I woke-up at 6.00 this morning to the noise of Bristol City Council workers, unloading cones from the lorry onto the road. Today's the big day - Bristol 10 km. Run 2013. 10 000 miles away, another BIG day: Malaysians casting their votes in the country's 13th General Election. But that's story for another day :).
9.00 a.m. - all ready for the event
According to the event link, the race would start at 9.30 a.m from @ Bristol. So, there I was, perched on the window, ready with my Samsung. A large crowd had also assembled along the harbourside to cheer the contestants.
Moments before the race, a lone wheelchair athlete whizzed through, signalling the race was about to start. When the spectators started to cheer and clap loudly, I knew that the contestants were coming!
Here they come!
The first wave of runners
Go! Go! Go!
They came in droves!
Full speed ahead!!
All the way to Portway and then back again
There were some colourful characters...
Sponge-Bob was running for Ella :)
Going bananas! :)
An unidentified cape crusader :)
tutu and fro for a cause :)
'Gromit', 'Yogi Bear', 'Roadrunner' and an alligator, unfortunately, escaped from being 'captured' by my smartphone! Huh!
The runners started from @ Bristol, ran through Hotwell Road up to Portway, before turning and heading back to @Bristol via Cumberland Road. No end-of-race pictures from moi, though. Too busy finding out about election results :)
It's been a long day.
been writing my thesis...
- that never-ending 'story' of mine :P -
on this shabby chic dressing table of Francie @ my landlady :)
(now converted into a messy study table ... hehehe!)
Outside, it's already dark
could see and hear cars passing by...
That's the good thing of living in the city
you are never alone and time passes-by with a blink of an eye...
Time to close my red (pink?) curtains...
View from the window with the red curtains :P
As I was doing that, I remember a time
at this very hour
different place, different city
a lady was doing the same thing as me
not to retire, rather, "on fire hire"...
Enough of this poetry, now the juicy story!!!
Red Light District Amsterdam...
Sorry, not much to see say, really.
I went, I saw and I reflected (research mode...kekeke!)
They were just like you and me!
Could've been even doing their PhDs!! :)
Some of the pretty girls really looked intelligent, seriously!
I didn't take any photos. I couldn't.
No, no, no! Not because tak sampai hati or anything like that. It was just the ruling. There was even a signboard prohibiting people from taking photos. You wouldn't dare take photos unless you want your precious camera to be bashed on the streets or flung into the canal!
So, I just walked, looked at what's happening around me, then went back to the hotel, feeling satisfied for having "been there, done that"... Oit! Me didn't do nothing, ok?! :).
Really, the way some men described the place... like it's a MUST-VISIT place when you're in Amsterdam?? It's like a market, really, where the 'sellers' pedal their wares and the 'buyers', negotiate the price before buying. Strictly business. I'm sure it's pretty much the same in Lorong Hj Taib or Kowloon...
(Been there, but done nothing, ok?! Hahaha!)
To get an idea how the place looked like, go Google. If you are really curious, go see for yourself. Don't bring the kids! The girls might be put off, but the cheeky boys... WILL BE BOYS, I suspect! :)
Anyway, I managed to take some photos... not of the sexy ladies but the beautiful scenery around the area.
The beautiful view of St. Nicholas Church, from the De Wallen
Red Light District.
Red curtains synonymous with the Red Light District
The Oude Kerk (Old Church) near the Red Light District
As for my curtains, no wonder they were on SALE! Hahaha! :)
My laptop could not have chosen a better time to go KAPUT! With all the writing to be done... GRRRRRR!
Alhamdulillah, I married a techie - THE BEST, one could ever ask for (in a techie and a hubby :)). Yeah, who would sacrifice a week's sleep (thanks to the 7-hour time-zone difference), patiently guiding an impatient and banyak songeh 'client'-cum-wifey, to trouble-shoot online??? :P
Thanks Jeej.
Thank you for your time, patience, money and LOVE. God knows how much you have sacrificed for me all these years, and not hope for anything in return. I'll try my best to finish this PhD before I get permanentHEART damage... coz I miss all of you terribly! :(
So, for your birthday, I've made this very soppy hmv for you... :)
As I said countless time, the best way to explore a place is by walking. Oh...er... my well-travelled half told me that, actually, but I must say that he was right. Yeah, it's tiring but at the end of the day, you will be happy with the experience, have loads of nice photos and will definitely sleep soundly. Bom meletup pun tak dengar, penat sangat...huhuhu!.
Anyway, to explore a city on foot, you have to stay in the centre itself. The downside is, room rates can be a bit pricey compared to accommodation out of town. However, you can ronda-ronda from dawn till dawn the next day (kalau larat la :)). If you stay at the outskirts, yes, accommodation is cheaper but you will have to travel by bus, tram or train into the city. You would have to pay a bit for your journey to and fro, not to mention the time spent on the road. The problem is not so much with the fee (tambang), really. Ada duit semua boleh jadi, kan??. Rather, public transport is not available 24 hours. So you will have to plan your journey so as not to miss the last bus/train that goes to your lodging outside the city. Anyway, it's your money; you decide what's best for you and your family :).
Continuing where I left off, in Amsterdam, we went from place to place via boat and walking. The canal cruise was like killing two birds with one stone - we got to experience the boat ride and it got us from one place to another...
As we took the Museum Line, our first stop was at Rijksmuseum. However, we did not visit the place because it was under renovation. After 10 years (mak ai!!) of building work, renovation and restoration, the museum will be open to public again on the 13th of April 2013. Boleh pegi lagi ni... Ngeh!Ngeh!Ngeh!
Tak taulah mana satu depan, mana satu belakang muzium. Yang pasti, masa tu under renovation:(. So, we just took pictures and rested for a while at Museumplein which was at the back (or front?) of the museum.
The iconic I amsterdam. Mesti ambik gambar kat sini! :)
The I amsterdam was the main attraction at Museumplein. It was the first, of three. The second one was erected at Amsterdam Schipol Airport in July 2012. The third one changes location around the city, making appearances at shows, festivals and major events. I know my sister and her friends had their I amsterdam photo taken at NEMO 2 years ago.
There's loads of people here, btw. I wonder how some of my friends managed to take their I amsterdam photos, privately. Datang subuh-subuh kot! During our visit, there was even an 'invasion' of British school children...hehehe! Saksikan... :P
Anak sapa la ni... :P
Our I amsterdam!! :)
FromMuseumplein, we walked to the Van Gogh Museum which was just nearby. There was a long queue to get into the museum. Luckily we had bought tickets, online :). Memang peminat Van Gogh, gitu...huhuhu! Kagum, because he was a self-taught artist who only started painting at the age of 27! Whoever said that you need talent to be an artist! Well, maybe he HAD talent which he wasn't aware of, earlier on :). Among the permanent collections here were Van Gogh's Self-portraits, The Bedroom, Irises, Almond Blossoms and and of course, Sunflowers :). As usual, no photos allowed in the museum. So we had to content ourselves with photos outside the museum.
Some fancy pebble work... @ the new entrance of Van Gogh Museum
designed by Kisho Kurokawa Architect & Associates
During our visit, Van Gogh's work were being exhibited at the Hermitage Amsterdam (from 29 September 2012 - 25 April 2013), as the museum was undergoing renovation. Yeah, one thing about Europe: there is bound to be restoration work everywhere you go. If you're lucky, artefacts will be moved to another place/museum. I remembered seeing Rembrandt's "Night Watch" and Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" (which were permanent collections in the then-closed Rijksmuseum) either in Amsterdam or Paris, but not too sure whether they were originals. But then again, do museum's really show originals?? Maybe I watched too many spy movies... :P
From Van Gogh, we hopped on the boat again, but I'm not going into that, as I've blogged about it. I'll just write about the places that we explored on foot. Well, our quest for a place to pray led us to Fatih Camii Moskee in Rozengracht, Jordan, Amsterdam. It's a Turkish community mosque named after an Ottoman Sultan. What's unique about this place was that it used to be a church.
Around the area you can find many halal restaurants. Next to the mosque was a Turkish pattiserie which sold turkish delight and cookies.
From Rozengracht, we walked until we reached Prinsengracht Canal. There were many places of interest there such as Westerkerk, Anne Frank House, a Delftware shop, not to mention the canal itself.
Canal, bicycles and the beautiful buildings... uniquely Amsterdam :)
Clockwise: Cryuff, grafitti, tingkap belanda and dutch politeness
We strolled along Prinsengracht, took photos along the way and discovered a thing or two about the place, like... have you ever wondered why the buildings have those giant hooks at the top??
It turns out that it is used for hauling furniture into the building. I guess the buildings are similar to those in England - narrow stairs, and equally narrow doors :). But, here's the interesting part: according to our travel companion Amir, in the olden days it was used by women to haul up their drunken husbands into the building... thus the origin of the word 'hangover'. Hmm... Iyolah tuMir?? :P
Anyway, it was nice walking by the canal and tau-tau, we had reached our hotel in Spuistraat.
Hello again! It's 2013 and yet I'm still not done blogging about my 2012 escapades!:P Yeah, will still try to write about my past trips in-between writing my thesis. Wish me luck on writing (both)!! :)
To continue where I left off, I'll write about my canal cruise experience during our Amsterdam 2012 trip.
As I vividly recall, Amsterdam was a beautiful and unique city. It had an interesting cityscape (the man-made canals), beautiful architecture, and various places of interest (museums, especially). It is probably one of the few places in the world where sex trade is legal, and soft drug trade in 'coffee shops' is tolerated by the authorities.
To get around in Amsterdam, it is better to use public transport as driving is discouraged in the city centre. When we were there, we had to park our car in a parking lot outside the city. It was difficult to find parking in the city centre anyway, and if there were any at all, the fee would be exorbitant. The preferred mode of transportation among locals, obviously, was the bike.
City of bikes! :)
We didn't rent bikes, though. With 3 kids in tow, we felt that it was more practical to go around on boat and foot. I would say that walking is the best way to explore a place, but it can be a bit tiring. So, to save you from aching feet, try the hop-on hop-off canal cruise.
There were many type of cruises available and we hopped onto one: Lover's Museum line, which took us around museum routes around Amsterdam. The fare: 16 Euros for an adult, half of that for a child. Don't forget to take a canal cruise map or two :).
The route map
The boat schedule
As we boarded our boat near the Amsterdam Centraal Railway Station, a multilingual tour guide cheerfully welcomed us with a fake American accent. There were not too many people in the boat that morning, so we got to sit near the window. Looking around, I saw a building that strikingly resembled my husband's former workplace in Subang Jaya. Check it out ... hehehe!
'Twin Tower' of Menara Mesiniaga?? :)
How was the experience? I would say it's pretty much the same with the canal rides that you might have taken elsewhere, but of course, the scenery is different. There were few futuristic-looking buildings like the EYE Film Institute of Netherlands...
Is it a spaceship?? No, it's just the EYE :)
... but I prefer the traditional dutch buildings along the canal :)
Alternative facade - another reminder of home @ USJ :)
The boathouses along the canal. Macam best je...
Replica of an 18th century Dutch East India Company (VOC) cargo ship
Our boat :)
I took loads of picture during the canal cruise. Alas, most of them were stored in my recently stolen Blackberry! DAAANNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!!
Moral of the story... promptly transfer your pictures into your laptop, external hard disk or some place SAFE after each vacation :P. They are your priceless memories ;'( ....
Canal-cruise verdict:
Canal-cruising is the most efficient way to see the wonders of Amsterdam in one day, as you won't be able to do so, walking. If you have a tight schedule, take the canal cruise. You can sit back and enjoy the sights of the monumental buildings and various landmarks (Anne Frank House, Westerkerk, Rijksmuseum, Nemo, etc), activities and life along the canal, and the various bridges (1500 altogether!). If you feel like stopping at certain places, you can alight at the various stops. That's what we did: we hopped off at the Rijksmuseum, gawked at some Van Gogh's work (at another museum!), had lunch, lepak and ambik gambar katMuseumplein (I AMSTERDAM), and hopped onto another boat again. Remember though, the cruise is only for ONE ROUND TRIP. Janganlah pulak ingat dengan tiket one way tu, boleh pi mai pi mai ikut suka hati korang! :P. Kena tengoklah tiket tu untuk trip yang macamana... ;P
There are night cruises, too, though I doubt much can be seen in the dark. Maybe, for a romantic rendezvous, sightseeing is the least of (their) concern...
I CAN'T ASSURE you, however, that the canal cruise is BEST for you, IF YOU ARE:
1) One of those who suffer from motion-sickness @ seasickness @ mabuk laut @ yang sewaktu dengannya... Maybe you should take tram rides, then :).
2) An avid shutter-bug. You will not savour the boat ride as you will be busy taking photos. As the boat moves, you (and your shutter) will have to be quick, or you'll miss a fantastic shot :P. You'll end up with many photos (mostly, composition entah apa-apa), a headache and a keterkilanan yang teramatnya (as in "Kejapnya!!! Tak sempat rasa naik bot pun??!!"). You can't have it all :). Not if you are an amateur photo-hobbyist (pro bolehlah kot.... :)).
Well, that's all for now. InsyaAllah, 'foot' notes next time ... (if I have the time :P). Wassalam...
... to think that I nearly gave it a miss because I was down with a bad flu! My son (who was not too keen) was supposed to take my place but at the eleventh hour, I decided to JUST DO IT. Flu, fever, cough and all :P
How can I not go? We bought the tickets, months ago in spring, to secure good seats. Besides, it was going to be my last 'night out' with hubby and the daughter before they go back to Malaysia. Huhuhu!
Truth is, hubby yang beria-ia nak tengok. The Lion King musical has been playing at the Lyceum Theatre in London since 1999. 13 tahun tu! When we heard last year, that it would be embarking on its first-ever UK tour, starting with Bristol Hippodrome, hubby decided that we just had to see the show. Tak tau bila pulak nak sampai Malaysia. It was 'now or never'.
I wasn't too keen to see the show because I was skeptical: how can you successfully turn an animation film - about ANIMALS - to stage? I balked when hubby went for the premier seats. Seeing the horror on my face, the ticket attendant showed me the video of the musical, to assure me that hubby would indeed be paying a worthy price. I had to agree at that point, that the show looked pretty impressive. Yes, I was won over, but still... skeptical :).
In the cold windy night, we walked down from my school, where we parked our car, to Bristol Hippodrome. Sebelum tu, singgah dulu school untuk solat dan jugak pulangkan buku library yg dah overdue...hehehe! Sebelum masuk theatre, sempat pulak pekena ayam goreng kat kedai kebab sebelah tu :).
As expected, the auditorium was packed to the brim. Luckily it was not hot at all. I remember bundling myself for the Phantom of the Opera musical at Her Majesty's Theatre in London last autumn, and ended up removing layers of clothing, lest I die of extreme heat! :P In the hippodrome, I kept my coat on throughout the show.
The place was a hive of activity as theatre ushers pedalled Lion King merchandises, parents minding their excited kiddies, people taking photos... wait! Ambik gambar?! Boleh ka?? I looked around for stern-looking ushers that might be lurking behind my back, ready to pounce on me, at the mere sight of a smartphone... Ada ka?? Takdelah pulak... apa lagi... Klik! Klik! :)
From where I was sitting, I had a good view of the stage. The conductor had taken his place in front of the stage but I couldn't see his ensemble, except for two musicians perched in the box seats with their drums and percussion. Signs of great music to come :)
The show started with that familiar yell from Rafiki, the mandrill: "Nants' Ingonyama Bakithi Baba!!!" (There comes a lion, father ... in Zulu).
... And animals started striding down the aisle to the rhythm of "Circle of Life". Yep! Elephants, giraffes, antelopes! That caught the audience by surprise and the actors were rewarded with a round of thunderous applause. My advice at this point: If you want to be in the thick of things, get the stall seats near the aisle :). There's a reason why they cost a bomb! :)
From the start till the end, there was never a dull moment. Really! Superb acting (especially the actor who played Scar), humour and entertainment (especially the antics of Zazu, the three hyenas, and of course, Timon and Pumba), memorable songs (Circle of life, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Hakuna Matata, He Lives In You, etc), great props, colourful costume and ingenious puppetry. Credits should be given to multi-talented director, Julie Taymor, who also designed the costume, masks and puppets.
You can't compare Lion King with, say, Phantom of the Opera, because they are two distinct genres. Phantom's strengths are its songs, storyline and special effects. The strength of Lion King lies in the songs, costume and puppetry... I love those actor-puppets! One of my favourites were those men-giraffes! The actors must have been very strong and agile in order to move about in those stilts! My all-time favourites have got to be Zazu, the red-billed hornbill and Timon, that pesky meerkat. Hats off to the respective actors!! :)
The African theme was evident in all aspects of the musical; my African friends would approve :). However, there were some moments of 'Britishness' like when Zazu pleaded not to be sent back to Glasgow (I went like: Did I hear that right? LOL!); and when Timon and Pumba started to 'riverdance' to scare the hyenas? Hehehe!
The Lion King brought back fond memories when I was raising the children. My son used to chant: "Wimoweh! Wimoweh!" when he was younger, and we would all end up singing along coz it was so catchy! Even now, I still sing: "Hakuna Matata. *Timon and Tomato (instead of Pumba)" when preparing food in the kitchen :). * Timon or timun is cucumber in Malay.
Having said this, does not mean that this musical is only suitable for parents with children. If you have enjoyed watching the Lion King films, you will love the musical, too. The Lion King musical will be in Bristol till 17 November 2012. It's next and final stop for 2012, is Manchester. The troupe will continue their UK tour to Dublin and Birmingham, in 2013.
Verdict: Don't be skeptical. Just go and enjoy yourself! :) Make sure you get STALL seats near the aisle as the scenes actually start from here a number of times.
The first time I heard about the Netherlands was during primary school? The country was known as Holland, or "Belanda" in Malay. I first learnt about the country not in Geography, but History. The Dutch once ruled over some territories in the Malay Archipelago in the 17th century, one being Malacca, a state in present-day Malaysia. Further reading from the Encyclopaedia Britannica (the wikipedia of the 20th century :)), introduced me to the country which was famous for its canals, windmills and clogs. Learning about the Netherlands in Geography a few years later, I remembered being intrigue with the fact that a considerable part of the country was below sea level. Just can't imagine how the land would look like...
Well, as fate would have it, I did reach the Netherlands many moons ago. Remembering what I learnt in Geography class, I was scrutinizing the lands along the highways for any 'abnormalities'... hahaha! Manalah nak nampak dengan mata kasar, kan?? Tanah di bawah aras laut... :P After the stopovers in Den Haag and Lisse, we proceeded to Amsterdam. I don't remember whether it was the satnav or the forever map @IPad which eventually led us to our hotel, but Alhamdulillah we safely reached our destination without much hassle.
Our budget accommodation
Our hotel, T.Inn Hotel, in Spuistraat, was right smack in the middle of the city. I knew that the red light district was a few minutes walk away but I did not know that business had now spread beyond that area... practically up to the hotel's doorstep and backyard... Ayoyo! 18 SX!! :P. Walking out of the hotel and into the street, you practically have to keep a 'straight face'! That aside, halal food was aplenty on this stretch, among them, a kebab take-away and an Indonesian eatery. Depan pulak orang 'berniaga'.
