m y m i n i a t u r e p a g e

KUIH RAYA MANCHESTER STYLE

Friday, July 25, 2014

Tart Nenas

I've always tried to make a bucket list of things that I'd like to do. Sometimes, they are difficult but doable, and most of the time, they are reasonable. Hehe. Like for instance, who would have thought that I will be celebrating Aidilfitri in overseas? It is one of my wishlist and only God knows how blessed I am to be given the chance to experience raya in the UK, alhamdulillah.

And, I really really really want to wear winter coat with my kebaya on hari raya and walk 3 - 4 km in heels! Hehehe. Now that it's summer in Birmingham, so I'll be going somewhere up north in Ireland to put my winter coat on. Hahaha gigih kau kan. But I'm trying to not think too much about the fact that I don't actually have a new baju raya except that I just brought one from Malaysia which I bought last year from Jovian Mandagie RTW. Sobs.

JLuxe

Hiks. I love my black sequins! So anyway, how's your raya preparation going? I have never been so involved all this while for obvious reason; my mother did everything from the very beginning! Hehe. And now since I'm far away from Malaysia, I decided to join my friend Nini in Manchester to bake some kuih raya so we can feel 'that' vibe. Hehe. And I'm soooooo proud of the outcomes despite of lack of ingredients and baking tools! Hehe.

Cornflake madu

Kerepek pisang

Rempeyek

Macaron (tak berapa nak jadi hahaha)

Kuih cincin

Biskut arab

Semperit

Snowy suji cornflake

Hahahaha gigih kau kan. Semperit tu takde acuan, asal boleh je lah. Teringin punya pasal. Sobs. But semperit tastes good! So delish. My fav of all! Hehehe.

Anyway, selamat hari raya semua. Maaf zahir batin.

Labels: LIFE IN THE UK

1:50 PM | 5 comments

MANCHESTER, UK

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Opps. It HAS been a while.

I have been in Manchester for 11 days which is literally 2 hours journey from Birmingham, and so I haven't been able to keep up with a lot of things I'm meant to be doing, hence the not blogging.

Needless to say, that was my second time in Manchester. And it was not the usual travelling around to the main tourist attractions, but instead it was just a visit to my friend's (Nini) house. Well, I don't think I have been this well rested in one place (except for my home in Birmingham) since I came to the UK back in February. Hehe. Sebab most of the time, my travelling days would be pretty full from morning till night.

It was good anyway, for a change. A lot less productive, but there are good things that come out of it. And I should have done this more frequent. Hehe. For starters, I will be doing that in Santorini next 2 weeks! Hehehe. Just can't wait.

And how do I sum up the last few days in Manchester? Sobs. I have no words now, really. But one thing for sure, I've always imagined to have my convocation ceremony in overseas, so finally checking off my bucket list! Ahaha. Acah-acah convo je ni, not mine though. Hiks. Pinjam baju orang sajok. Punya lah kau nak merasa kan.

Have a nice day, lovelies!

Labels: LIFE IN THE UK, Manchester, United Kingdom

2:05 PM | 0 comments

SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTH PLACE

Friday, July 11, 2014

So now I'm out of school for 2 months and I don't quite know what to do with that. Hehe. But, it is sooooo incredibly awesome to stay at home, berkuntum and just doing NOTHING. Hehe.

And it is amazing to see photos of myself from working days back in Malaysia. It literally feels like a whole lifetime ago. Well, student life is also hard, I NEVER expected it not to be. It is hard physically and emotionally but I'm getting there, inshaaAllah.

Now, I only have one hour before I leave my lappy to prepare for sahur and then zzzz. Hehe. So a quick one, just a little update, we went to Stratford Upon Avon few days ago and that was our first trip during Ramadhan. But it turned out to be an enjoyable visit, surprisingly. Loved it.

Stratford Upon Avon is a little town with many well preserved houses and cottages, just an easy 30 minutes train journey from Birmingham Moor Street station (5£ for return tickets). And it is a bit difficult to miss Shakespeare in Stratford because it is best known as the birth place and home of William Shakespeare. This is the place where he was born and spent his early years where his father ran a business. Thanks to the super informative guides for the explanations! Hehe.

The Shakespeare's garden is in full bloom now, and it is just so lovely. I have taken hundreds of photos of this section and I just can't get enough of the flowers hehe. Lawa.

Haih, beautiful house with wonderful garden, I want! Hehe. Just picture perfect and my personal favorite.

Hehe ni pulak pose menangisi takdir. Hahaha. Thanks for wiping my tears away, Romeo. Gitew. Anyway they have the actors to perform some readings from Shakespeare's play on request and apparently when they were asking me if I have any request, I can only think of Romeo and Juliet! Hahaha tu je yang ahkak tahu dik oi.

But first, let us take a selfieeee! Gittew. So finally, our first trip together hiks. #anokkelatedibirminghae. Penat nak melayan orang yang obses dengan diri sendiri ni uols! Hahaha. So, I uploaded our picture on FB and since all of us used to work in EY before, my caption was "Ex-EYians reunited in Stratford Upon Avon! Do we miss our job? Hell NO!" Haaa kau tak pijak tanah kan caption. Then suddenly the Partner of the firm pergi LIKE pic itu. Hahaha. Pengsan. I want my job back please! Hehe.

Hmm, I'll be going to Manchester in few hours, till later.

Labels: LIFE IN THE UK, Stratford Upon Avon, Travel, UK, United Kingdom

7:58 AM | 1 comments

LISBON, PORTUGAL

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

So as promised, am jotting down a little bit about my days in Lisbon, Portugal. And I was so glad to be around during the World Cup season because the window displays were entertaining; "Keep Calm, We Have Ronaldo". Hahaha. Tapi dah kalah dah pun Portugal ni, and congrats Germany for humiliating Brazil. Sobs. Macam lah kau tengok pun kan. Haha. InshaaAllah, will be going to Germany again in December to see my parents! Yeay. Rinduuu.

Back to the main topic, Lisbon really has it all. The sun and the sea. And normally, I just go to the usual tourist spots which I have done this rather consistently (i.e. visiting the tourist attractions) even in my years in Malaysia. This time around, I'll admit that I didn't know much about Lisbon before going but I trust my travel instinct, booked the tickets and just GO. Haha. Travel instict katanya.

This was my first time in Lisbon, so I can't really give any advice as an expert. But, please avoid to visit Lisbon during summer. It is BOILING HOT. 40 degrees. Sobs. Anyway, I did enjoy visiting this vibrant, colourful and nostalgic city though. Walaupun mulut tak habis-habis membebel, hoi panasnya! Hahaha. Tapi memang betul pun, extremely HOT.

And I really enjoy the street art and graffiti through the centre of Lisbon. They are so creative with ideas and inspiration. Sometimes, it reminded me a lot of Barcelona, but less touristy. And those colourful streets, pastel houses are something that I was longing to see.

Tram No 28 is a MUST! Soo vintage looking kan! Major love for this one. It will take you to the most interesting places of the town. And I love it when it passes through the narrowest and steepest streets, you can see the daily Lisbon life, Portuguese style. Hehe.

Walking in 40 degree heat can be very tiring. So, a trip to the beach is needed to cool off. Hehe. This is Cascais, a little bit out of Lisbon town but still reachable by train.

This red bridge is one of the Lisbon icons and best seen from the distance. Cantik. It makes you feel like you are in the States or maybe in Rio Brazil, that Christ statue.

One of my hobbies is capturing the flowers. Hehe. And this was definitely taken somewhere in Lisbon. Love the colour.

Hmmm, maybe I should go to Porto next. Hiks. Have a nice day lovelies!

Labels: Europe, Lisbon, Portugal, Travel

1:10 PM | 0 comments

RANDOM MUMBLING

Monday, July 7, 2014

I'm awake mostly because of the super short time between Isha' and Subuh (3 hours gap) and I just had a simple sahur, 2 glasses of water, orange and also a glass of milk. As simple as it may seem, I am still having a hard time to sahur right after buka puasa 5 hours ago. Still kinda full though. Sobs. Flat tummy no more! Hahaha. Perasan kau kan. Hiks.

So, I was browsing through my summer trip pictures today and I was soooo happy to have had 16 days spent with my brother, travelling from one country to another. It just hit me how much I miss those days!

Somehow when you're 16 days into travelling around Europe with your family, another trip with some lovely people to a different place is exactly what you need to feel normal again. Hehe. Or maybe to prepare yourself for the week-long journey that's left.

Anyway, I'm going to Stratford Upon Avon (the place where Shakespeare was born) in few hours and here's hoping that this trip would not be terribly difficult (despite of fasting month), and that we'd be able to meet many interesting people along the way!

Last but not least, since #anokkelatedibirminghae posted something on his blog about our juadah berbuka, so this is my first attempt at cooking something from scratch but at the end of the day, all gone into dustbin. Sobs. Unsatisfied craving. Kuah tak jadi. Hmmm. Will be going to Manchester this Friday so Nini, please please please satisfy my craving, nak laksaaaaaaa. Teringin sangat ni. My all time fav! Hehe. I'm so bad at cooking. REALLY BAD. Sooo, akak pasrah! Tapiiii, the effort that counts, kan? Hehehe. Will try harder next time. Buat masa ni, menumpang rumah orang je la untuk berbuka ahahaha. Rumah siapakah ituuu? Hiks. Rasakan! Padan muka kau.

Good night lovelies! Selamat berpuasa!

Labels: LIFE IN THE UK, Paris, Random, Travel

10:09 AM | 0 comments

ITEMS FOR SALE FROM THE UK

Friday, July 4, 2014

I have never had so much free time since I started working 5 years back. But these few weeks or maybe months, are one of those moments that I would love and cherish. Last year today, I was sooo busy doing tax computations for my clients, 24/7 working, and now I am sooo free I don't know what to do.

How these two years has matured me. Somehow, it's amazing to see change. And it makes me happy just by thinking it's been oh so long that things start being abandoned, flashback for the past few years when it was all so very different. Hmm panjangnya kau membebel! Hehe.

Anyway, I'm selling few things from the UK to kill my time and yes to generate some income too! Hehe. Second batch of the items will be shipped to Malaysia on 9 July 2014. So, please check this FB link HERE to view the details of the items. Second batch mainly consist of Clarks shoes, Tommee Tippee, Ted Baker bag and stroller for baby. Hehe. So far, I've sent back home Longchamp Le Pliage handbags which I bought in Paris and MasyaAllah the response was amazing. Hehe. Thanks ladies! And I'll be going to Paris again next month so just watch out for that.

Click HERE for more items

Yours truly spotted wearing Clarks in Paris, something I was comfortable enough to wear all day when travelling. Hehe. Sometimes, I miss wearing 4 inch stilettos to work. Sobs. I really do miss my working life though.

Labels: LIFE IN THE UK, Sale, Shopping

10:56 AM | 0 comments

Webmistress

Noor Rafidah Jacob
Fida Jacob
Kuala Lumpur, MY
Chartered accountant
Tax Manager, BIMB
Kaplan Financial UK
IIUM Alumni
fidajacob@gmail.com

Hi everyone! My weaknesses are pretty things and kindness. Knowledge is of high importance. I believe that everyone has the potential to become the best they can be and that beauty comes within. This is a spot where I'll share with you some of my adventures + my inner thoughts! Oh and don't forget to follow me on instagram! : @fidajacob