LONDON EYE

(picture credit to Za)

8 Days In London
By Minci Yazumin
Acknowledgement
This e-journal is dedicated to Father and my Wasaii housemates who were there with me in
London for 8 days to enjoy it’s beauty. Also to my faithful blog readers. May you enjoy this edition.
Cewah.
“By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show”
-Samuel Johnson-
An overview
The itinerary
Day/ Date Place of Stay Activity

Thursday Hyatt Arrive at Victoria, Greenline Coach

Regency, station
26072007 Portman
Square. E.T.A. 2015
FATHER

Friday Hyatt Regency Marble Arch, Bond Street

27072007

FATHER

Saturday Dµmil Hostel Am : Trafalgar Square, Pakistan Festival.

28072007 Check in 1300 Pm :

– 1200 am.
FATHER/SO Cancel 24h Check in Dµmil Hostel : +44 20 76024481
LO
District Line to Kensington (Olympia)

Sunday Dµmil Hostel, - The Old Operating Theatre 1030 –

Holland Road, 1700
29072007 Middlesex.
Quad - London Bridge/ Tower Bridge
SOLO
- Kensington Park

-Piccadilly Circus

-Oxford Circus

Monday Millenium Am :
Lodge, Harrow
30072007 Road Check out Dumil Hostel

SOLO Cancel 72h Check in Millenium Lodge : +44 20 8964

4411

Bakerloo line to Kensal Green (trains

going to Harrow and Wealdstone). We are
in front of the underground station.

Pm :

Ronda Marble Arch

Covent Garden

Leicester Square

Charing Cross Road

1945 h – Blood Brothers Musical at

Phoenix Theatre.

Tuesday Millenium Arrival of Diplomats from Wasaii Studio.

Lodge
31072007 2100 h – Magic Performance at Baron’s
Court Theatre.
WASAII VIP

Wed Malaysian Hall Am : Bond Street à Hamley’s à SOHO

(lunch)* à Piccadilly Circus à Leicester
01082007 Square

WASAII VIP * Fish and Chips

Pm : Westminster à Waterloo à
Edgware Road (dinner)*

* Lebanese rice + Half chicken + Sauce

Thursday Home Sweet Am :-Hard Rock Café

Home
02082007 - Harrods

WASAII VIP -Nike Store : Arsenal jersey hunting

1700h – Catch bus home

Day 1 : Thursday 26072007
It is all about people. It is in our nature as a human being to want to be in contact with other people.
To interact and get to know each other. To discover one’s way of living and heritage. Going to
London had being my dream ever since I set foot on the land of Great Britain. Now, after nearly 4
years breathing the English air, I am proud to say that yes, I have set foot in London and happy to
regard it as my 4th home after Malaysia, Preston and Manchester.
The decision to finally get there was influenced by Father. He told me that he’ll be in London as
part of the ministry’s delegacy for a one-week meeting and so I thought, ‘Yea.. this is a great
opportunity’. I wasted no time in booking my bus ticket through Megabus.com and managed to get
hold of them for a total of GBP18 return. Not bad for a 6 hour bus ride.
By the time I arrived at Victoria Greenline Coach Station, it was already dark. Immediately, I took
the tube to Marble Arch at a cost of GBP 4. Father said he’ll be waiting for me near the ticket
machine and there he was.

He was cladded in a blue T-shirt with dark blue jeans and he had a yellow cap on as well. He
looked like a cute hamster with a bit of Datuk K’s natural aura to him. Ha ha. I ‘salam’ and kissed
his hand. At the same time, noting how small he looked. A bit shorter than how I remembered. I
know I couldn’t have grown taller, so he must have ..shrunk. Well, Father is not getting younger
and it’s only natural that as you get older the jelly-like disc that cushions your backbone will get less
fluffier and degenerate. Hence explains why the older you get, the smaller you’ll be. So, imagine
how little I’d be when I’m age old!
Back at the hotel, I washed up and prayed. I set my compass to see if the kiblah was correct and
yea it read 119.018953 (N, clockwise). My NOKIA 5140 is simply the best. Not only it has the
compass application but also a sound meter, thermometer and a torchlight. Heh. I was to share the
room with Father and the staff at Hyatt Churchill Hotel was kind enough to give me free bed and
breakfast for two days. Of course, I would expect such wonderful gestures especially after my
government is paying quite a lot of money to the hotel. I couldn’t stress enough that it is not Father
who’s paying for the hotel room, it is all under the expense of the government. Ogeh? Heh

My little bed near the curtains

I also received an early birthday card and gifts from my family. Lots of packets of Maggi Mee, 2
sets of baju raya, 2 new blouses, a brown skirt, a few headscarves, a brand new brooch and a
sparkling bracelet from Mother. Mother has been saying that this year I will have a special birthday.
I can see why. It’s because I’ll be having presents this year (a bracelet and a brooch). I hardly get
presents on my birthday and I have been OK with that since forever. On the other hand, I’ve always
got a card and like every year, it’s the card that I’m most excited about for they carry and print
wonderful inspiring messages from my family/friends. This year I got two hand-made cards – a sign
of my brothers’ creative artwork. I can see that Bro D was the one who’s been putting in a lot of
work. You can tell that it’s him for it’s so neat and organized.

The front view

 The words inside
My nutritionist sis plak baked me a fine piece of Kuih Lapis Horlicks. Freshly flewn over 5000 miles
for me. It is not those Kuih Lapis Sarawak but still it requires a lot of effort to make it.Yummy.

Day 2 : Friday 27072007

Father has always been an early riser and he cheekily took a photo of me while sleeping to show to
Mother. I haven’t been drooling a lot lately so that’s good. Heh. By 7am, Father was all set for
breakfast. Therefore, as much as I want to just lie in, I faked a fresh face and joined him for
breakfast. Father had his usual brown bread toast with sunny side eggs whilst I had my orange
juice, a bowl of cereal, some scrambled eggs, a few small potatoes, grilled tomatoes, fruits with
yoghurt and my cup of white coffee. Hah.. ambik kau. Bongan besar.. buangan pun besar.
We spent the day shopping in the areas of Marble Arch and Bond Street. I bought some gifts for my
siblings and Father got Mother some birthday presents too (31st July). He bought quite a lot of
things for the Lady of the House – a lovely silver set of necklace and earrings, a green handbag and
some English jams. I got my sister the United Colors of Benetton perfume and some T-shirts for my
brothers from Primark. For Mother’s birthday, I had arranged for a bouquet of roses to be delivered
to the house. Thanks to an online store. Love.com.my.

Day 3 : Saturday 28072007

Father and I went mainly to Harrods and Trafalgar Square. We passed by a few buskers in the
underground stations. My favourite has got to be this young male singer with a guitar in the Central
Line tunnel. Too bad, I don’t know his name. Might have to search on the internet and perhaps use
the Line at the same time he performs.

“Busking is the practice of doing live performances in public places to entertain people,
usually to solicit donations and tips. Those engaging in this practice are called buskers”
Harrods was our first stop. To the uninitiated, Harrods is a very huge department store that has a
motto of Omnia Omnibus Ubique – All Things for all People, Everywhere. What’s special about
Harrods’ you may ask? Well.. that would depend on who you are I think. I have always regarded
Harrods as a posh place to shop plus I guess to me it symbolizes a hard man’s work over the
centuries to finally succeed. And of course, when you talk about Harrods, you are reminded of Dodi
Al-Fayed and Lady D. Harrods’ got a shrine for them in the LG floor, something like a little fountain
with lit candles at the side. Very cheesy I tell ya!
I wanted something to remind me of Harrods other than pictures. Buying the stores very own
souvenir still required a lot of money. Imagine a keychain for GBP 7.99. Therefore, I decided I
could make do with a Harrod’s plastic bag. I made my way up the escalators to their Waterstone
bookstore and bought 2 magazines – Newsweek and Computer Active. I took the opportunity to
browse through the bestsellers they have stacked on the tables. Gosh, if only I had the cash, I
would have bought them in an instant. So, I thought I’d just write the titles down and buy them
online at Amazon or from the charity shops.
Some of the titles I find interesting are;
 Like the Flowing Rivers – Paulo Coelho
 The Story of You – Julie Myerson
 A Place Called Here – Cecilia Ahern
 The Toyboy Diaries – Wendy Salisbury
 Miss Chopsticks – XinRan
 The Secret of Slummy Mummy – Fiona Neill
 Confessions of a Sugar Mummy – Emma Tennant
 After Dark – Haruki Murakami
 Gangsters Wives – Lee martin
 Digging to America – Ann Tyler
 253 – Geoff Ryman
 Busy Woman Seeks wife – Annie Sanders
 Kabul beauty School – Deborah Rodriguez

When Father and I left Harrods, we saw a group of people protesting in front of the main entrance.
One man had a fox mascot on whilst the other 5 or 6 people were holding signs up to boycott
Harrods. The signs read things like ‘Harrods sells real fur’, ‘Fur Trade is barbaric’ and most
strikingly ‘Don’t buy anything from Harrods until they stop selling fur’. We were given a flyer and
really I felt a bit guilty having got that after just buying my magazines which are neatly placed in my
Harrods’ plastic bag. Boy.. I wish I knew earlier. Then, I wouldn’t have bought anything. But wait, I
bought these from Waterstone in Harrods. Does that count? Heh.

We stopped by at Trafalgar Square . We were handed FREE beriani and mineral water because
there was a Pakistan Festival going on.
 Trying to see the stage
Evening approached and it was time to say goodbye to Father. I am not the homesick type but as I
passed through the Underground’s turnstiles and watch his face disappear slowly among the
crowd, I couldn’t help feeling a bit sad. Maybe it was the anxiety of having to fare alone in this big
city took hold of me. No more Father. Just Minci alone. It’s only when I’m safely in the tube on the
way to Earl’s Court did I send him a text message.
Bye Daddy. Hope you had a great time.
To which he replied,
I did have a great time. You take care. Daddy still jalan2 at Marks and Spencer. Hehe~
After a few changes of Lines, I finally reached Kensington Olympia and with my heavy luggage,
arrived safely at Dµmill Hostel. The pictures in the website was no where near to the room I was
given (overrated!!). I was placed in a dorm of 6 people for a cost of GBP 10 per person per night. I
have no major complaints though because the people were great. Considering that most students
here are travelling alone, they ended up striking conversations and making friends with other
travellers of other nationalities.
My room had a visit from our ‘neighbours’ next door and so we learnt about this bloke who is a real-
life Cassanova. Much despised by the rest of the guys for he dates and dumps girls like some sort
of love quest. To make it more sick, he ‘s very proud of his act and keeps pictures and videos of
girls jiggling their bits on his cameraphone as proof of his ‘charm’. I listened on to them talking
about the Cockney accent, the Japanese culture etc. At one point, they were sorting through a pile
of CDs from a bag that god knows where one of these guys find. What’s hilarious is that they
stacked all the porn CDs to one side and gave it as a present to another roomie of mine who
happened to love watching porn. Ogeh.. geli.. but honestly, I am not surprised. These X-rated CDs
had titles like Hardcore Housewives and Sperman. Haha.
My room had 4 blokes and 2 gals. One of which was The Receptionist. Ha ha. Ambik kau. Although
there were hot water in the showers, the toilet on my floor was still gross. I had to use the one on
the top floor. Even so, I still felt a bit icky about the idea of having to sit on the same toilet seat as
all the guys in this hostel – who knows where their bums been. Euw. Furthermore, I had to sleep in
a room filled with smoke from the cigs. Urghh… I felt so suffocated. At least now I know that there is
no way I’m having a partner who smokes. Tujah ngan air baru tahu.
 Birds eye view?
There wasn’t enough space in my room to pray and I was a bit lost at what to do. Of course, I could
always pray on my bed but I couldn’t help feeling a bit conscious. Of course, it would’ve been
easier to do so for Fajar prayers. So, I made a long trip to London’s Central Mosque along Park
Road. For that is the only place I knew (at the time) that I could pray comfortably without
interruption. There were lots of ladies of different ethnicities – most of Pakistan, African and Middle
East origin but they could converse with one another for they speak one common language. And
that language is Arabic. The language of Heaven. Somehow I felt ashamed for I’m not well versed
in the language although I’ve learnt the basics in secondary school. I could only manage a smile or
a short response as they struggle to ask me questions in English

Day 4 : Sunday 29072007

I started my morning with a bit of breakfast in Starbucks. I was craving for a cup of coffee.

One tall Mocha please..

Paying a visit to an Old Operating Theatre may not be everybody’s cup of tea. However, since I
have loads of time to spend in London, might as well make this trip an educational one too. The
admission fee was GBP 5.50 for adults and the ‘museum’ as I choose to call it was tiny yet
interesting. I took my time to read and absorb the information they have, admiring the pictures and
instruments physicians of the old times used in their practice.

Looks like a lecture theatre

Patients who could not afford to go to better hospitals have to endure having their surgical
procedure done with an audience. It’s a norm to hear shouts of ‘Head, Head’ from the spectators
asking the surgeon to move their head a bit so as they could see. Privacy was a privilege and not a
right. That’s the operating table in the middle of the room, made from wood. It will be covered with a
blanket and a brown oil cloth during an operation. Underneath the table, there’s a box filled with
sawdust used to absorb blood. The 18th or early 19th century operation is unpleasant, painful and
dangerous.

In those days, the early surgeons were actually barbers. Yerp, those men who cuts your hair.
Physicians duty was limited by the Pope for he doesn’t allow them to carry out procedures that
involved blood-letting. Physicians were also paid less than their counterparts with about £30 per
year as compared to a surgeon £36. The highest pay goes to the apothecary (a modern time
quivalent is the pharmacist) with £60 per year. Or were these salaries per month? I'm not so sure
myself now.

The use of wood in operating ‘auditoriums’ were later replaced by steel once antiseptic was
introduced by Lister in 1987.
Those little rocks you see are kidney stones. Interestingly, it can reach up to a size of a tennis ball if
not operated on.

This was part of the herbs and trivial stuff section. Did you know that;
 An ostrich egg is used in the treatment of a fractured skull?
 Sterilised sutures were made of silkworm gut, catgut (sheep’s intestines) before later
manufactured from nylon and horse hair?
 The earliest record of practising antiseptic procedures was to use carbolic spray which
resulted in physicians who inhale them got BLACK urine?
 Our dead body costs between £4 - £10 in those times?
  Mint treats gastrointestinal problems, common cold, period pain and diarrhoea while poppy
seeds (like the ones on your bagels) ease pain and provoke sleep?
And the list goes on.

Mowie playing doctor. Can you spot him?

My next stop after the Operating Theatre was London Bridge. Well, more like Tower bridge. Went
there just for the view.

Tower Bridge way at the back. I'm lousy at taking pictures.

Then, Mowie wanted to go to the park. So, we went to Kensington Gardens after watching an art
and painting exhibition along Bayswater Road.
Some sort of clever painting

Mowie grazing under the sun

Mowie wanted a pic in the tree as well

Friendly squirrel
Day 5 : Monday 30072007
My first impression of Millenium Lodge was it to be really organized and safe with a touch of
Europe. It’s almost like being in some place other than London for I hear the majority of people
here speaks Spanish and some of them of Afro-Caribbean descent. I paid my GBP 5 for the key
and had a brunch of Maggi Mee before I set off for my ‘Rondaan of the Day’.

The highlight of the day has got to be watching the Blood Brother’s Musical at Phoenix Theatre.
What I’ve seen in Covent Garden and Leicester Square has been covered in my blog entry.

“The play is a contemporary nature vs. nurture tale revolving around fraternal twins
separated at birth. The twins' different backgrounds take them to the opposite ends of the
social spectrum, one becoming an Oxbridge graduated councilor and the other ending up
on the dole and in prison for a while. Both fall in love with the same girl, which leads them to
the tragic conclusion. The central character of the show is their mother, Mrs. Johnstone”

Hear the haunting song ‘Tell me It’s Not True’ here. It’s the exact cast and definitely worth watching
again for the 2nd time. Other songs like the opening ‘dancing’ song was equally good. Also the
lovey-dovey part between Edward and Rose (Title: I’m Not Saying A Word) . And lots of reference
to Marilyn Monroe in their songs.

I reached back to my room just after 2300h only to discover that my roommates were not back yet.
I took a shower and prayed. Moments later, my roomies came back and all 5 of them were loud,
happy-go-lucky European girls.
“Hola!!!” they each say in turn as they walked through the doors. And like most non-Asian girls, it
didn’t take long for them to just strip off and dress scantily in their nighties. Somehow I find the view
of even the least attractive men without their top on, as easier to the eyes than having my
‘peripheral views’ accidentally catching on to another ladies butt or bare back. But I guess it would
be a total opposite for any guy, huh?

Day 6 : Tuesday 31072007

I had wanted to spend the morning at Charing Cross road - a haven for all the bookworms. I even
planned on watching at least one movie before the Diplomats of Wasaii Studio arrives. Well.. we
plan but God decide, I ended up lazing around in the lounge of this lodge. It was a comfortable
lounge to start of with. It had a big TV, always switched on to the video clip channel. There was a
mini cafeteria and Cybercafe too.
This particular morning however, someone put the DVD on. It was a war movie entitled ‘The Thin
Red Line’. So, that was how my day practically folded out. Watching and relaxing in the lounge.
Something I really needed I suppose. I had a Vegetarian Baguette for my late lunch just before the
ladies arrive.

Staying in this lodge makes me feel like I’m in Europe.

The Diplomats were pretty much suffering from motion sickness when they arrived. Therefore, it
was best to provide them with refreshments courtesy of Maggi Mee Kari and Fanta Orange (bukan
Mirinda) before we all had a proper meal at Malaysian Hall.

Malaysian Hall was fab as always. One of the abang's had a really really husky, sexy voice. Whoa..
sanggup pergi order banyak kali sebab nak dengar dia cakap 'Termia Kasih dik'.. kah kah kah.

Beside our table was a friendly group of people comprising of 3 pakcik’s and a makcik. Man, they
do crack pretty good jokes. From Samy Vellu’s Sungai Siput to berbalas pantun etc. Alas, we
couldn’t stay put for too long for we need to rush off to our Magic Performance at Baron’s Court
Theatre. We hailed a cab the Hollywood way and it seems that here, the cabs don’t give you
change for your money. Hmmm… Is that how the system is in London? Enlighten me and forever I
will be grateful.
Manis tak kami semua? Miahaha~
The magician/ illusionist was a funny man. Hilarious with a bit of wisdom in between. He regarded
the cards as a cosmos. You know 52 cards – 52 weeks, 4 suits – 4 different seasons. Therefore, he
said with him being able to control his cards is as though he is able to control his destiny. I am not
saying we should believe in cards but the bottom-line is to believe that we have control over our
lives. We decide how we want to live it. The final act was my favourite - The Brass Cups. It’s an act
that involves things disappearing under the 3 cups etc. I think I liked it for the way he laid it all out.
I’ve seen a similar, exact performance in Covent Garden. Same script everything, but he definitely
made it more entertaining.
I am going to count in many different languages, he says
A londoner, “Ermm.. whatever..”
French, Un, Deux, Trois
Spanish, Un dos tres
Romans! i , ii, iii (<--this got us cracking as he said 'ai', 'ai ai', 'ai ai ai')
The Americans!! One.... another one.. and another one..
Smashing!!
Day 7 : Wednesday 01082007
I suggested that the Wasaii Diplomats to buy a day travel pass for GBP 5.10 and made our first
ronda2 stop at Bond Street. I suppose it is like a shopping area and some of the stores still had
sales in them although it’s pass the Sale Period. Za and Jet bought a few dresses and garments
each. I on the other hand, bought myself a red Che Guevera T-shirt.

I don’t really know Che as a reformist. I only know him as a man who studied medicine and
exhibited altruistic and admirable traits during his journey in Cuba. I gathered this from the movie
‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ and since then have always thought of him as a wonderful person. As the
cliché goes, the man with a big heart. I suppose by purchasing a merchandise is my way of
acknowledging his... erm.. presence.

My Che in red
Our next stop was Hamley’s – one of the biggest toy store in the world. I wish I’d know how big it
was as compared to Toys R’Us or is that yesterdays’ news? Robi was ‘conceived’ here and deep
inside his soft woolly skin, Robi must be overjoyed to see his birthplace again.

With Abang Utan

With Adik Bare

In conjunction with Friendship Day, Jet was so kind to get us a gift. Therefore, may I present you
The 3 Sharoe Musketeers – Bori, Robi and SOHO-Bu.

While we were hovering outside Hamley’s , a lady approached us and pushed a self-made flower
into Jet’s hand with a smile saying, “For the children?” OK.. she was asking for a donation and it
felt difficult to say NO especially when someone uses the word ‘CHILDREN’. We should have
asked ‘Which children?’ for that children could have meant her own child for goodness sake! ( Yea,
I’ve grown to be more suspicious towards other people’s motives). Anyway, we handed her a quid
each to which she said “ Care for a fiver? Everybody else gives a fiver” mak Oii.. pandai nak
demand2 plak. Jet being our supergirl managed a “No, I’m sorry” for all of us. Give Jet a pat on her
back.
It didn’t take long for the hunger pang to strike us. The plan to eat at the famous Rock and Sole
Place (watever it's called) was aborted as we settled to the nearest fish and chip shop we could
find. Truly, it doesn’t really matter for we still got what our money’s worth.
As you can see, the Fish and Chips portion was enormous. Jet was the only one who managed to
have a clean plate at the end of our devouring session. In my case, there’s only so much my ‘hiatus
could herniate’. I managed to finish the fish though. In the picture above, Jet is holding out her
utensils and poking at her cod. I had plaice and Za had haddock. In my opinion, I think I preferred
haddock above the rest.

After lunch, we strolled a bit down to Leicester Square. One of my favourite places for its
entertainment value. There were movies and theatres everywhere you turn. Not to mention the
many cafes you could sit and have a nice meal with your buddies.
Since Piccadilly was nearby, why not kill our feet and check out the place as well. Right? Plus, it’ll
be waste to not see Za strutting her stuff with her new shades.
 Another pretty view – yes, I mean the girl
We checked into our rooms in Malaysian Hall just after than before we went out again to
Westminster. Big Ben, London Eye. Those sort of stuff.

Stand hut!!
In case you haven’t noticed, Jet’s trademark pose is her ‘back’.
“If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in
battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in
battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes”
The final task of the day was to find dinner. In precise, something of rice origin to fit the appetite of
the Malaysian tummy. We resorted to a Lebanese eating outlet on Edgeware Road. I have been
avoiding this road since the last unpleasant encounter with a strange Lebanese guy.
Here is how the story went. I was walking alone along the streets of Edgeware Road behind of
what I saw was an attractive looking young man. Indeed he was, but the moment he approached
me, I was like (in my head) “Yo, don’t talk to me, can ah?”

+ Salam mualaikum sister. Come and have coffee with me..

- Waalaikum salam.. err.. no thank you (politely rejecting)

He continued walking beside me. I was distressed but remained calm and walk straight ahead.
There was nothing to be overly panicked about especially with so many people walking on the
streets in the daylight.
+ I’m Lebanese and work here. Come.. sit and have coffee with me
- No thank you (this time my voice hardened and my arms slightly raised, almost giving that ‘Talk to
the Hand’ sign)

Either the dimwit was being persistent or did not understand my English, I really have no idea.
Really lah.. do I look like I care if you work here in London? Do I look like I want to have coffee with
you?
+ Come on.. have coffee
- No
+ Why not? Huh? Why not? Come to my house.. I will cook you lunch. (with his sleezy and cheesy
sorta attitude to him)

Oh.. you hopeless romantic. Eeeeyyerrr.. apa bawak balik rumah nih? By this time, I was like
saying to myself ‘Getting wolf-whistled by the pervs back home was more bearable than this one’.

+ What’s your name? I don’t even know your name yet (still smiling)

OK.. that’s it. As much as I want to get rid of him, I don’t really want to throw a bitch fit in public,
especially when I’m in a somewhat Middle-East territory. So I did the next best thing I could think of
at that time, to stop in my steps, say a firm ‘No’, shake my head and storm off as fast as I could.
Ibarat nak kencing tak tahan. Ever since that day, I dare not step foot in that area again. Not until
the others arrive.
We chose a quiet restaurant and initially ordered rice and one baby chicken to be shared among
us. The waiter however recommended something else.
+ “ I give you rice with half chicken and sauce”
- “ Do you have vegetables with that?”
+ “I give you vegetables also”

Blinded by hunger and having no idea how big the portion would be, we just nodded our heads and
said ‘OK’. When the dish arrived, I was shocked. It takes approximately 12 hours for food to entirely
digest. So, to see that I’ll have to shove this down my throat is unbearable.
 Bapak banyak dan besar
Believe me, the food on one plate was more than enough to feed the three of us. Did the waiter
think we were terribly starving ladies or did he think we could work out miraculous eating habits like
Natsuko Gal Sone or Takeru Kobayashi. Anyhow, Jet once again emerged as the champion for the
‘Eating activity’. Bagus sungguh ini wanita, tidak membazir dan cekal menghabiskan nasi nya.I
packed the leftovers for my Subuh snack. Miahaha~~
We returned to our rooms at Malaysian Hall with a walk of a 4 months pregnant woman. Perut
depan, tangan pegang belakang. Takderlah. Jaskideng. Har har .

Day 8 : Thursday 02082007

The first agenda of the day was to have breakfast at the Malaysian Hall café and boy, the nasi
lemak’s sambal was damn delicious. I had my ‘Kopi Malaysia’ - a choice I regret. I should have
had a glass of teh-tarik instead. Oh.. before that, the three of us were silly enough to use the fire
exit stairs instead of the elevators at Malaysian Hall. The thing with it is that once you’re in the
hallway, there is no way out. You will be stuck in that hallway of stairs for as long as it takes unless
a cleaner or somebody opens the door for you. Obviously, we panicked and to add salt into injury,
none of us brought our cellphones. Which makes everything more and more scary. We were
waving in front of the security cameras hoping that the kakak receptionist would notice us. Making
sad and panic faces while we were at it (such drama queens) Sadly, no search party came to get
us. It’s only later that we heard a door opened and lo behold, there was a cleaner. Hohoyea. We
managed to escape from the misery and resumed to the café for breakfast.

On our way out , Jet still had the time to butt in a strangers conversation spontaneously. The man
was talking to his other friend and mentioned the word ‘famous’ of which Jet automatically finished
off his sentence with ‘Famous Amos’. Hahaha.. motif tetiba nak sampuk? Yea.. we’re silly chicks.
Thankfully, the man didn’t hear Jet. Well.. men never listen pun kan. Oppsie.

Later, we took the tube and went in search for the Hard Rock Café store. Za was looking for nice
souvenir T-shirts for her family. After a long walk and counting how many people pick their noses
along our journey, we reached the HRC store. A little point to make here, London’s air is quite
polluted. Don’t believe me? Go there and dig your nose at the end of the day. You’d be surprised at
how dark the colour of your ‘gold’ can be. Black Gold I tell you. Miahaha~

The next stop was Harrods ( a 2nd time for me) to show these ladies the Food Hall Nad was saying
about in her blog. Indeed, the place was gigantic and magnificent. I finally got my hands on that
Krispy Kreme Doughnut. It’s so soft. You can watch how it is being made in this video. I had a
Glazed Chocolate Cake and Maple Flavour Iced. Yum Yum. Jet had a Harrod’s Dream doughnut
whilst Za had a lemony doughnut. How our eyes glazed after that.
 Hmm.. which one shall I have..

At the counter, paying for my doughnuts

 Muka teruja berserta lubang idung comel pliss
Before heading back to Bayswater, there was another thing we wanted to look for – an Arsenal
jersey. After asking from one of the staff in the Adidas store about it, he said we could find it in the
Nike store “just down this road, a 10 minutes walk”. It was spot on 10 minutes but whoa.. the jersey
cost GBP 47. Multiply that by 7 and you could pay the rent of the house for at least 3 people in
Kasyah’s house. Amusingly enough, Jet spotted something far more interesting than the price of
the jersey. Look closely. Ha Ha

Still can’t see it? Try the next picture.

 Momok Gilos interframe . Focus to 'The footballer'
We had lunch once again at Malaysian Hall and prayed there. Oh.. and did I tell you I once prayed
here facing the wrong direction? Malu sangat2. Thank goodness, only Allah was the witness. Later,
despite the delays of the underground tube service, we did make it to the coach station on time
although there were last minute toilet calls.
Finally, an excellent finish to my 8 days in London as heard over the loudspeaker on the bus trip
home by our witty bus driver,
“This bus is going to Manchester and Preston. It is a legal requirement to wear seatbelts and may I
remind you that there is toilet at the back of the bus. Male passengers must sit down to use this
facility as it is impossible to aim straight while the bus is in motion.”

Minci’s Final Note;

If at any point you want to discuss/comment on certain

things relating to this e-journal, or have a free voucher
you don’t need or better still a free musical ticket to give
away, feel free to drop a note in my blog :
The Life of Minci Yazumin at the Contact Me section.

You could also jjust say Hi at the commenting section of

the My Top 5 in London entry. All kind gestures are
welcomed, with approval of The High Commission of the
3 Sharoe Musketeers. Wasaii !!!!