http://imaabdul.multiply.com/ <embed src="http://www.clocklink.com/Clocks/5001P-Blue.swf?Place=Norwich&amp;TimeZone=WET&amp;DateFormat=YYYY-MM-DD" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="20" width="320"><embed src="http://www.clocklink.com/Clocks/5001P-Gray.swf?Place=Jakarta&amp;TimeZone=GMT0700&amp;DateFormat=YYYY-MM-DD" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="20" width="320"> <br><font color="navy"><font face="Garamond"><BGRND color="white"> <br>This page was initially created so that my beloved family could always know what I'm up to...as they mean the world to me :) <br></BGRND></font></font><div style="width: 400px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://wmg.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://wmg.photobucket.com/albums/v326/imaabdul/1163204758.pbw" height="120" width="650"></div><font color="navy"><font face="Garamond"><br>and...as much as I'd love to be in touch with all of my friends all over the world all the time, I thought this would be a good alternative.This will tell you what I've been up to - aside from studying - since I left Jakarta to pursue my PhD. I admit...it seems that I don't do much studying from the looks of the pictures....but..hey..a girl's gotta have SOME fun, eh? <br><br><br>I do apologize for the mixture of languages...there are just some things that cannot be expressed in any other language but Indonesian :) <br>If you're curious, feel free to ask me for a translation :) <br>he he he...<br><br><br>May the Road Rise up to meet you...May the Wind be always at your back...May the Sun shine warm upon your face...May the Rain fall soft upon your field<br>And Until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of His hands. <br>(A Celtic Blessing)<br><br></font></font> Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:06:43 -0000 Tue, 27 May 2008 23:19:25 -0000 http://images.imaabdul.multiply.com/logo http://imaabdul.multiply.com 100 100 When Lisa told me she would be coming to London for another DB conference, I was of course excited. Then she told me she was also going to NY after that and asked if I wanted to come along!!! So of course I said "Let's go!!" And so last week on Wednesday, 21 May, we flew to NY. We arrived to not so great weather - almost similar to the weather in London when we left it, and the bad weather continued for the first 2 days we were there. While Lisa had her conference, I went sightseeing with one of her client's wife who also came along on the trip. It was Susan's first time to NY and I also had not been on the proper sightseeing tour for ages, so it was a good chance to see all the sights. Most of the pictures below are of the sights and buildings that we saw along the way. Unfortunately the first day of the tour (we took a 2-day ticket) the weather was really crap and so we had to sit on the open top deck of the tour bus wearing their rain ponchos that they had provided for us... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/84/.of_the_trip_to_NY Tue, 27 May 2008 23:19:25 -0000 Photos sent from home of the two boys... includes Raran on his birthday, and various poses of Raran and Rafee... I miss them soo much!! Thanks to my cousin, Luki who is my only hope for ever seeing photos of my nephews!! http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/83/.of_Raran_and_Rafee Tue, 1 Apr 2008 12:34:44 -0000 every year since I've been here, the UEA has always held an International Party...and every year the Indonesians always contribute a dance and set up a stall. Unfortunately, I was away for 2 of the years, and could not take part. This year, however, after 2 years being absent from the dance, I decided...what the hell...it'll be my last time (hopefully...as I don't want to prolong this degree...amin amin amin insha Allah) The first year we did the Aceh Saman Dance which took us a couple of weeks to learn, but we pulled it off brilliantly !!! This year since we had <a href=http://titakusumaningrum.multiply.com>Tita</a> here - and she's a former finalist of Ab-Non Jakarta Selatan....we thought we'd do something different...so we danced a Betawi Dance...or Ngibing. For the food we decided to cook 2 savory snacks and 2 sweet snacks. So we made Risoles and Perkedel Jagung, and Ongol2 and Bolu Kukus...and as usual, our stall was one of the first to clear the table despite making 200 of each snack...The door opened at 7pm and by... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/82/.of_the_UEA_International_Party_2008_-_PPI_Norwich Tue, 4 Mar 2008 21:45:46 -0000 Latest photos of my nephew Rafee...<br>he&#39;s so chubby my mom and Rafee&#39;s big brother, Raran have started calling him Gembiiilll...<br><br>I miss them soo much...<br><br><br>*thanks to Luki for the photos* <br>ditunggu lagi yaaaa. <br> http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/81/.of_Rafee_Gembiiiiilll... Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:04:41 -0000 <p style="font-family: georgia,times new roman,times,serif;" class="MsoNormal">Last night I got an sms from <a href="http://erikar.multiply.com">Erik</a> informing me that a good friend of ours, <a href="http://profiles.friendster.com/17733138">Dede</a> was in critical condition. All I could do was offer my prayers. I had already known that <a href="http://profiles.friendster.com/17733138">Dede</a> had been in and out of the hospital for cancer but for the past couple of weeks her condition had deteriorated. Thanks to Erik I always got an update of her condition. </p> <p style="font-family: georgia,times new roman,times,serif;" class="MsoNormal">So when I got the sms, I told <a href="http://erikar.multiply.com">Erik</a>…”Let’s pray that Allah will grant what is best for her”…and well…in the morning, just as I woke up I got another sms from Erik telling me that Dede passed away. It seems what Allah knew best for her was&nbsp; to release her from her pain and have her join Him. </p> <p style="font-family: georgia,times new roman,times,serif;" class="MsoNormal">Innalillahi wa Inna ilaihiraji’un…<font style="font-style: italic;" size="2">Allahummaghfir lahaa warhamhaa wa'fu 'anhaa</font></p>May Allah reward her for all the good that she's done...and forgive her for any wrongdoings, and accept her into jannah..<br><br>The news was quite shocking and all day I was not able to concentrate on anything else...<br><br style="font-family: georgia,times new roman,times,serif;"><a href="http://profiles.friendster.com/17733138">Dede</a> was a friend from high school - and although we were never ... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/journal/item/70/.on_life...and_how_short_and_precious_it_is... Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:15:00 -0000 Makes you wish you can vote for him too... ------------------------------------------------------------------- From the site: The Yes We Can Song by will.i.am I was sitting in my recording studio watching the debates... Torn between the candidates I was never really big on politics... and actually I’m still not big on politics... but 4 years ago, me and the black eyed peas supported Kerry... And we supported Kerry with all our might... We performed and performed and performed for the DNC... doing all we could do to get the youth involved... The outcome of the last 2 elections has saddened me... on how unfair, backwards, upside down, unbalanced, untruthful, corrupt, and just simply, how wrong the world and "politics" are... So this year i wanted to get involved and do all i could early... And i found myself torn... because this time it’s not that simple... our choices aren’t as clear as the last elections ... last time it was so obvious... Bus... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/29/.Yes_We_Can...the_Obama_Campaign_song... Thu, 7 Feb 2008 00:06:23 -0000 Finally, after being in the UK for 3 years and promising to both Reky and Huda that I would come to visit them and all the time having to postpone my trip...I finally got to visit :) I spent Eid al-Adha with Reky in Leeds and met some other Indonesians there and went to their Eid gathering before I moved on to Sheffield to spend time with my dear Huda and her family. It was my first time seeing Nawal again since she was an itty bitty baby...and she's so adorable and cuddly and sweet. Fuaadi has grown so much too, and is as "ceriwis" as ever :) It was great to be able to spend time with Huda - it was like the good old days of college dorm life. Having late night "curhat" sessions...giggling and chatting. And she taught me how to make heavenly carrot cake (for recipe click <a href=http://imaabdul.multiply.com/recipes/item/15> here</a>) It was a very short trip and I wish I could've stayed longer. Insha Allah when I get the chance I will come and visit again and spend more time with them. http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/80/.of_the_trip_to_Sheffield_and_Leeds_FINALLY_ Sun, 13 Jan 2008 11:25:55 -0000 The food that we ate while we were there was amazing! Although there were times I craved for something non-curry...everything that we ate was good - the tiger prawns and fish in particular were amazing - I guess those were the specialty in Kerala ... In some cases there were a few misses when trying something new... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/28/.of_Culinary_Tour_of_Kerala Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:43:15 -0000 Our trip to Kerala for Joe's wedding apparently coincided with the Kerala Goes Shopping Festival. And not wanting to insult their festival we willingly took part in it...hee hee http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/27/.of_Kerala_Goes_Shopping Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:34:48 -0000 http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/26/.of_More_Photos_of_India_Trip_and_Joes_Wedding Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:25:51 -0000 So when Joe emailed me to tell me he was getting married in January, I wasn't sure whether I could go...so I called Shinta...and we both decided it was a great idea. We both needed a holiday and we both had never been to India! So here are the photos of our trip to India for Joe's wedding. The trip was great because of the people that came as well. There was Toby and Valerie who flew in from Germany, Stefan also from Germany, Noah from the US, Stavroula from Cyprus, and of course me and Shinta. The food was great!!! the wedding was wonderful... Joe really took care of us all throughout the trip! We even had a nice day on a houseboat traveling the backwaters of Kerala - that was one of the best parts of the trip. After the wedding we all spent a day and a night in Kerala before each of us had to fly back to our respective countries - hmm....back to reality :( All in all it was a great trip! and we're so happy for Joe and Sohini. More stories to come later....in th... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/79/.of_adventure_in_Kerala_India_and_Joes_Wedding_in_Thiruvalla Wed, 9 Jan 2008 15:36:59 -0000 For starters...I'd like to say that this is not my recipe... But on a recent trip to Sheffield to visit one of my dearest friends, <a href=http://aljunied.multiply.com> Huda</a> I was given this recipe and even tried to make it while I was there. As a self-proclaimed expert on carrot cakes (I have sampled them in almost every country I've visited) - I have to say that this was one of the BEST!! I hope Hisham does not get upset that I've published this here...but I felt the need to share this...because it's sooo good. I should also note that the version that Huda & I made (albeit very good already) was apparently not as good as Hisham makes it...so...there you go... :) http://imaabdul.multiply.com/recipes/item/15/Carrot_Cake_a_la_Tan_Sri_Bakti_van_Sheffield Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:59:07 -0000 AAA = Andy, Ayu, Asrul :) FINALLY...after much promotion and gentle persuasion my friends from London agreed to visit us in Norwich. Andy had been resisting for quite awhile now teasing me that Norwich had not much to offer. And given that challenge I was geared up to show him, and Ayu and Asrul what Norwich had to offer. Although their trip was very short, I think (I hope...) they had a good time. They arrived on Friday morning and I took them to lunch at Thai Dragon (one of our favorite restaurants which serves a mean "tumis kangkung tauco") and then took them on a short tour of Norwich around the Cathedral, Tombland and Elm Hill (one of the locations for the film <a href=http://imaabdul.multiply.com/reviews/item/14>"Stardust"</a>), and Norwich Market. They all stayed at Caernarvon where I cooked them a dinner and we chatted till late... Thanks to Asrul who was a pro with the camera...however, some of the shots were taken by Tita and Andy too who wanted a hand at the SLR camera. So lots of "artsy" and trial photos are also in t... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/78/.AAA_London_visits_Norwich Sun, 2 Dec 2007 15:25:25 -0000 Last weekend I attended TIIMI 2007 in London TIIMI (Temu Ilmiah Internasional Mahasiswa Indonesia 2007) or the Indonesian Students' International Scientific Meeting 2007 organized by PPI UK. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting that much out of the meeting, but boy was I surprised. Not only were there great papers presented, but such dear and interesting people that I met during the 3 days. I even ended up bonding very well with 3 lovely girls with whom I roomed with at Wisma Caraka, and let's just say...we had a blast!! A lot of positive things came out of the meeting, and hopefully we will be able to act upon them in the future. It also ended up being a reunion for me and some of the participants. - Little Shana Fathina who represented ITB and presented a paper - I knew her since she was in diapers! (her dad was one of my dad's students, and our parents are very good friends to this day) To have her presenting a paper at the same seminar I was so proud of her, but ... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/25/.of_the_Meeting_of_Minds_in_London Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:50:05 -0000 Mba' Ina invited us over to her house to celebrate her birthday. We of course said YES and took a girl's road trip on Sunday (11th Nov) and had lunch there. Mba' Ina cooked a wicked spicy beef (daging cabe) which was wicked spicy, and tom yam gung, chicken wings and a shepherd's pie made by Adrian :) Since no one else could come it became a nice girls' afternoon in Bottisham... :) http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/77/.of_our_trip_to_Bottisham_for_Mba_Inas_birthday Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:49:19 -0000 I love this song...it's so inspiring. I would love to be able to see Fantasia singing this on Broadway... just amazing... I DON'T NEED YOU TO LOVE ME, I DON'T NEED YOU TO LOVE. I GOT MY SISTER. I CAN FEEL HER NOW, SHE MAY NOT BE HERE, BUT SHE STILL MINE. I KNOW SHE STILL LOVE ME. GOT MY CHILDREN. I CAN'T HOLD THEM NOW, THEY MAY NOT BE HERE, BUT THEY STILL MINE. I HOPE THEY KNOW I STILL LOVE THEM. GOT MY HOUSE. IT STILL KEEP THE COLD OUT. GOT MY CHAIR WHEN MY BODY CAN'T HOLD OUT. GOT MY HANDS DOIN' GOOD LIKE THEY S'POSE TO, SHOWIN' MY HEART TO THE FOLKS THAT I'M CLOSE TO. GOT MY EYES. THOUGH THEY DON'T SEE AS FAR NOW, THEY SEE MORE 'BOUT HOW THINGS REALLY ARE NOW . . . I'M GONNA TAKE A DEEP BREATH. GONNA HOLD MY HEAD UP. GONNA PUT MY SHOULDERS BACK, AND LOOK YOU STRAIGHT IN THE EYE. I'M GONNA FLIRT WITH SOMEBODY WHEN THEY WALK BY. I'M GONNA SING OUT . . . SING OUT. I BELIEVE I HAVE INSIDE OF ME EVERYTHING THAT I NEED TO LIVE A BOUNTIFUL LIFE. WI... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/music/item/24/Im_Here_-_Fantasia_Barrino Wed, 7 Nov 2007 21:25:57 -0000 gara2 Lebaran kemarin masak opor trus ngga abis2...tapi udh dipanasin terus sampai lunak banget dan dagingnya udah tersuir2 sendiri...eh...iseng nyoba ...ayamnya digoreng aja....ternyata enak... tadi malam nyoba lagi...kali ini emang niat mau bikin ayam goreng itu...ama dioseng pake cabe ijo...and voila...sukses http://imaabdul.multiply.com/recipes/item/14/Ayam_Goreng_Suir_Cabe_Ijo Mon, 5 Nov 2007 21:05:36 -0000 I had to go to London to visit the SOAS library to sort out books and also to pick up a package from home that was sent through Lisa's friend. Decided to make a day of it and arranged to meet up with Andy and some other friends. Andy and I met up at Russel square and then went to meet Ayu, Arul, Yanee, and Tessa at Four Seasons in Bayswater then afterwards went to Oxford Street where we spotted Adrian Brody!! then hung around Leicester Square before I headed back to Norwich http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/24/.of_yet_another_trip_to_London_-_2_Nov_2007 Mon, 5 Nov 2007 18:14:55 -0000 I've been in Norwich 3 years now and this is my first time to go to the fair and fireworks at Earlham Park. Thanks to Ratih, Sarah, Salma for making it a great night!!! - except for the pigging out... which made me sick afterwards ha ha ha Location: Earlham Park In this album: Salma Khan Yousafzai, Ratih Maulina, Sarah Parnell, OQ Harmawan, Andi Sih http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/23/Sparks_in_the_Park_2008 Mon, 5 Nov 2007 14:31:34 -0000 Photos from Salma's birthday party... I met Salma in my first year at UEA. We attended a training for the National Mentoring Scheme and clicked immediately... Unfortunately we lost touch as she graduated, and we bumped into each other in the city a couple of months back and we're back in touch. Her birthday was actually in early October but since it was Ramadhan, she decided to have it http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/22/Salmas_Birthday_Party Mon, 5 Nov 2007 13:32:56 -0000 I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie. I seriously did not think I would enjoy it, but I was pleasantly surprised that I really did. I also wanted to see it because it was said that one of the scenes were shot in Norwich!! YUP..our Norwich is in this movie :) the pub The Slaughtered Prince is actually one of my favorite coffee Houses here called The Britons Arms. And the Stronghold Market was filmed on Elm Hill. The story was simple...and was well told....and it was also surprisingly funny. About a young man looking for something that he thought would bring him love...and instead he found love itself...:) Robert DeNiro and Michell Pfeiffer were great in their roles - both had a humorous twist to their characters. It was at the end of the day a "feel-good" movie. There were lines in it that were quite good...among my favorites: Narrator: A philosopher once asked, "Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?" P... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/reviews/item/14 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:54:50 -0000 <font size="3"><a href="/photos/hi-res/76/7"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.imaabdul.multiply.com/image/8/photos/76/300x300/7/baby%20-%2007.jpg?et=7ojixfHLG9OQzDYANJ1k,g" border="0"></a>the verdict has been handed down...and apparently my sister and her husband took my suggestions...hee hee hee<br><br style="font-family: comic sans ms;">I had suggested 2 names which I thought had a nice meaning...and she took them both and added her own choice to it...<br style="font-family: comic sans ms;"><br style="font-family: comic sans ms;">I suggested:<br style="font-family: comic sans ms;">Nabil - which means Noble - and <br style="font-family: comic sans ms;">Rafee - which means High, High-ranking, cultured, refined<br><br>and following in the footsteps of his big brother who has Muharram in his name, my sister wanted to add Syawal to his name. :) <br><br>So there you have it...introducing...<font size="5">Rafee Nabil Syawal </font><br><br>To all those who suggested names...thank you!!! <br>I might just keep the suggestions for next time...and who knows...it may be MINE&nbsp;<img src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/wink.png"> </font><font size="3">hee hee hee</font><br><font size="3">And thanks to <a href="http://www.names4muslims.com/">MuslimNames</a> which I used as a resource to find out the meanings. <br><br></font> http://imaabdul.multiply.com/journal/item/68/.introducing_my_nephew...Rafee_Nabil_Syawal Wed, 17 Oct 2007 05:41:00 -0000 Here's a first peek at my nephew who was born yesterday. <br>He has yet to be named but the mommy and daddy are looking at a couple of options suggested by me, Huda, and some other people...hee hee hee...<br><br>watch this space :) <br><br> http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/76/.first_peek_of_my_new_nephew_-_who_has_yet_to_be_named_ Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:37:23 -0000 <a href="/photos/hi-res/upload/RxOzuwoKCnAAABALHPc1"><img class="alignright" src="http://images.imaabdul.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/RxOzuwoKCnAAABALHPc1/itsaboyfootballoon.jpg?et=LGIx0bL4%2Bu6WqO3Fm0C8Hw" border="0"></a><font style="font-family: comic sans ms;" size="3">Just wanted to share my good news...<br>I'm an Auntie...again.. :)<br><br>My sister <a href="http://saki2905.multiply.com">Saki</a> (or Sakinah as some of you will know her) has given birth to a baby boy...(yup..another baby boy) <br>He was born today - 15 October 2007 (4 Syawal 1428H) - around Maghrib (6:20ish pm Jakarta time) <br>Both she and the baby are well and healthy Alhamdulillah. <br>He's 3.2 kg and 49 cm...and my mom says that he looks very much like his big brother, Raran <img src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/smile.png"><br><br>No name yet...they're still thinking about it...any suggestions are welcome <img src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/teeth.png"> <br><br>Photos to come soon!! <br></font> http://imaabdul.multiply.com/journal/item/67/.of_new_additions_to_our_family..._ Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:34:00 -0000 من العايدين والفائزين كل عام وأنتم بخير تقبل الله منا ومنكم Eid Mubarak May Allah shower you and your loved ones with the wonderful Blessings of Eid May Allah grant us peace in the world as well as peace in our hearts. May Allah grant us the ability to forgive those who have wronged us as well as grant others the ability to forgive us for our wrongdoings. Selamat Hari Lebaran Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin Ramadhan seemed to fly by so quickly this year...and I didn't even get to write about my 4th Ramadhan in Norwich....and it's suddenly Eid already.... Well, this year some things remained the same, and some were a bit different. Like the years before, we tried to make Eid as "homey" as possible, so we baked cookies and cakes, and cooked all the usual "lebaran" dishes starting from Wednesday night. Ratih and I this year decided we'll only make 2 types of cookies, and 1 cake, as we already had a good stash sent by my mom through Ella (Thank you Mamih and Ella!!... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/photos/album/75/.of_my_4th_Eid_in_Norwich Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:33:37 -0000 Finally...my friend Geertje visited me in Norwich. Seeing that she was going to be landing at Stansted airport, we decided that we should meet up in Cambridge as she had not been there yet. I met Geertje at Cambridge train station, where she was already waiting with Mbak Ina (whom I had asked to join us as she would be the best guide) and we wandered around the city center of Cambridge. We bumped into Eva in Kew and asked her to join us for lunch at <a href=http://www.orchard-grantchester.com> Grantchester's The Orchard</a>. We then parted ways and Mbak Ina drove Geertje and I back to Norwich. I managed to show Geertje my favorite parts of Norwich - the interesting historical parts, my favorite cafe (Britons Arms), and she also managed to wander the Norwich Castle. I also introduced her to my Norwich family and friends...dinner with the gang, and also a dinner with Salma and Sarah which turned out to be a great girls' get together hee hee hee... http://imaabdul.multiply.com/links/item/21/.to_Photos_of_Geertjes_Visit Sun, 7 Oct 2007 21:32:35 -0000