The heat is on

Hari ni I geram banyak benda. Hari ni people from Kementerian Alam Sekitar came with a big rombongan with all government agencies that you can think of to investigage masalah sungai and our alam sekitar. I won't go into details but macam it's tuan tanah punya problem so tuan tanah settle it lah but air, udara, hutan tu semua  SEMUA orang kena jaga bersama, kan? But I think Puan S understands my sentiment.Once I get her laporan, maybe can get the new uni management to look at it. I would just request for a park so bila stress2..ada tempat nak lari. And apparently they can korek the tasik yang dah mati tu jika je kita buat permohonan. If it were that simple...tak payah le kami bersusah payah buat itu ini nak selamatkan tasik, sungai bagai.

Pas tu kes orang pulled out from journal I'm editing. Gamaknya depa ni ingat journal ni boleh publish hari ni hantar, besok keluar? Bukan bdk millenials je rasa entitled ni. Orang tua pun!

Pas tu a writer wrote to thank me for evaluating and editing her manuscript.It's now launched in Spore. Publisher bkn saja tak bayar kerja saya..dia juga tak beritau status buku itu. Oh my! Dan ini dah dekat 2 tahun.Bila call, pass2..or tak call back.Bukan saya nak duit tu sgt tapi tak suka cara tak professional mcm gini. In future, I will say no.

The heat is on.

RALAT: upon checking, I got the wrong paymaster! I had been paid long time ago..I was too busy to notice.Itu le padahnya..ambik job tak catit sapa dah bayar sapa belum.Or worse, catit sapa yang memberi job! (silap tuan)

Jetlag

No joke aging.I used to adapt easily to jetlags. Now dah dekat  seminggu, I still have problem sleeping when I should. Apparently sleeping prob ni berleluasa di kalangan our friends living a stressful life (im not referring to my academic friends).

Anyway, I had a busy schedule tak sampai 24 hours I got home late Tuesday night.But I survived. Then semalam we had wedding invitation and makan durian/manggis dll in Nilai.Nak pengsan trying to stay awake (but bila time tidur mlm tak mau pulak dia tidur.Hadoi)

Nadra's bday today. She said she broke up with her bf. Amboi, baru 7 tahun! We all were surprised by her. Dapat no. 1! Apparently she has a big heart..would give her money to needy friends (because of their "puberty" when she meant poverty. Haha)

Another full day besok. We visited Dr Selva's family in Rawang today. His wife was telling us how the nurse cucuk antibiotics without checking his pressure.Anak dia suspect he died of cardiac arrest sebab low pressure and responding to the antibiotic. Kesiannya. He was on the verge of doing a liver transplant and keadaan dia tidak lah teruk sgt.

We will definitely miss him.

Frankfurt to Den Haag

Faraha saw me off at the station this morning. Yazri was going back to Croatia but F said she's all charged up to work on her thesis. Nice to know.

I dah macam lembik by now. 45 mins to Utretcht, I decided to brave myself and use the public toilet in the train (selalu getik). Nampak button hijau je tekan. Apa lagi, pintu toilet automatically terbuka..ada lelaki tua tengah membuang air kecil.Oi mak oi. I said oh oh sorry and pressed byk kali button hijau tu if the door would shut again. It would not so I just tinggalkan pintu tu ternganga dgn muka terkejut seorang lelaki tua.Nasib toilet tu agak tersorok so not that public.I lari sejauh mungkin so the man would not cross my path but dia pi cari I...just to say the room is now available to use.I nganggok2 je without making eye contact.

When Z picked me up at the Den Haag station, she was not over the fact I missed my train on the way to Frankfurt.I said wait! I have not told you everything yet.She said oh no..should I know.Are you giving me probs to solve again? Is it solved or not yet? Z mmg takut mcm kwn dia Ganesh ckp I takut when I see your mom's tel no. on my phone. Haha.

I just have this to say: I'm glad I am home. Den Haag ni dah mcm home dah.First thing I did was to have cendol kat restoran Indonesia kat apt Z. Then makan nasi and gado2. Z had ABC.

Home.

Den Haag ke Frankfurt

I decided to travel to meet Faraha in Frankfurt naik train frm Den Haag melalui Utretcht (tukar train di sini).I tersilap naik train..tapi sempat patah balik ke Utretcht but train ke Frankfurt dah terlepas.Diberitau kena beli tiket lain rege 130 euro.Was prepared to pay but lelaki asian-dutch di counter tu byk pulak songelnya so i beritau dia tht he was being unkind to me with his cynical remarks (bila i tanya tak leh bagi discount ke..he said no sbb salah i.I said fine..byr..byrlah.Then dia ckp kayanya.Time ni i sergah balik: ada pilihan ke? Dia tak bagi option lain pas tu byk songel I said.But akhirnya he wrote a report psl org silap bagi tau i platform mana tht i termiss my train..so i tak perlu byr extra.Syukur alhamdulillah).

I was delayed 2 hours so sampai je Faraha ajak i pi dinner kat rumah bapak and ibu Bustami yg dah 40 tahun duduk di Germany.Very inspiring couple.

Pas tu F and I bincang psl thesis dia.Besoknya we went to her uni and she introduced me to her supervisor.Sbb mmg tak plan to meet up..kami tak sempat berbual pjg but promised to keep in touch.

Before tht we lunched at the uni cafe..Faraha, me and Makario bdk Filipina.Interesting talking to research students.Makario works on rebels.Faraha on Msian lit.

It's a day of meeting new people, new contacts.We met Linda downtown to celebrate her bday.Petah ckp Melayu.Suaminya org Nicaragua.We took a train to Hanau but takda apa yg menarik sbb gallery Grimm Brothers pun dah tutup.
I dah tak larat menapak.So decided to skip going to nearby castles and balik to rest.

A short trip which I think was meant to help others (there was a grieving mom whose son died in a war and she just poured out her life stories to me whn F and i dok melepak tepi fountain uni tu...before we left she said she was so grateful to bump into us sbb she never told anyone kisah anak dia dan divorce dia.Kesiannya.We hugged).

Ni mcm doa Dina shared with me: i go whr Allah wants me to go, I be who Allah wants me to be.

Berjalan ikut gerak hati.Mcm2lah you jumpa nanti.Pokoknya..apakah iktibar yg dipelajari? Apakah sifat syukur yg perlu?

Treatment Day

The only thing I look forward to daily/weekly in this long break is my treatment appointment be it with my chiropractor or my homeopath or today, my acupuncturist (baru jumpa and female.Cina kat rumah Z ni jantan.Bilik dia kat tingkat atas and he works alone.The last time, Nik was around to accompany me.Takut aih nak pi sorang2.)

Today was my 4th and last appointment with George. My legs are getting stronger but maybe he's right..it's my walking shoes (although those are meant for walking..they don't really support me, kata George).Today was busy.Lepas G, I balik kejap, put everything in the washing machine (baju2 balik dari Vienna over the weekend, melambak), bought my brunch and ate a little then got on Tram no. 9.Z gave me the wrong stop so hampir 30 minit I menapak but I loved the suburb.Very Bangsar like.On the way back, I lunched at restaurant Indonesia nama Anak. Sini senang makan.Restoran Indonesia melambak. If I migrate, I think it's going to be Holland.Orang2 dia pun baik (what a contrast to Vienna..kasar.And so many beggars in Vienna).

The only thing I loved about Vienna was the museum.Well, OK, the cafes too. Two days tak cukup.Lucky we had done Salzburg some years ago.Much more beautiful than Vienna of cos'.We went to meet up with Nik who came for his one week course. Initially I was supposed to stay longer.Nasib tak cos' Vienna is so boring. Mano's brother is the Msian Ambassador in Vienna.Baik juga dia nak call (mesti kena paksa dgn kakak dia..haha) but my stay is too short to meet up. I pun sibuk nak ke sana sini, mengukur museum. :) If you happen to be in Vienna, jangan pergi illusion museum dia.Mahal tak bertempat.Sekali pusing je dah habis for 12 euro.I think Langkawi punya lagi byk ilusinya.Cafes to spoil you rotten Central Cafe and Demel and there's another one I tak reti nak eja. Gila sedapnya.

Then we took a bus to Laxenburg tempat Nik punya course.mmg nasib baik la I changed my plan not to stay longer.Tempat jin bertendang although we loved the 13th century park yang byk castles tu.But that is about all.Holland lagi happening.But had I stayed longer, I would have gone to Hallstatt and lepak lama2 kat situ.Next time lah in sha Allah.

https://youtu.be/vjENnBWOSfc

Bonding time

Nik left home semalam. We saw him off at the airport at Schiphol. I felt so sad sebab it would mean when Z pi kerja, I tinggal sorang. Nak jalan, malas. Nak shopping, takda apa nak shop dah.But when we returned to The Hague, it was the year's shopping night. Tahun ni theme dia Paris so shops would be open till 12 midnight with more than 70% sales in many shops. Larat ke queue panjang nak test baju but I bought a few Mango pants.Mmg murah gila. Then we went to dine at the Plein. I had tomato soup and bread je sbb masih kenyang.

Besoknya after seeing Miriam, we went to have a drink at Jamie Oliver's again. I really loved the mango ginger ale cocktail dia tu.Memang rasa terangkat ke langit ke 7 bila minumnya but Z found a nicer mix (at my prompt to try it). His peach drinks. Ya Allah, mana datang recipe Jamie ni? Nanti I nak try balik Msia nanti.We also had sotong goreng bertepong.Rasa macam kat Tganu la pulak makan macam tu.

Then we went shopping for today's event (open house for kawan Z yang tak balik raya. She went beraya tepi pantai d Barcelona and is feeling so homesick). I pun dah penat nak masak macam raya..lemang ketupat kuah satay but said I'd do a nasi ayam and Z would do her famous bread pudding.

Iza came to lunch and was happy to have some taste of home.I pun motivated juga le ada manusia lain nak berborak selain Z. Now I know how my mom felt!

Then Z and I would spend time watching netflix movies.Haha.I enjoy time with her tapi kalu hari2 mcm ni tak guna otak, rasa naik biol juga. So I try work on my Rawa research in between cooking, watching TV and shopping.

Semalam was also Veteran Day Parade. It was interesting cos' we met locals who had been to Msia.Mrk boleh cakap Melayu sikit2.

Maastricht and Roermond

We came back and rested a day before travelling to Maastricht bordering Germany and Belgium.It's a city of history and culture where Andre Rieu lives. Harap2 satu hari saya dapat tengok concert dia.

We slept over a night.Shopping sini bagus. Sbb dia bordering Belgium and Germany so sophisticated sikit la.Orang Dutch ni serba sederhana which I also like.

Pas tu kita pi designer outlet kat Roermond.Weii..besar dan byk choices.We went early so tak berebut2 la.I lepas 2 hours dah malas nak shop.Like the only things that excited me were barang2 dapor and I could not take them home. But Z and dad sakan.Sampai 5 jam! I sat watching the crowds went mad with desire. And I wrote poems.And drank coffee.

But by the time we headed home, I felt so relieved. Dah penat lah on the move.I told Nik that I would not join him in Vienna when he went for work next week.Nak duduk rumah buat kerja sikit.

 Maastricht

 Roermond

Maastricht

 another park in the city, The Hague

Back at The Hague, lunch with Nani 

and family

 weekend market at Maastricht

 comel

ni kat kedai Turki in Maastricht

Icelandic horses

I must have a special blog entry about them.Love them so much sampai Z and I pledged nak ambik horse riding when we return to Msia.

Kuda Iceland ni bukan je cantik dipandang but they are also the gentlest creatures on earth. Cara jalan pun very regal.Gait dia macam catwalk.Haha.

We were told we must always get to know our horses.Jgn terus nak ride.Selalu mrk suka dibelai bahagian leher dan you borak2 sikit dgn dia.If telinga dia tegak, dia suka you dan mendengar. We were taught how to groom it.Usap2 muka dia. Dia boleh tidur berdiri but kalau tidur baring lagi lena.

 a park in the city

 suhu 6 celsius

 Shopping street kat sini is better than the mall we went to

Wild rabbits (if you have not watched Peter Rabbit
the movie, go!)

 Kuda ni seronok diberus macam ni

 setting betul2 mcm movie Peter Rabbit

masa ni takut2 berani.haha

Iceland

It's Nik's dream country. Z and I ikutkan sahaja cos' usually it's always about us.Kasi chan le. Then we have the satisfaction of saying "pilihan siapa?" when he complains sejuknya. Heh heh.

Mula-mula memang saya tak enjoy holiday ni.My bones could not handle the cold. Maghrib jam 10 pm. Isyak 12 midnight (yang masih cerah terang benderang).Subuh around 2 am.Hadoi..once I tidur lepas subuh around 2 am and bangun dah 6.I thought 6 pm.Rupa2nya 6 am.Not only the day felt longer..time sometimes stood still.I rasa I tidur dah lama sangat!

 We arrived on Iceland's national day

 Iceland is an island, OK?

 Atas lagi dari Scotland OK?

 The biggest church in Iceland

 They are very creative with foods and drinks

 Summer, OK?

 Rasa overrated

 Semua kena pakai baju macam ni sebab sejuk

 Macam Captain Ahab looking for Moby Dick

 Sini asyik lapar

 Fish dia sedap dan fresh

Waktu ni 1.39 am waktu Isyak.Cerah macam petang

 

 Mmg pandai memasak ikan depa ni

 Roti pun sedap bila sejuk2 gini

 Cod

 Ni after pi whale watching.Nik and Italian

pizza

 Iceland tulips pun kuat sejuk

 Tulips dlm suhu 8 celcius

 In the neighbourhood

 One of our Golden Circle stops

Sini dulu perkampungan orang Viking.They just pushed 

wrongdoers ke dlm sungai ni.Mostly women.

 Nak nunggu geyser ni meletus bukan senang.

 My rapper boy

 Waterfall ni powerful gila..more powerful than

Niagara Falls

 I was too tired to walk closer to it.Ni pemandangan dari atas

 You'll get scenes like this even in the city

                                                                   Kuda Iceland

 Geothermal spa (Blue Lagoon) is a must if 

you go to Iceland

 Memang dalam takat leher. Lepas tu dapat free mask

 volcanic area

First the Vikings, then me.

the farms around the Golden Circle route

Besoknya we went whale watching pi deep sea yang bergelora. Z muntah walaupun dah makan 2 anti sickness pills. I tak makan but almost nak muntah juga. Whale tu susah nak timbul.Only after 3 hours baru nampak kelibat dia. Tak berbaloi le duduk atas boat tu dlm kesejukan. But it was an experience you need to do if in Iceland. The next must do is berendam in the geothermal spa at The Blue Lagoon.Now barulah rasa holiday sikit lepas pening pi cari whale tadi.Very relaxing time here,

Then the following day, we did the Golden Circle.Nik drove left hand.Torture sbb tak biasa.Nasib kereta tak banyak. Mcm NZ in many parts..craters, geysers, mountains, lakes, sungai..memang natural.Banyak kuda kat sini.Nak beli around USD1K.Murah lorr but a student tengah bercuti di Mongolia told me sana lagi murah ..around USD300. Haha..kalau dekat dan boleh hidup kat Msia, nak juga beli. Pi UIA naik kuda. Haha.

Yang paling we enjoyed was the horse riding and it was a good day after many days hujan dan suhu was 6 celsius walaupun summer. Then we walked in the park pi kejar wild rabbits and tengok locals mandi dlm sungai dlm suhu 6 celsius tu. That's the beauty of Reykjavik..the city is built in nature bukan nature built after you have built your concrete jungle so lakes, mountains, wild life are all in the city.Syok macam tu sebab tak payah pi jauh nak picnic or unwind.Right there in the city.I think orang Iceland ni pandai.Kawah gunung berapi pun dia boleh jual walhal the country ni jual ikan je.Minyak pun takda but tourists dtg tak kira sejuk ke apa..tak kira siang tu malam malam tu siang. Time winter pun ramai tourists sebab nak tengok northern lights tu.

Very creative people.Msia could do a lot more actually.