A day at Portsmouth..and just a little bit more...nonsense...

Girl, close your eyes
Let that rhythm get into you
Don?t try to fight it
There ain?t nothin? that you can do
Relax your mind
Lay back and groove with mine
You got to feel the heat
And we can ride the boogie
Share that beat of love
Chorus
I wanna rock with you (all night)
Dance you into day (sunlight)
I wanna rock with you (all night)
We?re gonna rock the night away

- Michael jackson's "Rock WIth You" -

and i'm back from the dead!!!!

pheewwww....*big sigh of relief*...i am DONE with my courseworks and exams...finally! well, for the first semester anyways, and it all starts over again in a week's time...but, i have a week off! yaay! hmm, what mischief can be done in such a short span of time....

anyways, me and me housemates went off to Portsmouth yesterday for a little break...hehehe, break for me, unplanned glitch in their study plans for them...we went to check out all the factory outlet stores there, as Ainor had been there a few months back with Ainurul and Safurah (Hi Ainurul! Hi Safurah!)...and came back with cheap goods...Kak Iza wanted to check out some stuff, and i was just dying to go off anywhere, as long as its away from my designated port of small ground space in front of my closet, facing the tv, where i have camped for the past few weeks, finishing up my assignments and studying...i can't sit at the desk to do my work, i tell ya...first reason.well, its next to the window, and my fingers will get numb much faster that way, not to mention, my feet will also freeze...ok, ok, fine, the numb fingers could be the result of hours of Solitaire *rolls eyes* but susahlaa wanna study there..with my laptop and all...second reason: i never study at the desk and able to absorb everything..don't ask me why, but it happens...the only time i've sat at a desk, and managed to do well for my exams was for the last semester in uni studying for my degree, when i didn't know what came over me, but i spent my nights at the library, trying to understand financial theory and the likes...yucks! hehehe, thank god for distraction in the form of interesting young men walking up and down...ooh, and i remembered rushing home for Ally McBeal which goes on at precisely 10.45 p.m. on NTV7...hehehe...

eh, where was i? oh yeah, Portsmouth....initially, we invited Ita along, but she had other plans that involved Oriental City, petai and belacan, so she opted out...Ita is a friend of Ainor, Ainurul and Safurah who stays about 5 minutes away, studying for an actuarial masters degree at City University, attached to UKM...Oriental City, apparently, is where we can get Malaysian goods...hmm, i might check out the petai thing..heheheh.. *devilish grin*...

so, there we were, saturday morning, where i woke up to the smells of sardines and onions...Ainor made sandwiches for our 2 hour journey...sardine sandwiches always remind me of "perkelahan" or picnicking..and not just any ordinary picnics, the types that happen next to rivers or sungais or jerams or waterfalls or air terjuns...heheheh...anyhoo, we rushed, cuz we're trying to catch any train that leaves before 10 a.m., cuz apparently, after 10 they get less frequent...so, with a few sandwiches in our tummies, rushed to catch the 38, got off at Angel Islington, withdrew some cash, and hop on the number 4 to Waterloo train station where we're supposed to catch the train..on the way to waterloo, we crossed the Thames River after the Strand, where we got the view of London in sparkling sunlight..fuyyoo...one of the days that the weather was wonderful, and we have to spend 2 hours on the train...unfortunately, due to lack of foresight, we weren't properly (read: warmly) bundled up, cuz the temperature dipped that day..menggigil jugak laa pagi tu...managed to get cheaper tickets cuz the guy behind the counter persuaded us to buy the railcard..which is going to come in handy, insya-Allah, in our future train trips..so, instead of paying 21 pounds, the tiket only cost us 13 pounds! cool huh...but we still have to pay for the railcard, so it came up to about the same..takpelaa, investment...

the train ride was quite long, so we ate the sandwiches, and slept..hehehe..the train was butt ugly, kalo nak dicompare with he trains in Germany..but there was ample legroom..ooh, one more great thing about the trains in Germany is that it has a digital display of the station that it is approaching and all the stops in sequence..so, even if you don't understand what was being announced, you can still know when to get off or prepare to get off....arrived at around 12 p.m., and as we walked out of Portsmouth Harbour train station, we can smell the salt air...waaa, laut!! lamanyee tak tengok laut! 5 minutes walk later, and we arrived at Gunwharf Quay, factory stores galore...

i shall not go into details of the whole day, cuz it was pretty much, masuk kedai, exclaim at prices, ponder whether or not to buy, made purchase, then go into the next shop...my self-determination to NOT spend was strong earlier, but it broke down towards the end of the day..ahhaha, whoops! those 2 were buying things for their significant others, wa tak mainlaa significant others nie, ehhehe, it was me, me, me all the way! muahahahahah...

in short, cheap adidas and nike stuff...cheaper tommy hilfiger and polo stuff, but not unlike the ones found in FOS, cheap Gap, Clarks, Triumph, Crabtree & Evelyn, Marks & Spencer, Levis and Whittard...but the best was, a Cadbury factory outlet store!! woohoo! apa lagi, borong chocolates laa...had lunch at Burger King and took pictures with the sea behind us...and the seagulls squawking in our ears..gah! actually, a bit the tak aci, cuz we didn't actually GO to the town center or any other attractions in Portsmouth...but can say laa that we've actually reached the place..

we slept the whole way on the train ride home...had to wait for the bus for a bit at the waterloo station...and that's where i noticed the building nestled between 2 railway bridges..sheesh, how do u sleep up there?! then i noticed, its part of a hotel/pub establishment..hehehe, they must have the cheapest rate! we were wondering which room would get the maximum impact of the trains' soothing sounds, hence fully interrupted sleep..ehhehe...

oh, by the way, i cooked a full meal on friday! hah! made my mom's dish of ayam, marinated with garlic, soy sauce and ginger, with vegetables and sambal ikan bilis with thinly sliced crispy potatoes..yum! the latter is my absolute favourite! oklaa, 2 dishes and nasi cannot be constituted as a full meal, but give me a break laa...i'm still figuring out how to cut chickens into pieces...i can't seem to cleanly cleave it, mesti berkecai punyelaa...i've resorted to apologizing FIRST before anyone touch any of my dish, you know, in case they find any pieces of loose chicken bones or freakishly misshapen piece..ahhaaha....

todaY, was another lovely and sunny day, and i was the acting ayam buyer...so, took the 48 to Walthamstow and bought chickens, sausages and mince meat...there was an offer at the chicken shop, and i walked away with 10 lbs of chickens! that's a whole lotta ayams! gile berat...but i was thinking, hey, you can never get enough of ayam right? i mean, we can cook up many, many things with it right...heh, what was i thinking, these people are not my brother, King Ayam...later went to Tesco, to get some groceries...note to self: NEVER go to Tesco on Sundays!! the queue was terrible!! gah! i'm gonna do my groceries on weeknights from now on..i just have to ignore the creepy feeling i get while walking down the dark streets...err, yeah right! i'm better off dragging any one of my housemates with me...oh, btw, about 2 months back, there was a stabbing scene in the area and someone also got attacked at the park..yup, its the ghetto, baby...and, we just realised, after a visit to the bookstores, that our area is in the Top 10 WORST places to stay in UK picture/coffee table book! waa, glamour gitu...

sometimes when i write, i feel like going on and on...but i have to stop as my neck is hurting...maybe next time, i will include some marketing anecdotes...i think i should..at least, it'll help refresh my memory of the things i'm learning here....the marketing and promotional activities in London is definitely top-notch..i like the way i could see how the stores are all geared up for the coming warm weather, even though it'll be a few months away...for example, they are promoting exercise equipments in the Argos catalogues, along with barbeque and garden sets...camping equipments also comes first in the catalogues as opposed to jewelry in the previous catalogue, which i presumed, is an incentive for Christmas...

anyhoo, the dodgy, but catchy Michael Jackson song at the top was Number 1 on the US chart exactly 24 years ago...wonder if my mom listened to it before all hell broke loose? hehehe, well, if she did, she must have felt VERY unamused....