Terracotta Army in British Museum

We thought we could save a lot of money by not going to China and see the Terracotta Army at the British Museum instead. On checking the web, the exhibition was already booked up into next year.

Anyway we have not been to the museum and so out of curiosity went there for a quick visit. Its located near Holborn Station. The Museum complex is huge but rather disappointing. The exhibition halls are just too far apart and the atmosphere is just a bit too modern for a museum.

Oxford University Tour

It took 1 hour and 10 minutes to reach Oxford from Central London. Oxford is known for its University but also has a lively shopping centre unlike Cambridge.

We joined the University tour which lasted 2 hours. It is a good introduction for the kids and hopefully they get inspired by it. The tour took us to the Exeter college, one of the 39 colleges. The University is really full of history and achievements. It is proud of producing 23 out of the 47 British's prime minister for a start! Equally to get in is not easy - one has to be the nerdest of the nerds.

The Dressing Room

The changing room looks small. Apart from the football jerseys that hang across the room, the place is quite empty. But this is where Arsene Wenger inspires his players during halftime.

The guy also used his Japanese experience to provide input to the Emirate's stadium design by using Feng Shui rules, for example rounded edges etc. Seems to work though as Arsenal had only lost once in this stadium.

On the Pitch

The pitch was in an immaculate shape. New technology is being used to stimulate healthy recovery of the grasses with the use of powerful lightings to provide artificial sunlights. It really makes a big difference as the field looks amazingly good even though nearly 20 games have been played so far this season.

At the end of each season, groundmen who are responsible for maintaining the field are recognised by a special award. Apparently Spurs' groundsmen won it last year!

Touring the Emirates Stadium

This is one heck of a stadium. We managed to get on the stadium tour which runs a few times a day but selling like hot cakes. There were 50 people in our tour alone and took about 2 hours.

The tour started at the director's box where the club's main shareholders could watch the games with the best possible view. This was followed by the arrival hall, dressing room, touch line and finally the press room. Also included as part of the tour was the club's own museum.

Nahar Cafe in London

It took us quite a while to find this restaurant. Initially we wanted to eat at Satay House but did not feel easy as wine seems to be served there as well. Mawar Restaurant on the other hand was still closed for some reasons that we won't discuss here.

Back to Nahar Cafe, the last time we were here was in 1993 when Fiz was only 10 months old then - now 14 years later (Fiz is 14 years old now!). We tried mee mamak, mee tiauw, roti kosong and nasi lemak. All were excellent. The place is well visited by both Asians and Brits alike. Its located at 190 Sussex Gardens at basement level below the Mara building.

White Hart Lane

On 26th Nov, we went to this stadium which yours truly has supported the club since 1979. Located in NE London, the stadium can be reached by local train from Liverpool Street Train Station.

Apparently there was no stadium tour available on the day so we just went round the stadium and the shop. Martin Jol the manager got sacked the night before after a dismal start to what promised to be the year where Spurs could challenge the big Four.

Science Museum

This is a good place to visit to learn the rapid development of technology over the last two centuries.

Many original inventions are on display and they really open our eyes to realize the ingenuity and preseverence of those great people who invented things that we now take for granted these days.

Long Weekend in London

This was the third time this year we drove to London. This time round coincided with the Autumn half term holiday for the children. We set off early at 4 pm and reached Calais after about 4 hours in what was a smooth ride except for the delay between The Hague and Rotterdam.

Stayed in London for 4 days, made a number of useful educational as well as shopping trips here and there. Also met relatives and friends, all with happy faces. We also went to the movie a couple of times. At least Fiz is happy with her new supply of novels from Waterstone.

Trip to Ardennes

Its the turn for Ish to go to Ardennes this year. Located in Belgium, about 4-hour bus ride from the Hague, Ardennes offers a great outdoor opportunity for young kids to experience outdoor activities, learn new skills, develop communication and cultivate team spirit. Something that we adults still continue to learn and develop as we go along in our career.


Ish spent a total of 4 days, doing lots of activities and most important of all having the fun of his life.

Hari Raya in Holland

The celebratory atmosphere during Hari Raya is not lost at all as a good number of Bruneian, Malaysian and Singaporean did organised their own 'Open House'.

In Brussel, staff from the Brunei Embassy organised theirs on Sunday. Almost the whole Bruneian troops from Holland made their way down to Brussel, a 2-hour drive from the Hague and about 3.5 hours for those who live further up north in North Holland. Its nice to see such a big gathering of Bruneian once in a while.

Sunday Football

The mornings of second and third hari raya were spent on the football pitch watching Ish playing competitive football. Sports for kids are well run here where teachers and some parents make up a lot of time organizing them. Ish's team was playing against a team that came all the way from England - lost 8-2 though. The loudest bunch of course were the parents.

On the Sunday, they played 5-aside and on a smaller pitch, Ish team got 3rd placing overall.

The Khutbah

The Hari Raya khutbah was given by an invited lecturer from Indonesia. The khutbah was excellent - regarding the importance of reading the holy Quran.

The message was that reading the Quran is the first and foremost duty for all Muslims. The holy book was the first one to be revealed to our Prophet long before the command to perform prayers. Only then were fasting, paying tithe and performing Hajj were mandated. Unfortunately the holy book nowadays becomes more of something to keep in the house to scare off the devil. Most people hardly touch let alone read it - some even for years! The least one can do is read a few pages after Suboh prayer.

Selamat Hari Raya

Sorry........... It has been a busy month during Ramadan and didn't have the time to update the blog. This year's Hari Raya in Europe and Middle East fell on Friday. Brunei and most of Asia however were a day later.

Mesjid Al-Hikmah was the focal point for Indonesian and the small community of Bruneian here. Literally the Mesjid was packed. We were there one hour before the prayer started at 10 am. Because of the huge crowd, the prayer had to be done twice to allow the second group to perform their prayer.