di Sheffield

InsyaAllah pagi esok, aku akan bertolak ke Cardiff untuk menziarahi rakan-rakan seperjuangan di UniKL dulu. Transit di London untuk ambil barang yang mama kirim dari Malaysia di rumah Che Su. Kalau dipanjangkan umur, update selepas ini adalah berkenaan dengan Winter Break yang lepas. Gambar tak ada lagi. Wassalam.

p/s: Kredit to Din a.k.a Baim sebab bagi pinjam spek untuk tujuan penggambaran.

Apabila snow turun....

2009-12-20T09:24:00.000Z

Sekali lagi, aku gagal menyembunyikan perasaan dan terpaksa berlaku jujur kepada diri sendiri. Bila snow turun kat Sheffield, ramai budak Malaysia jadi sasau. Dan aku termasuk dalam golongan mereka yang sasau dek belum pernah melihat snow turun. Orang puteh ilek je kat dalam rumah.

Masa snow mula-mula turun

Bila snow dah berhenti

Tapi, tak hairan la kalau aku dan rakan-rakan yang lain menjadi sasau akibat snow, sebab Jamil (anak orang puteh) turut ikut sasau bersama. Siap ada photography session lagi dalam snow. Hahaha.

Photography session: Hazim dan Jamil

Video excited

London lagi

2009-12-15T19:50:00.000Z

Nak buat macam mana, dah Che Su ada kat London, aku gi je la. Kali ni aku ke London ngan Thoriq jugak, memandangkan Che Su pun dah kenal Thoriq dan Thoriq pun dah kenal Che Su. Senang keje. Aktiviti bermula pada pagi Sabtu. Aktiviti koman yang kami buat kat London, mesti tak miss bagi makan burung ngan tupai kat Hyde Park. Burung baik tapi tupai jahat. Sebab ada sekor tupai tu secara sengaja telah mencakar jari demi untuk mengambil sebiji almond. Kalau aku jumpa tupai tu, aku nak gigit ekor dia. Bagi kontot. Hahaha.

Thoriq 'overexcited'

Almond tumpah kat atas rumput

Petang Sabtu tu jugak, aku telah mengajak Thoriq dan Che Su ke Hard Rock cafe, London. Kalau tak silap aku, dekat ngan Hilton London. Dekat area Hyde Park Corner. Aku memang dah niat nak beli baju Hard Rock cafe, baru nampak rock.
Masa kami kat Hard Rock tu jugak, ada pameran kecik kat bawah Hard Rock shop. Koleksi simpanan pemilik dia kot. Ada baju Elvis Presley, gitar Oasis, gitar Curt Cobain dan banyak lagi yang aku tak kenal. Khabarnya muzium kecik kat bawah Hard Rock shop tu adalah bekas bank untuk Ratu Elizabeth. Memang sebijik macam bilik kebal la. Macam penjara pun ada.

Mr Rock memberi penerangan

Aku dan Mr Rock

Kagum tengok gitar Curt Cobain (Thoriq hanya menurut arahan)

Aku dan Che Su dikurung dek cubaan Che Su untuk melarikan gitar milik Curt Cobain dan baju tidur Elvis Presley.

Lepas tu jugak, kami ke Winter Wonderland kat Hyde Park Corner. Macam funfair saja benda ni. Tapi ramai sangat orang pergi, mungkin sebab weekend. Siap ada konsert lagi. Aku tak melepaskan peluang la untuk layan.....

Pintu masuk

Konsert kecik

Video konsert kecik

Esok pagi plok, aku ngan Thoriq bercadang untuk melawat Andhar kat umah dia di Finsbury Park. Dalam perjalanan ke rumah Andhar, aku bawak Thoriq pergi jalan-jalan kat London, memandangkan kedatangan Thoriq ke London untuk edisi lepas tidak begitu memberangsangkan.

Park mana ntah. Cubaan untuk memasuki kawasan larangan.

Ni Trafalgar Square kot

Rasanya setakat tu je post untuk kali ni. Wassalam.

Pameran Muto

2009-12-14T15:47:00.000Z

Pameran muto atau dalam nama lainnya pameran motosikal atau nama rasminya The Carole Nash NEC Bike Show telah berlangsung di National Exhibition Centre (NEC) dari 27 November hingga 6 December 2009. Aku dan beberapa orang rakan sekepala mengambil peluang untuk ke pameran ini disebabkan oleh 'daya tarikan' tertentu. Walaubagaimanapun, kami sememangnya berjiwa 'rider' (walaupun aku sendiri tak ada superbike) kecuali Thoriq yang hanya bersederhana dalam apa jua keadaan.
Plan asal, nak sewa kereta. Apakan daya, dek umur yang tidak cukup 25 tahun menyebabkan hal sewa-menyewa ni jadi rumit. Trimas kepada saudara Abad kerana sudi meminjamkan kereta beliau kepada kami, disertakan dengan saudara pemandu skali yang dikenali sebagai Safis. Kalau orang lain nak bawak, kena buat insurans baru. UK memang leceh bab-bab ni. Perjalanan ke Birmingham mengambil masa selama 2 jam, tambah ngan jem dekat susur keluar ke NEC.
Tiket masuk memang awal-awal dah beli, memandangkan rasa malas nak beratur panjang kat kaunter tiket di NEC. Nak masuk cepat-cepat gitu. Tiket parking pun dah beli skali. Haish! Memang plan baik la.

Jejaka-jejaka berjiwa 'rider' dalam perjalanan menemui 'The Ultimate Riding Machine' (muto la tu)

Dewan pameran memang besar dan orang pun agak ramai. Ada bahagian jual aksesori, ada bahagian jual motosikal dan ada bahagian untuk pameran sahaja. Semuanya 'menarik'. Agak lama jugak kami kat pameran tu, dari pukul 11 pagi hingga 6 petang. Memang memaksimumkan harga tiket 17 pound la.
Sepanjang pameran, tak lengkap la kalau kami tak amik gambar. Siap bawak 'senapang' lagi tu. Trimas kepada Kayrel untuk gambar-gambar ni.

Optimus Prime ni dibina daripada scrap motosikal

Pelan-pelan kayuh, aku try yang kecik dulu. Duduk je la.

Ni la motosikal feveret, insyaAllah nak pakai bila start kerja nanti.

Thoriq pun nak jugak

Ni la abg jurukamera kami, Kayrel.

Ni plak Paih, toggek abis. Motosikal ni pun feveret aku jugak.

Patutnya aku yang menang, sebab aku duk kat depan, Paih duk belakang. (rujuk gambar di atas)

Ni la tarikan kat pameran ni. Kata Paih, muka dua-dua minah ni macam orang tak habis skolah. WAllahua'lam. Aku pun lupa nak tanya.

Lepas abis meronda kat pameran tu, kami terus menuju ke Sheffield, nak balik dah ni. Singgah kat rumah kawan Abad untuk amik charger phone Abad yang tertinggal.
Kat Nottingham pun singgah jugak. Singgah makan lagi kat umah kakak nama apa ntah, aku main makan je kat umah dia, nama pun aku tak tanya. Khabarnya rumah kat Kota Bharu. Apa yang aku tau, Kota Bharu tak sekecik rumah aku, jadi memang tak pernah nampak la dia kat Kota Bharu. Kakak ni kawan kepada Safis dari MRSM Pengkalan Chepa. Skrg buat Master dekat University of Nottingham. Tu yang ilek jah gi makan kat umah dia. Trimas kepada semua yang terlibat samada secara langsung atau tidak langsung.

(p/s: Kepada sesiapa yang belum bayar harga tiket ngan minyak, sila jelaskan secepat mungkin kepada aku. )

Konsert Cap Cina

2009-12-08T11:02:00.000Z

Dah lama tak update...
Kali ni pasal konsert cap Cina plak. Malam raya haji aritu, aku secara solo telah pergi ke Chinese orchestra, persembahan oleh pelajar-pelajar dari Nanjing University, China. Sorang-sorang memang superb time main muzik. Masing-masing ada speciality. Ada jugak aktiviti selingan, macam kaligrafi Cina dan short introduction untuk musical instrument yang budak-budak tu main. Tiket memang murah, hanya 2 pound. Cuma yang sakit, bila masuk konsert tu, rasa macam duk kat China la. Penuh dengan orang Cina je. Hahaha. Nih ada sedikit gambar dan video untuk malam tu.

Mamat ni main flute...mampu memukau gadis-gadis dengan kepakarannya

Persembahan kaligrafi Cina, dihadiahkan kepada universiti

(p/s: Bagi aku yang tak reti menghargai seni, kaligrafi yang ditulis tak cantik pun, skali tengok macam adik aku tulis pakai krayon. Mungkin diorang bagi kaligrafi tu kat universiti sebab malas nak bawak balik, dah la tak cantik, wat semak je)

Artis-artis

Si comel

Aidiladha bersama keluarga

2009-12-01T20:17:00.000Z

Ahah! Aku memang suka sangat-sangat kalau dapat sambut hari raya dengan famili, tak kisah raya puasa atau raya haji. Alhamdulillah, tahun ni aku pun berkesempatan sambut hari raya haji di Sheffield bersama famili. Tak kira di mana-mana pun, tanpa aku sedar, aku dikelilingi keluarga aku. Che Su duk London, dekat saja kalau nak pergi (walaupun 4 jam lebih naik bas yang membawa kesakitan punggung) dan kak Sha duk Manchester, lagi dekat. Aku tak kisah samada famili tu famili dekat atau jauh. Yang penting orang tu ada. Hahaha.

Aku dan kak Sha

Aku nak cerita la sikit pasal kak Sha. Kak Sha merupakan anak kepada sepupu kepada mak aku (dalam bahasa senangnya, second cousin aku) yang aku panggil cik Zah. Masa kat kampung, jangan harap la aku nak cakap ngan dia, nak tegur pun bagai nak luruh tulang dari badan. Satu perasaan yang sukar digambarkan. Padahal aku selalu saja nampak dia masa hari keluarga ataupun hari raya. Tapi, bila datang belajar kat sini je, yang tak pernah ditegur tu la yang aku cari. Tambah kesenangan aku bila dapat tau dia selalu datang ke Sheffield, maklumla ramai kawan dia kat sini. Masa mula-mula aku nak jumpa dia, tido malam pun tak lena (tak tipu nih), menunggu hari cepat pagi. Sebab aku rasa jauh sangat dengan famili dan dia yang terdekat yang aku boleh cari. Terubat juga la rindu dekat keluarga kat kampung. Harga untuk kenal kak Sha, aku boleh katakan tak ternilai dengan matawang la, walaupun dalam hati aku tegar mengatakan bahawa harga nak kenal kak Sha adalah sama mahal dengan harga pinjaman boleh ubah MARA. Kih3...
InsyaAllah tahun depan, Nana iaitu adik kak Sha akan datang ke Sheffield untuk sambung belajar dekat sini. Mungkin Allah dah takdirkan, kat mana pun aku berada, keluarga tetap di sisi. Cewah! Membuatkan rasa homesick aku kurang sedikit...harapnye la.

p/s: Kredit kepada kak Sha sebab bagi gambar ni

Aidiladha

2009-11-30T20:41:00.000Z

Selamat menyambut Aidiladha diucapkan kepada saudara-mara, guru-guru dan rakan-rakan di Malaysia.

London (Part 3)

2009-11-27T13:11:00.000Z

Sambung lagi ek...
Dalam kegembiraan tu, ada kelalaian yang tidak disengajakan. Ayat apa pun aku tak tau. Main bantai je.
Ok la. Lepas lepak-lepak dekat residential hall Aufa, aku dan 3 orang lagi rakan (Andhar, Akmar dan Syazmir) baru teringat yang kami nak kena balik. Part yang best ialah bila Aufa tanya, "Korang balik naik apa ek?". Masa tu, kami pun tertanya diri masing-masing. Aku memang menyerahkan segala keputusan kepada Andhar la. Sebab aku memang tak tahu selok belok London. Jam menunjukkan pukul 12 malam. Tube semestinya dah tak ada. Jadi, kami check jadual bas 24 jam. Yang bestnya kat UK, jadual untuk pengangkutan awam semua ada kat dalam internet. Senang nak akses.
Bila dah dapat route yang diperlukan, kami semua blah dari bilik Aufa untuk balik. Kononnya la... Malang tidak berbau apabila bas yang ditunggu-tunggu tidak sampai. Aku kepelikan. Beginikah UK, dengar kata efisyen? Ahah! Masa tu jugak la Akmar tengok notis dekat papan tanda perhentian bas. Bas yang ditunggu-tunggu rupanya terlibat dalam strike a.k.a mogok kot. Kat UK, suara rakyat memang menjadi penggerak negara. Ada je yang kurang berpuas hati, mereka buat strike. Jauh sekali berbanding Tanahair tercinta. Kuasa terletak di tangan ahli politik. Baik ahli politik itu, baiklah negara.
Setelah 30 minit menunggu tanpa putus asa, kelihatan Andhar kepanikan. Terjenguk-jenguk bas nombor 25 yang tak kunjung tiba.

Andhar kepanikan bersedia untuk menahan bas di atas jalanraya

Aku dan rakan-rakan Andhar yang lain tenang memerhatikan gelagat Andhar yang mendesak kami memulakan perjalanan seribu batu ke destinasi yang tidak diketahui.

Ketenangan jelas dilihat di muka kami

Sesekali kami terperdaya dengan kata-kata Andhar yang mengkahabarkan bahawasanya bas yang ditunggu-tunggu telah muncul. Andhar memang hampeh!

Tertipu oleh Andhar

Kelihatan sebuah bas meluncur laju dan berhenti di hadapan kami. Tanpa melengahkan masa, kami terus menaiki bas tersebut yang mungkin dapat memberi harapan baru kepada kami semua. Sekali lagi kejakunan aku jelas dilihat. Maklumla, aku tak pernah naik bas 'ting tong' dua tingkat. Namun, perjalanan bas itu terhenti selepas 3 stesen yang langsung tidak memberikan sinar harapan kepada kami.
Dek kekecewaan yang melampau, berbekalkan peta tube, kami menapak mencari sinar harapan. Bayswater masih jauh. Entah di mana. Jam menunjukkan pukul 2 pagi. Arghh! Penapakan kami terasa begitu jauh, mungkin dari Whitechapel ke Holborn.

Peta perjalanan; tekan untuk pembesaran

Kepenatan setelah berjalan hampir 2 batu

Hahaha, akhirnya idea yang menelan kos timbul dalam kepala masing-masing. Naik cab. Nak cari cab pun tak senang, maklumla waktu orang lain tidur. Nikmat masih lagi diberikan kepada kami semua. Sebuah cab berhenti dan 14 pound dilihat sebagai 14 pence pada masa itu. Next destination, Edgware road. Rumah Akmar. Kena hantar dia dulu, kang apa-apa jadi, susah hidup dia.
Seterusnya, aku, Andhar dan Syazmir naik bas 'ting tong' ke Bayswater yang tak jauh dari situ. Rumah Syazmir juga di Bayswater, dekat dengan rumah Che Su. Ketibaan di rumah Che Su adalah pukul 3 pagi. Penat nak mampus. Aku terus tido saja.

Esok pagi, cadangan awal adalah untuk ke Hyde Park, bagi burung, tupai dan angsa makan namun cuaca tidak mengizinkan. Hujan lebat. Trip ke Hard Rock cafe pun dibatalkan jugak. Maka, lepaklah kami di rumah Che Su. Aku macam biasa la, tido balik. Tumi ada call cakap nak datang makan kat Malaysian Hall. Katanya akan memecut dengan 'superbike kayuhan' ke MH. Kami menunggu.

Thoriq, aku, Tumi (bersama superbike) dan Andhar

Bas aku dan Thoriq dijadualkan bertolak jam 3.30 petang ke Sheffield. Dek kelalaian lagi, aku mengkonfidenkan diri bahawasanya bas kami bertolak pukul 3.45 petang tanpa merujuk kepada tiket bas. Pukul 3.15 petang baru nak gerak ke Victoria Coach station, alhamdulillah kami sampai pukul 3.27 petang. Masa genting sangat, cari bas tak jumpa. Jadi, Thoriq ke kaunter pertanyaan untuk cari bas. "Platform 18 and it's still there", jawab mat salleh penjaga kaunter. Sampai-sampai je kat platform, jam dah menunjukkan 3.31 petang, kelebihan seminit di situ. Bas pula sudah tiada. Alahai... nak taknak, kena beli tiket baru. Melayang 13 pound.

Walaupun ke London hanya 2 hari, macam-macam experience aku dapat. Aish!