Winter 2016 : This is how we clean our car

Self-service vacuum at the gas station. 1 pound for 2 minutes.

My son asked why they put both Air & Water as both means the same thing (water is AIR in Malay). 

 After vacuuming, we proceed to this area - the self-service jet wash. There are two pipes – one for water and another for foam. You can choose to only wash it with water or water-foam-water.

 

Winter 2016 : Another round of debate

The reading list. I am the proponent.

The afternoon session at the Arthur Lewis Building preparing for the debate and other essays. 

At this point of time, my eating habit has changed. I just take hot chocolate and cereal bar for my lunch. I am full until I go home.

Winter 2016 : Story Hunters

Year 4 students across the UK are so fortunate because they received free set of Story Hunter books from the Book Trust UK! I could not believe it when Nazreen received the first pack – the books are of high quality, interesting and they are not just for read. There are also activity books and stationeries! They will get a new pack every month and parents need to pick it up from the class teacher.

Image from BookTrust (here)

From Story Hunters - Book Trust UK : To encourage that love of reading, every pupil signed up to Story Hunters will get a monthly personalised pack of books and activities, for a six-month period. Every pack will include at least two carefully chosen books, plus engaging games and resources that children can share with their families – a rewarding way to make the most of pupil premium and build home-school links.

Nazmi usually would be very excited when Nazreen come home with the new Story Hunter pack but due to different reason. So he could do this.

Winter 2016 : Launching of Global Development Institute

I am truly honoured to be part of the crowd that night. To witness the Official Launching of the GDI and listen to the inspirational Keynote Address by Winnie Byanyima, the ED of Oxfam International.

I donned a baju kurung in a shivering cold winter night, just to celebrate the diversity in the international development community. When my husband dropped me near the entrance, I just left my jacket in the car and try my best to compose myself while walking towards the building in the cold. Sometimes, I just had enough wearing thick jacket and bringing it everywhere inside the building (since you are not wearing it inside).

Winter 2016 : I dont know.

I just don’t know. 

Winter 2016 : Brotherhood lagi

How I keep them close?

Do everything together and share everything (in this case, the warm blanket).

And sleep together. 

They can talk and laugh together for hours before they sleep. We usually make sure the lights out by 9.30 - 10pm because we dont want any trouble with the Council.

Winter 2016 : Fruit yogurt

Plain yogurt (our favourite, only 99p for 1kg), honey, strawberry and kiwi.   

Diced the fruits and mix all ingredients together.

Enjoy.

Winter 2016 : Cars

Atur kereta macam ni supaya muat banyak.

Winter 2016 : Ethical Trading Initiatives

I took Work and Employment in Global Economy course. It taught me a lot about globalisation, labour, private standards and global production network. I wrote a lot of essays on private standards, Ethical Trading Initiaties (ETI) in the UK and Fairtrade.

One day I came home and I saw Nazreen’s homework on ETI! It is good for them to understand about ethical trading from early stage and raise the awareness to choose the right products from the supermarket shelves. 

I, on the other hand, only being exposed to this pretty late, during my Masters ;p 

Winter 2016 : More fruits!

One week supply of fruits for the family. I don’t keep snacks in the house. If you need something to eat in between meals, you take fruit. 

Winter 2016 : Coca dates drink

Blend together low fat milk, cocoa powder, banana, dates and oats.

Delicious!

Enough to keep them full for a couple of hours before dinner. It is already dark at 5pm and they keep asking when they could have their dinner.

Winter 2016 : Leisure Library @ Cheetham Hill

When they have new home-learning projects, this is how our Saturday looks like.

Nabil is working on a project on Ancient Egypt pyramid.

Nazreen is working on a River Nile project.

Mama has a lot of critical essays to complete, but equally excited to start the new projects with them haha #ohmypriority

Winter 2016 : Meet yellow planteen from South Africa

Hi!

Our goreng pisang, pengat pisang dan kek pisang came from South Africa.

Winter 2016 : Convenient online shopping for Papa's birthday!

I ordered some stuff from eBay and get them to send to Argos for me to pick later. Since I am in the campus most of the time and my husband is busy running errands and managing the kids, so we might not be home when the Royal Mail guy came.

It is truly convenient to be able to choose where to pick up the stuff we bought online, at our own time. I chose Argos at the Manchester Fort Shopping Park as I also ordered some perfume and men’s stuff for my husband at online Boots store. Argos have allocated special collection point for eBay orders.

I told my husband that I just need a while to pick up some stuff at Boots (and pray hard that we will not follow). He decided to wait in the car as it was cold outside. I emptied my backpack earlier and put the books at the backseat. He didn’t notice. I glad I did that because the boxes are massive!

That night, we blew some balloons for papa while he was sleeping, then we surprised him with a loud birthday song and showered him with a lot of birthday presents and kisses!!

Winter 2016 : Housewife Pillowcases

I snapped this photo and share it with my friends who are housewives, telling them they are so special that B&Q is selling these for them. I hope it make their day. 

Winter 2016 : Venue Fly Trap

Everytime we went to B&Q (a one-stop centre for DIY supplies to complete your home and garden projects), we keep contemplating whether we should buy these for the kids because we have no fly (& no mosquito, no insect, nothing) at home. 

The plant might starve to death.

Nope, we didnt buy it at all. We just let them interact with the plant at B&Q.

Winter 2016 : Oxford Road is changing…

Cant wait to go there again and see the new Oxford Road.

When we were in Manchester, there were road works everywhere for upgrading, constructing bicycle lanes and tramlines. Going home could be a challenge sometimes with changing bus stops (they closed the bus stop for weeks and you have to wait somewhere else) and road diversion (sometimes you felt like you took a wrong bus because it took a different, longer route). 

There were even constructions going on in our campus next to me school building!

I took photos on the progress on regular basis. However, it was not completed until the day I left Manchester.

However, they have everything in order in term of safety features for pedestrian, notices at bus stops and road signs.

Winter 2016 : -10c? Nahhh….

When I saw this on the net, I just don’t think Manchester will get another round of snow.

Winter 2016 : Nazmi at abangs' school

Lost and found boxes at the school hall.

Winter 2016 : Meet large popo from Brazil

Hello!

at Worldwide Cheetham Hill

Winter 2016 : iSnaps

Print the photos yourself from the smartphone or thumbdrive.

Winter 2016 : New Smithfield Market, our playground on Sundays

One of the huge car boot sale areas near Manchester.

We came here almost every weekend to look for unique/cheap/free furniture/toys/anything. I look for books sold for 50p each :)

Gloomy winter.

Winter 2016 : Crazy schedule

Whenever I feel like missing my student life because I have so much to do at the office, I look back at my 2016 planner to remind me that I should be grateful instead that I am back to work.

Nowadays, when I go home, I dont have to stay awake to read academic journals and write critical essays after cleaning my kitchen :) 

...meet me in december...

Yes, we are back in Malaysia.
I am working on some major events.
Will continue the updates (yes, from winter 2016) later.

Winter 2016 : Critical Reading workshop

I registered online for a Critical Reading workshop offered at My Learning Essentials. They have 3-4 interesting courses/workshop/seminar everyday, held in AGLC. It is free. You could just walk-in.

This was my first time. Once I walked-in, one lady, a facilitator, asked me to swipe my student card at the reader on the table to record my attendance. Then, she asked me to find my seat, anywhere and help myself with cookies and drinks (there is a coffee machine and various types of cookies at the corner of the room). I took two packets of chocolate chip cookies and I made myself a hot chocolate.

The workshop went well. They taught us theories, followed by a few individual and group exercises. The first exercise was for us to identify the main argument and evidences in a few academic articles. 

I love the facts that this exercise uses laminated A4s. We could jot down our thoughts, underline the arguments and circle the main points using a whiteboard marker, which, could be wipe-off and recycle afterwards.

Then, there was a group exercise.

We didnt know each other but we got along very well in one hour! 

At the end of the workshop, the facilitator requested to take a photograph of my graphic note.

And after the workshop ended, the facilitators went around the classroom with iPads, for us to fill in the online evaluation form. I love the hi-tech part of the workshop - the swipe part for registration, the online evaluation part, as well as the delicious cookies and free drinks :)

Winter 2016 : Allotment

My BIL requested photos of allotments around Manchester. We stopped by at a few allotments but since we visited them in the winter, there is nothing much to be seen. However, this is a really nice spot for socialising. I would love to live in this beautiful neighbourhood and involve in this kind of community project!

Winter 2016 : Go out, do something different and starts fresh!

That particular week, I felt like not leaving the house on Saturday morning because I have four essays to complete. But I changed my mind. I had a memorable chat with a PhD candidate, Jason, in the previous week while waiting for my sons (and Jason was waiting for his 5 children) at the supplementary school. His advise is kinda stick in my head. He said going out regularly (and not stuck in front of the laptop 247) is the best way to make him write faster. He will recharge by doing something different and start fresh afterward.

So, I followed his advise. I went out to send my kids to the supplementary school, had a good Malaysian breakfast with my husband and other Malaysians from areas around Manchester, chatting, laughing in between and totally forgot about the essays. But, when all ladies heading to their yoga class.... I just cant sit there and doing nothing.

Soon I found myself walking to the library in the next building and start writing my essays! (oh yes I have the laptop with me all the times)

LOL. Well, at least I went out, I did something different in the morning and guess what? The idea was flowing really fast! 

After the school ended, we went to visit my friend Juliana, who just delivered a baby girl earlier that week. Kids were pretty occupied with the toys.

Winter 2016 : More Alan Gilbert Learning Commons

A lot of essays to complete!
Argh.

Winter 2016 : More spring rolls

Our favourite snack.
The kids love it with (1) cheddar; or (2) scramble egg fillings.
Easy.