I'm a whale, hear me..spout water?

To see you when I wake up
Is a gift I didn't think could be real
To know that you feel the same as I do
Is a three-fold utopian dream

You do something to me that I can't explain
So would I be out of line if I said
I miss you?

- Incubus's "I MIss You" -



i feel so bloated, and i'm down with a minor flu..my throat hurts, my nose is blocked and my head weighs a little more than it should.uggh, i hate being sick :(

other than that...i had a great weekend in Manchester (MAnchestah!)! it started slow..as in the verry long and verry slow minicab ride to Heathrow on Thursday evening to send Kak mOonie off..dahlaa i had to sit next to the driver, who had errm, overactive sweat ducts? yeah, i had my window open the whole journey...the traffic was bad, and he had to take some shortcut through ealing and acton, which did not make things better..we arrived approximately 2 hours later..the bus ride to Victoria on Friday afternoon was almost as bad...our bus to Manchester was leaving at 1.30 p.m., and we thought leaving an hour earlier, would give us enough time..but, nasib baik we left about an hour and a half earlier..cuz there was this nincompoop who parked his car by the roadside in the tiny streets of Clapton, and got us stuck there for nearly 10 minutes! not to mention, the polite bus driver who was driving really sloww...Ainor was like, karang i drive je bus nie kang...but we managed to make it in good time,despite all the the running in my boots..ouch! to make matters worse, there were several queues on the motorway..gah! tensi gue! bangun, tido, bangun, tido..still there! sheesh..it was a good thing we had the magazine to browse through, and i have my new book "The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)" to finish..btw, that book's really good! thanks for the recommendation people! nak add drama, when we stopped at the rest and relax area (rawat dan rehat, hehehe..), we were hungry, and could not make up our minds on what to eat...when we finally did, we settled on this Vegetarian Carpenter's Pie (don't ask me what it is, cuz i don't know) and it was panas!! we burnt our tongues with the first bite, and then we realised that the drivers are finished with their coffees and cigarettes, and are preparing to leave..so we had to jam the pie into our throats, burning and all...gah!

pheww..arrived at Manchester about an hour later than scheduled...met Kak Awanis, who took us home in a cab (nak rush sebab nak catch FRIENDS' finale)...we got to her semi-detached house (yang sangat lawa), and she started preparing dinner for us...met her housemates, Lida (1st year Econs), Enab (2nd year engineering), and my senior in Sri Aman, Hazirah@Kak Zie (Phd in err lupe..gah!)..had dinner while watching the final episode of FRIENDS....so sad! kalo tengok sorang2, i would have cried my eyes out...dang! i can't believe its over! anyhoo, later, met their friend, yang sangat comel and chubby, and sangat best to hang out with..KAk Ita (Phd in IT and Construction) yang dah habis with her thesis, and just waiting to go back..hung round with them, while watching the new Big Brother...it was really nice hanging out with them, cuz they're all friendly, and damn funny! Kak Zie even knew my colleague, so Jejak KAsih sekejap...btw, they have like the most amazing collection of tiny cottages, bells, and decorative teapots...its amazing...i was like, nie kalau bukak coffee shop or cafe best nie, buat decor..hehehe..

the next day, after a breakfast of yummy cekodok pisang, Kak Awanis took us to..where else? Old Trafford :) tak sah kalo kitorang tak gi...took the stadium tour, and later browse the gift shop...it was great! i shall not say anything much, sebab i'm a sleeping fan (fan yang tak kaji and watch all the game :p ) but it was damn cool! got away with souvenirs for my brother, and tons of pictures..oh yeah, once in the changing room, and we were all seated, the tour guide told us where each player seats, and when he pointed to the seat where Ryan Giggs usually duduk, the boy in that seat nearly leaped in excitement..heheh..comellaa....

then Kak ita and Enab picked us up in her car, and took us to Salford Quays..there's a mall there, and we had lunch while watching movie trailers on the mini screen provided..played games in the arcade (hehe), then went to the shops..KAk Awanis was like, if i knew korang suke shopping, I would have taken u guys tempat lain! MAnchester is a mini shopping haven! ade byk outlets :p soo geram...i was broke due to the Spanish sojourn, but it didn't stop me from acquiring a few items...when the shops are all closed, we took pictures by the lake, and Kak Ita pointed out which spots were the major spots in the Commonwealth Games..got home, then KAk Awanis prepared yummy Meehoon Hailam..yums! tengok Big Brother sampai jerit2 again, but got to bed early cuz we're catching an early bus to Liverpool the next morning...

Liverpool in the morning is quite...dead...hehhehe...we were walking down the streets all by ourselves, trying to locate Albert Docks by Lake MArsey where the Beatles Story (BEatles exhibition) is at..finally found it..but we got there early, and the place isn't open yet! so, more pictures at the docks, berlatarbelakangkan the scenic view and all the kapals...i spotted the yellow submarine structure across Albert Docks..haha..tu kena amik gambar tu...

the Beatles' Story is really interesting..it traces back to when they first started out, up till the point when they finally broke up...so, there were school pictures, birth certificates, and other momentoes from their youth...then there was an exact replica of the club where they used to perform and got discovered, that was really cool! of course, old Beatles songs were played thorughout, and they even have this section dedicated to their fans..several tv screens depicts the screaming fans back in those days, siap ade yang pengsan2..well, i would have been one of them laa kot :p...it was really great..a must-see...unfortunately, it rained after that, and we took shelter in one of the many cafes along the docks...after it stops raining, we went into the Marsey Museum..what we didn't know was that it was huge museum spanning 5 floors! mak...besarnye..we didn't manage to see all the exhibitions, but we did see the Slavery Gallery (about the slaves and the slave trade), the Immigrants to the NEw World , where we found ourselves at a long and dark corridor with no one in sight (they were trying to recreate the ambience of what those immigrants faced then), so we waited for this MAt Salleh couple to go by, then we followed closely behind..hehehhe...gelak je diorang...but we did manage to catch the tiny gallery of Palaces on the Seas, which includes the Titanic and the Lucitanis...there were bits and pieces of history on display there, including a letter that Molly Brown (Titanic survivor) wrote to her mother...

later we made our way to Liverpool FC...but, due to kesetiaan to Man Utd (haha!) , like so tak sampai hati nak beli ape2...seriously! but,i wanted the paper bag, so, after much thinking, i bought the LFC chocolates..ehhehe...just to get the bright red plastic bag..then more photos followed...got back to the city center..walked around for a bit..got some sandwiches at Tescos, and makan while watching the crowd passing by...as we made our way back to the bus station to, we stopped near one square nie, and took more pictures, and KAk Awanis met a few friends..so, borak2, and we thought they were gonna give us a lift back to Manchester..heheh..unfortunately, they just got to Liverpool, and prolly will go back later, so we trudged back to the bus station to wait for our bus...but nak dibuat cerita, we missed our bus sebab sibuk berborak...and we had to wait for the next one, in an hour's time! we were like soo spent, and just sat there, kepenatan, menunggu bas...later on the bus, Ainor amused herself with listening to a couple of Liverpudlian ladies chatting behind us..."ade special tunelaa, the way diorang cakap" ...got home, lepak in front of the tv with KAk Zie and Kak Ita again while watching Swordfish...then went up to KAk Zie's room, and both us ex-amanian had a leisurely chat about things..bestnye jumpe senior, heheh :)

unfortunately, the next day, AInor wasn't feeling very well, so we left their home a little later than we planned..but it was allright, cuz after a yummylicious breakfast of nasi lemak, who could move, i ask you?? baiklaa i tengok BEyonce shakes her butt off in the concert screened on telly in conjunction with the Bank Holiday..besides, i had the company of a few MAlay tabloid magazines such as URTV, Hai, and Media to quench my thirst for homeland dirt..haha! when we finally left the house, after loads of thanks and promises to come back, and more pictures, KAk Awanis took us to Manchester Uni to take more pictures *shy* soo lawa...and then to town...Ainor was looking for a Starbucks MAnchester City Mug but no such luck, tak jumpe..so pusing2 town, before leaving on our 4.30 p.m. bus back to London...baik betul KAk Awanis, she waited till the bus left, and waved us off.as a matter of fact, she was the perfect host, soo baik, friendly, sangat best! hilang all my keseganan..hehehe...

it was a great weekend..looking forward to more! now, if only i can get my butt to move from this chair *sigh*...