... dan hatiku pun berbunga riang

Spring is here!!!  Goodbye dreary days, Hello sunshine!!!  Yes, spring time is such a big deal to me.  Coming from a tropical country where one gets lots and lots of sun, winter and the cold weather in this country can be pretty depressing. A friend recently confided that she may have suffered from the SAD syndrome when she first came to the UK in 2009.  SAD is Seasonal Affective Disorder, which as the name suggests, makes one SAD :P.

Daffodils in Tyndall Ave, Bristol

The first signs of spring are the daffodils of course.  Yeah, daffodils as in William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"??  Can't remember the full poem except for the last two lines ...

and then my heart with pleasure fills

and dances with the daffodils

Sea of yellow daffodils everywhere.  I was tempted last spring to dig out some bulbs from the park and plant them in my garden.  Ada ka?!  Just found out that people have been fined for doing that!  Kah! Kah! Kah!

Other flowers will start sprouting after the daffs.  Some are considered 'flowers', while others are considered weeds, such as the dandelions that are abundant in my lawn (that shows what kind of gardener I have become now! Cringe!).  But, they do look nice to me.  Plus, you don't have to plant them.  It just pops out! :)

Spring is also the start of carboot sale!  First heard about this wonderful flea market from K. Rose of  Dior Grande, Pilahdelphia * back in 1994.  Still remembered her, strutting noisily along the corridors of SMTJ in her checkered English trench-coat, her betis dijulurkan lebih sikit from her black pencil skirt (much to the disapproval of the ustazah), to reveal cute kitten-heeled Gucci boots.  And when I complimented her to-die-for boots, she asked:

"Reen, cuba teka berapa harga boots ni??" in her thick Nogori dialect.  

I remembered gaping in disbelieve at the price. 

"Betul... beli kat carboot Bristol", she grinned. 

Pix of a carboot sale by Mark Murphy

Carboot as in the back of the car??  Well, maybe in some places, I don't know.  But the ones that I have been to, are held in large open spaces such as in the picture above.  Normally carboot sale starts in the morning and ends in the afternoon.  Sellers normally sell their unwanted goods for a small price.  I normally pay from 50 p to 2 pounds for carboot items.  Anything more than 2 pounds - bargain time! :D

Carboots are for bargain hunters.  Sometimes, you do find branded items (like K. Rose's Gucci boots!) - second-hand, but otherwise in mint condition .   With my limited budget, brand-new designer items seem light years away, but then again, I'll settle for vintage, anyway! :)

One person's junk is another's treasure! :P

... dan hatiku pun berbunga riang :D **



* Kg Dioh Besar, Kuala Pilah
** translation from Wordsworth??  ... and then my heart with pleasure fills :)

Swan Lake @ Bristol Hippodrome

On Friday, I took my daughter to an evening of ballet at the Bristol Hippodrome.  It was my surprise birthday gift to the daughter who is a hopeless romantic.  At the same time, mommy was also keen to see the show!  Hehehe!

I have always wanted to take her to a ballet.  Thanks to those Barbie movies, both of us have become fans of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" suite.  So, when I heard that the Russian State Ballet and the Orchestra of Siberia were planning a UK tour in 2011, I quickly scoured their schedule...

What luck!  The troupe was to perform in Bristol from 14 - 19 February!  They would start off with "Romeo and Juliet" on Valentine's Day, followed by "Sleeping Beauty", "Don Quixote" and "Swan Lake".  My heart was thumping when I read that there would only be 2 shows for "Swan Lake" - 18th & 19th February.   Just in time for Amani's birthday (19 February) :).  I quickly made online bookings then (November 2010) and managed to secure good seats near the centre aisle.  Yeay! 

The ticket price was not too expensive.  46.25 pounds for the two of us (child and student).  That would come to around RM 230.  Not bad considering that we had paid much more to watch musicals and orchestra performances in Malaysia.

On the eve of Amani's birthday, I asked her to dress smartly.  She was a bit curious as to why we had to dress so formally.  So I told her that I might take her to fine dining.  Co-incidentally, Jamie Oliver's Italian  was scheduled for opening soon, so she bought that !  Hahaha!  Luckily when we arrived at Jamie's, furbishing work was still being done.  Macam tak tau!  Hehehe! So, I persuaded her to walk downhill towards the Hippodrome.  Once there, I broke the surprise :). 

There were many people waiting to see the show.  Most of them came in smart attire, but some wore casual clothes (jeans, too!).  Yeah, there was no written dress code, but I did read on the net that ballet performances were supposed to be formal, so we came in our best clothes.  Better be safe than be turned out! :).

Eventhough cameras were not allowed in the auditorium, I did wish that somebody would break the rule so that I could follow suit :).  Forgive me, but I'm a blogger maa!  No such thing though ... Huhuhu!  I forgot that people here do things by the book :P.  I remembered how people back home shamelessly took pictures in shows like this, their flash blinding other people, too!  Malaysia Bolehlah, kat sini tak boleh! :P

Curi-curi tangkap pakai Blackberry :)

The show ran for 2 hours and 25 minutes, with an intermission in between.  Both of us enjoyed the impeccable ballet performances but above all, we loved the music :). 



#1. Swan Lake Overture



# 2. Dance of the Little Swans



# 3. Spanish Dance



# 4. Swan Lake Waltz


Verdict:  Worth every penny.  Can't wait for them to come back next year.  Perhaps, "The Nutcracker" next time??
Well, enough of Tchaikovsky for now, back to Vygotsky:).

Discover Islam Week 2011 @ Bristol

Lately I haven't really been up and about.  What with my studies and the rain...  However, today KKin and I did make time (yes, Jimbo! :)) to go to the Discover Islam Week exhibition at the Wills Memorial.

Organized by the University of Bristol Islamic Society (Brisoc), the event runs from the 10th to 18th February 2011.  Besides the exhibition which is open from 10 a.m till 8.00 p.m. , there are daily talks at 6.00 p.m.  From 10th to 15th February, talks are held at the Reception Room, Wills Memorial Building (BS8 1RJ), while from 16th to 18th February, talks will be at Powell Lecture Theater, Physics Building (BS8 1TL).  For the list of talks, visit the Brisoc website.

This event gives Bristolian a chance to know more about the religion and its civilization.  Some Coolpix snapshots of the exhibition (too lazy to lug my D5000 now that I've got tons of books to haul :P)...




Contrary to popular belief, Arabs make up only 15% of Muslims.  The most populous Islamic nation is actually Indonesia.  62% of the world's Muslims live in Asia compared to 20% in Arab countries.  In fact there are more Muslims in Germany than in Lebanon, and more in China than in Syria (Yeah, I 'wikipeed' these :)).

The Quran describes life in its earliest form ...

 

the purpose of life...



The afterlife ...

Well, these are only some samples of the posters at the Wills Memorial Hall.  There are also  paraphernalia on display and multimedia presentations that might just interest you.  Go see for yourself! :).

Jimmy Wales' Wikipedia @ 10 talk in Bristol

Event      :  Jimmy Wales' Wikipedia@10 Talk in Bristol
Venue     :  Victoria Rooms, University of Bristol
Sponsors:  University of Bristol, Bristol City Council, HP Labs Bristol,
                Wikimedia UK, Bristol Festival Ideas
Host       :  Professor Guy Orpen,
                 Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research & Enterprise, University of Bristol

Yup!  Jimmy Wales, co-founder and promoter of Wikipedia came to town today and I was there to hear him talk about the development and future of Wikipedia.  I consider myself very-very lucky indeed :).

How was the man with "the stare", you ask?  Well, he was a very down-to-earth guy who delighted us at many points of the presentation with his anecdotes.


"Legend of the modern age? You will all be disappointed now..."
Not really, Jimbo :)

 As expected, he talked about what Wikipedia was all about: some, we pretty much know, but didn't mind listening to anyway; others were facts that would have made interesting trivia on a rainy day :):

*    ranked as the 5th most popular website in the world
*    attracted 400 million visitors
*    ran by only 50 staff but supported by thousands of editor-volunteers
*    87% of Wikipedians are predominantly "tech-geek" males with the average age of 26
*    PhD holders are double the general public contributors (Wow!)
*    ran on a 20 million dollar budget
*    6 million articles published to date
*   can be found in 270 languages


Although the English Wikipedia is the largest version, it's 3 million articles make up only 20% of the total articles in Wikipedia and the percentage keeps on dropping. 



"Anyone can reuse or repurpose anything that they want..."


Free access is "more than just the cost of  Wikipedia". According to Jim (not referring to that Jim Belushi's sitcom btw, heheh!), everything in Wikipedia (software, all the texts, most of the images) is licensed in such a way that one is allowed to copy, modify, redistribute and to redistribute modified versions, commercially and non-commercially.

The answer for the above question?  A concise summary of everything in the world; clear and basic information that anyone can come and learn whatever they want to know.

Menu in Beijing - cultural impact of Wikipedia in China

Yeah, Wikipedia even managed to penetrate the Great Wall of China after being completely banned and blocked for about 3 years.  But of course, certain pages are still off-limits...
 
 

 
How does the content compare across the languages?  There are differences in what people are reading in each language. For example, the Japanese are into pop culture while the Germans dig geography.  

From Encyclopedia to Wikipedia and now Wikia.  What is that???

It takes specific topics and go really deep - deeper than the living encyclopedia.  It promotes a participatory culture (beyond collaboration??), moving from broadcast to interactive media... 

Heck I'm noWikipedia!  Go Google! :P


Most awaited statement:
Jimmy does not agree students citing wikipedia in their academic writing but supports its use as a resource for a quick introduction and background knowledge. 

His view that is also my aspiration:
... That university academics as they mature in their career, view their roles in society broadly, not just teaching,  researching, innovating and learning new things, expanding the knowledge of the world, but also as  public intellectuals, contributing in a positive way to the world.

My favourite Jimbo quote: 
"sometimes we don't have a lot of free time, but we make it somehow..."
... Like writing this post now when I should really be reading those journal articles :P

What a guy!  Watch Jimmy Wales @ Bristol at this link.  Enjoy! :)

The Call: 2011 and beyond

How time flies...  Bye bye 2010, Hello 2011!  Looking back, 2010 was a tumultuous year, well, at least for me.  Juxtaposed (by choice :P) to a foreign land, I was overwhelmed by a lot of things.  I was exposed to a new culture and its people, new ways of learning and thinking... Scary at times, but eye-opening most of the time.  And if that's not enough, I was struggling with multiple responsibilities.  I may be a full-time student but in-reality, I'm a part-time student, full-time mother and wife.  Spoilt by my maid and my mum, my learning curve was quite high :). 

Looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way, though.  I chose this road (and dragged my family with me too).  Looking around me, I do consider myself lucky as the important people in my life (my supervisor, included:)) are still with me.  My quest is far from over and God willing I'll persevere.  What better song to be my 'battle' anthem (2011 and beyond) than Regina Spektor's "The Call" (theme song from "The Chronicles of Narnia:  Prince Caspian").  Here's to hope and faith.  Happy New Year everybody!!!   

Christmas Wishes 2010

To all my Christian friends and readers,

May the festive mood of Christmas fill your hearts with love and contentment throughout the day!  

To all the rest, especially those in Bristol :

Keep warm in this cold, wintry weather

Don't fret (yeah, you heard me correct!),

enjoy your white (and freezing :P) Christmas,

as snow doesn't come easy in this part of the land :P

Take those vits everyday

so that you keep flu at bay.

Enjoy your much deserved break

but don't forget to read those journal articles in bed ;),

Have a blast on Boxing Day, shoppers! :D

but spare some money for the gas (bills) shockers... :P

Cheers mate!

Tis the  season to be jolly... Fa la la la laaaa... la la la laaaa.... :)

Winter in Bristol

Winter came early this year.  That's what they say.  Some places up north have been blanketed by snow for weeks now.  From Scotland, to Wales, why, even London got a fair share of snow!  Bristol?? Yeah, it snowed a few times but nothing compared to last year.  Maybe not yet :).

last year ...

This year ...

Thankfully, snow has not disrupted our routine.  The children went to school as usual. 

Albeit the small amount of snow, some people could still find ways to enjoy it! :D

Year-end School Performances

It's that time of the year when schools here have their year-end concerts.  Well, actually, 'concerts' was the term used to describe extravagant end-of-the-year students' shows, when I was in a missionary primary school in Malaysia, many, many years ago :P.  Here, people don't call these shows, 'concerts'.  Maybe because they are done in small scale ... small but sweet I would say :).  Terms aside, it's a day to celebrate the children's talents, whatever they maybe - acting, singing, or playing musical instruments.  Lines might be forgotten, lyrics might be incomprehensible, singing might be off-pitched, but what matters most is that the children gave their very best.  

Students' shows are not annual events here.  They have them all year round, during what the people here termed as 'special asssemblies'.  In my children's school, parents would be invited to watch their child perform during these assemblies.  No well-rehearsed tarians or over-dramatised sajak delivery :P.  Just wholesome performance by the kids.  Students from a particular year group would be reciting a poem, singing a song, or performing a short sketch in front of other students and parents.  Bloopers were treated as part and parcel of the performance, not something that mars the performance.  It's really a good way to build young children's self-confidence.   

On the other hand, assemblies in Malaysia would be long hours standing in the hot sun or in the dewan besar (still hot!), listening to speeches from the guru besar about students' discipline, school developments and achievements.  Come to think of them, the speeches were fit for parents rather than students... pretty mundane... hehehe!  Once in a blue moon, there would be some 'interesting' events like public caning.  But that's story for another day :).  For now, it's about my children's performances in their respective year-end assemblies.

My Amirul performed in a string orchestra (again, the orchestra here was so much small-scaled, compared to the one that I used to perform in a Malaysian primary school), while my Jon performed in a Nativity Play.   Amirul's violin performance brought back fond memories of my own performing days but I must say, mama played better! Hehehe!  Jon was a camel in the Nativity play.  His first performance was better because he didn't spot me in  the audience.  The second time around, he was a bit 'malu-malu kucing' as he was aware of mama videoing him. 

Check out Amirul's performance :D!

After days trying in vain to upload Jon's Nativity play, I resigned to the fact that that's not going to happen :(.  So, pictures instead of my dear cute camel and pictures of Amirul the budding violinist.

Jon, Julia and one of their class teachers

The singing camels

The song...

Glossary
tarian - dance
sajak - poetry
dewan besar - main hall
guru besar - principal
malu-malu kucing - Malay idiom to describe shyness

Bristol Protest Against Education Cuts

Yesterday, thousands of students in Bristol staged a protest against higher tuition fees and university cuts proposed by the government.  Around the country, similar protests were also reported in London, Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham, Warwick, Leeds, Sheffield, Durham and elsewhere.



Peaceful protest in Bristol...
Photo credit: Matt Carey


Of course, me being hopelessly afflicted by Blogger's Syndrome, couldn't miss it for the world! LOL!  A friend cautioned me from going, fearing that it would be a breach of my akujanji and what not.  But I thought, why not?  I was not participating in an illegal political rally against the British government or most importantly, my country's government.  I was merely a curious bystander, but inspired all the same by those concerned Bristolians who were courageous enough to voice out their displeasure.  Bravo!

It was difficult not to get distracted by the event as my school was just seconds away from one of the gathering places - The Wills Memorial.  From our study room, we could hear chants and noises as people staged a walkout.  So, in the end I decided to check things out @ nyebok with some friends :P! 

From downtown...



... towards Wills Memorial



The mob...

 

... the cops

I would say the protest was pretty peaceful.  Not like the one in London.  Didn't witness any violence but my jaw did drop when I saw a familiar figure block a police van from moving.  Wow Becks!  Was that really you?!!  Could have captured those moments if I had my Nikon with me... Dang!!  So I had to contend with my Triple B.  However, the photos turned out grainy and hazy (see above :P) as I had accidentally meddled with the setting, in my excitement... Huhuhu!  Luckily Alex Sheppard and Matt Carey allowed me to upload their fab pics on my blog.  Thanks a million guys! :D

The mounties
Photo courtesy of  Matt Carey

The barricade
Photo credit:  Matt Carey



The banner... the price of  university education?
Photo credit: Matt Carey


English lessons revisited :)

hyperbole...

alliteration :P

Pottermania, naturally :)...

O..er... some muggles are getting pretty muddled alright :D!
Pix courtesy of Matt Carey

Nice one Alex!  I LIKE!!! :D

As an international student sponsored by the Malaysian government, I might not be directly affected. But with the current development, I'm quite sure that the Ministry will be looking elsewhere when it comes to sending Malaysian students overseas. As it is now, international students are paying triple the tuition fee paid by their local counterparts. With the hike, just imagine how much it's going to cost the Ministry ... Might as well send students across the causeway to the National University of Singapore (NUS) which is ranked 34th in the world! :).  Australia and New Zealand are beckoning, too :)

As for the gathering, I heard that it went on until about 5.30 pm.  No unpleasant incidents were reported apart from 4 arrests by the police. 

Wow!  What a day!  Lurkin' Lauren :P reporting from Bristol ...