What happens in London!

Well… my birthday was great and it was spontaneous and FUN!

The best part was… the badminton playing, and then winning and the cake and gulab jamun and phool jariyan!

I was quite surprised when one of my friends called me and said she was coming over and I offered to pick her up from the bus stop as it was dark.  When I got there, turned out my other friend was with her as well.  They had baked a cake and made gulab jamun, and overall, it was the gesture of care and love that enlightened my day…

Also… turns out I have my very own personal stalker… as when we were walking back home, somebody touched my shoulder and shoved a bunch of flowers in my face… I jumped and almost had a heart attack, but it was only Faiz, who had just come from office

We went to play badminton, we were late, as the session had already started but played illegally anyway.  The guy said we weren’t even allowed but Amir bhai talked to the guy and told him we’d only be “watching” the game… so we went and we played.  I looked quite amusing with sequins and glitters and playing badminton, because all other people were quite “dressed for the occasion” as they were in the proper sportswear.

  That was a remembrance of the good old times in college, and I got all emotional thinking the last time I had played was with my friends, and was now playing with my HUSBAND.  How times change…or How time goes by… it’s amazing!

Atif bhai got phhool jariyaan which was unexpected and fun, we lit those up and fooled around with them.  We had pizza and cake, that my friend had baked after such trouble (don’t ask).

I am just glad that I am finally adjusting here… and I am glad that we have fun and laughter whenever we want to and need to.

Walking through Westfield...

Nice at night

For those of you who do not know what Westfield London is, it is a new shopping centre, which was under construction for about 5 years and now it is finally open, the special thing about this one is, that it competes with Oxford Street and Bond Street.  It has all the stores, from designer to high street ones.  It also has God-knows how many restaurants.  It has this valet parking and shopping delivery as well (for those who shopped more than they could carry).  It has parking spaces for some thousands of cars, as well as it is accessible easily by train, tube and bus.

I just realized that I sound like an advertisement for Westfield Shopping Centre, which is quite ironic, since I don’t only NOT like shopping but despise it.

But anyway, it looks nice and I was quite awed by the smooth, illuminating and bright architecture of the ummmm LANDMARK (since it is so huge!).

Since Christmas is approaching, there was also Santa Claus, enclosed in this white thing we took a picture of.  I really wanted to go in and see him but you had to book for it (no surprises there, needing an appointment to see Santa my man!).  The shops were all like Gucci, Prada and all those brands that we always look at, like looking at artifacts in a museum (untouchable and unattainable!)

People always say how lucky I am that I don’t have kids yet, because they spoil every experience and don’t let you shop or do anything that you want to do.  I think I am not sooo lucky, because if I go with my husband, he tends to ruin my “tempo” by saying things like, “I am hungry” (even though he ate just 2 hours ago) or pointing at Dior-like store windows and saying “Hey look! Don’t you like Dior?”, he knows I won’t spend that much money on anything.

Even worse is with your husband annddd his FRIENDS (not mine, my friends are great!!!! ) because when one feels like getting something to eat, the others do as well.  And then we have to go and find some place to eat, and then, since this is LONDON, it has to be something halal, because some people don’t consider it a meal if you dont eat meat.  So the entire “Contemporary Shopping Experience” (got that from the TV ) becomes a “Desperate Searching for Food” experience.  So my friends and I have decided to leave all our baggage and go there again one day.  So that we can really look around.

Besides that, I enjoyed my nephew’s birthday party, which had a Abra cadabra-meets-the-Joker kind of clown for entertainment.  He was really nice, friendly and managed to do what the rest of us couldn’t: get the kids calmed down.  They sat there for an hour and watched him do his tricks.  He was so HUGE, I had to have his picture with me.  I snacked on junk food the entire day and fear that I am all bloated now.  No worries though… DeTOxxxinnnggg nowww babe! Hahaha!

Well, technically, it should be evaluation wala, since that’s what he does… evaluate the property, he came in today finally, after I cleaned up the house, every single part of it!  And what did he do?  He took lots of measurements of the exterior of the house.  So much for the Big Clean Up.  Anyway, he came and he left.  And that part is finally over (Faiz had been nagging me for days, to remove all my books from the coffee table!)  Now I can put them all back

Whoever said men are babies when they are sick was wrong.  Men are babies.  Period.  Men are bigger babies when they are sick.  Now that is a fact.  My dear husband got a flu and he was acting like the world was at its end.  And he still wanted to go to work.  I would say nothing more to prove my point

Yesterday’s badminton session was great, after like 6 months, this was the most blood-circulating, oxygen-pumping and invigorating work out.  I felt really good… I could practically feel the blood flowing into my veins.  My friends and I were the only people giggling in the court… after an hour or so of playing, our 4th partner (who really wanted a good game, and not a bunch of giggling, delirious girls tossing the shuttle around) suggested that we play a GAME.  And I said, “what have we been doing till now?”  And she just stared at me. 

It was a good warm up of the game I used to so frequently play.  After that we went to Atif bhai’s place for dinner.  And I found out the truth about my husband… when he says He would DIE for me, I know he wouldn’t! 

We encountered a doggie.

Doggie because, it was basically a cute, white and little dog.  He was a pet, so chances of getting bitten were rare (I hope).  We were scattered in the parking lot and I was on the farther side near the entrance, Faiz was on the opposite side.  AB and B were behind him, HB and T were behind them just entering the gate.  The doggie was probably hoping for some play, and ran up to Atif bhai who shoo-ed it, meanwhile Faiz climbed this low wall and sat on it, yesssss! SAT ON IT, with his wife in IMMINENT DANGER, he sat on the wall and called out, “Nadia! Idher ajao!!”(AS IF!) .  It then ran to Amir bhai, who shoo-ed it and then it headed for me… I am not afraid of dogs, seriously, but when one is heading for you and all you have is a bunch of naans for defence (since your husband is sitting on the WALL), you have to scream.  And scream I did.  It came really close to me and then someone came and took it away or I don’t remember what happened, but it was gone.  It was a funny incident and partly scary… but it gave us all a good laugh and a good scare (to those people who got bitten in their childhood, who shall remain nameless!)

I cannot wait for J.K Rowling’s (The Harry Potter author) The Tales of Beedle the Bard.  I was just thinking about it, I always wanted to be in the UK whenever one of the Harry Potters were coming out and was never there… even though always pre-ordered them and got the First Edition of the 4-7th parts, but still, I always wanted to be there… to anticipate, to wait in the line and get it, and also possibly get a signed one and see J.K Rowling herself (she was in Waterstones last year for her last book!).  But anyway, this time, my dream is sort of coming true… I will hopefully get the experience I wanted.

Anyway, I think about it and count the days until it is there… on Thursday!

As most of the Harry Potter fans already know, the Tales of Beedle the Bard was out 10 days ago.  It was quite a disappointment, as it was this 10 page barren book… I thought it would be an unput-downable, fat book that would take days to read.  But it was quite the opposite.  It had 5 stories.  For 5 year olds.  I just read the first one and passed it down to my sister. 

The day it came out I woke up my husband and told him to take me down to WHsmith instantly.  I went there to find out that they had just sold 6 copies of it before me. 

So much for the excitement for the Harry Potter fans.

One of the most amazing things we saw in Cornwall was the Eden Project.

As far as I am concerned, it was just superb.

The Eden Project is basically a clay quarry… I am sorry, I mean, it WAS simply a clay pit with lots of clay in it (DUH).  Then, some people transformed it into a garden, field, you name it, with lots of species of plants, trees and even birds and small animals.

They simulated an environment similar to the Rainforests and the Mediterranean.  The greenhouses which host such plants are one of the largest ones in the world.  They are called The Rainforest and the Mediterranean Biomes.

The Biomes

Each of the Biomes not only had the plant and trees actually growing in them, but also the weather simulated as well.  The Rainforest Biome was hot and humid and we had to take off our coats and I think I even saw mosquitoes!

There were plants of coffee, cocoa, rubber, spices and many fruits as well.  I was just amazed by the fact that the plants were thriving in the artificial environment (which is basically so lame, knowing what green houses are, but SEEING is BELIEVING).  There were waterfalls and streams flowing, just like the rainforests (I suppose!)

A stream in the rainforest

Some of the places in the world that have the Rainforest Environment are:

Malaysia,  Brazil, The Amazon River banks areas, etc.

Some of the plants and trees I saw were:

Coffee, Ginger, Garlic, Cocoa, Papaya, Mangoes, and many more.

Then there was the Mediterrranean Biome, which was thankfully, much cooler and cleaner than the Rainforest Biome.  It was slightly chilly.  I was quite intrigued by some of the exhibits there.  Like How they extract perfume from plants, Autopot growing systems and Olive and Fig trees.   There were Greek figures and statues.

Autopot Growing system

Some of the areas in the world that have the Mediterranean environment are:

Greece, Spain, Turkey, California….

Some plants I saw there:

Fig trees, Aloe vera trees, Cactus (yeah some grow here as well), Olive trees, Citrus fruits (Tangerines and Clementines!) and Fragrant plants (perfumes).

The last thing that we did there was Ice skate in the Winter Wonderland.  Where I fell once only but just about so many times

I just realized that this sounds like a review for The Eden Project.  So I may as well rate it, 5/5 for an adventurous and amusing place to visit in Cornwall, Highly recommended!

Me sitting and watching good old T.V.

F comes in, all of a sudden and snatches the remote control from me.

But thanks to my amazing, Xena-like grip, he fails.

Me: What is your problem? I am not even bothering you!

F: I have to see the news! So please give me the remote now! (he hisses hurriedly)

Me: I cannot miss this part, really, just watch it an hour later.

F: Nooooo!! No, no! Nowww.

Me: (stares at him adamantly)

F: Bush has just been thrown a SHOE at! Now can I have the remote (lunges for the remote)

Me: What?? Bush who?

F: (sarcastic) Do we know another Bush besides the American President, genius??

Me: (gasps) Really?

F: (grits teeth) Yess!! Now can I have the remoooottee??

I hand it over to him.  We quickly switch to BBC news, it is 9 pm.  So the news is on.  BBC news doesn’t show it, but there are captions below the screen.

We switch to Sky News… which has, to our great joy, begun to show the umm incident.

We watch… enthralled by the brave, courageous man who gave his all by throwing, not one, but BOTH of his shoes at President George Bush.

Me: He has amazing reflexes for an old rusty President…

F: Yeah… I wish he had gotten it.  And he would have gotten a black eye!

Me: (laughing)

F: (picking up the phone and dialling) Hey what’s up? Did you see Bush getting the shoe thrown at him?

I know what he said was really wrong.  And I know that most Pakistani people were offended by it.  I just have to admit that I didn’t even know that “Paki” was a racist remark!  I saw the entire footage on the news and then asked my husband:

“So where is the part he says it really?”

“He just did, didn’t you hear that? Paki?”

“Oh… that is a racist word?”

“Yeah well apparently…”

“Hmmm… I wouldn’t mind if anyone called me that…”

“You wouldn’t mind if the world called you anything for that matter”

“So… how come they aren’t showing the Ahmed guy, all angry and giving a statement about this?”

(shrugs)

laughing “So you’re telling me, that the guy whom he called that isn’t even offended?”

“Yeah well they haven’t shown it in the news… but poor Prince Harry is being reprimanded… the uncle of the guys is apparently offended…”

“Yeah… I don’t think he meant it in a bad way…”

“Nothing matters, as long as he said it…”

“True…”

I read in the news, that the Pakistani’s guy’s father has also condemned the act and

“Prince Harry should apologise to the Pakistani Army and to the Pakistani government for this. I cannot accept his apology unless they first accept his apology.” (BBC news)

I wonder why the government comes into this… and I wonder where Mr. Ahmed is, because he doesn’t seem so concerned about this.  Or is he sitting in the corner somewhere and enjoying the attention he is getting?