London 2013 / 2014

Its been months since I last updated my blog again. I know the answer is that I have been busy and I am indeed. I have also started my distance online course in the Uppsala University and with all the deadline we had to submit our work is really taking all of my time studying.
Beside my study we do feel very comfortable here in our new home. In the beginning we went to gym and swim a lot as at that moment I have not started my course and my daughters were also here as came to visit us here and they stayed with us over for the xmas and new year. Now that my courses have started, I have no time to go to swim and gym but I will be able to do it again in a couple of weeks.

The best thing about London is that there are so many places to see whenever we are free. Every single town has uniquely different market. At some market you can find really good food with several different kinds of moving vehicle. Above is a photo of a typical market in London. The Camden market. It has a lot of shops and plenty of food international stalls.
There are several market which sells meat, vegetables and plenty of different spices. For example the Shepherd Bush Market, they have plenty of fresh vegetables, different butcher stalls, and provision shops which has several different collection of international spices.I love going to this market to get my vegetables as they are ridiculously cheap and plenty of variety. One big huge bowl of fresh small thai chilli cost only 1 british pound. Everything in the bowl that display on the stand will cost only 1 pound.

 Chinatown in downtown Soho. Never go to downtown during Christmas. Its like back to back against each other and unbelievable crowded. This area is basically roam by lots of tourist which we never usually go there anymore as we have found out lots of different nice places to go to instead.

Thats the Harrods Village where we living now and its the view on the other side of the river. We lived along the river thames in Barnes. There are quiet a number of Swedes living in that area due to the fact there is a Swedish school in that part of London. Next apartment building to us there is a Swedish family with 2 young kids who just moved in sometime in January. Their kids are also in the Swedish school. Gabriel is happy with his new international Swedish school as the friends are nice, concern, friendly, teachers are great, food in school are excellent. He love every moment of his time in school which is such a relieved to hear. 

This is the facilities we had in Harrods Village for the resident. Gabriel loves to play by the pool and the jacuzzi. Most day especially weekdays, the pool can be very empty as everyone are at school or work. So I love going to the gym or sit at the jacuzzi after my lunch.

My day at the pool and Jacuzzi.

These are taken when my daughter were here visiting us.  Everyone did spent many hrs at the pool and gym if we are not out sightseeing.














It feels like its never ending as we have been here since November and every weekend. we would find a new place to go to.

Krille, Veldiner and Gabriel travelling in the London tube.

 After a long day out walking, we decided to stop in one of the Asian restaurant in Soho for dinner.
The quality of the food here is good. I was very surprised that they serves my favourite seafood hor fun.
Most of the places in europe that I went to, they never had a very same dishes where you can find in asia itself. They have something similar but never the same. This is one of the dish which was exactly the same as I had back in Asia.

These is a nice photo of my children together with Vel's boyfriend Krille. There are so many restaurant to choose from and most of them are fully booked at that moment. We manage to find one table for 6 in this restaurant. Their menu was indeed perfect.

One place for sure every tourist would not miss out is the Queens palace. There are plenty of people going around the palace and taking photos. I have to bring the girls and show them around as they have never been here before.

 The big Ben is a must for all new visitors to see when they come to London. I am sure I will have to go to this place couple of time as we will be having lots of friends and visitors visiting us here. It is just like when we were living in Egypt, many of our friends that came for a visit in Cairo, they would love to see the pyramid and I cannot remember how many time I have been to the pyramid. So I restrained myself from going to those places unless we have visitors.

I got to end for now and will be updating again later this month as I will be having another few visitors coming to visit us in mid March. It will be lots of fun as Gabriel will have two of his best friends here.

New place

My travelling have kept me so busy to find time updating my blog. First I was really busy packing, throwing and giving away all the things in the house before we leave. Then we have few days helping our two daughters moving to their new apartment. One moving from one temporary apartment to a permanent student apartment in örebro and the other moved in with her sambo to their own apartment. We helped them to the very end of the day before we flew off that day.

It was a happy and also mixed of a sad feeling to leave my two adult girls even though they are big and grown up adult. They want to continue staying in Sweden for now and are very happy to have their own place. In Sweden once the kids reach 18, parents cannot force them to move and live with us if they don't want to. As a parents, I am happy to see them growing up and taking their own step on their growing up and self responsibility of own now. 

We all sat down and talk before we make that decision and we all agreed to it. Sometimes no one knows how close our family are and how we function together as a family. We are united, we help each other, we gave support and we are strong as a whole family. No one can break our family up. Even this distance, I never fail to talk to my daughter on a daily basis especially to the younger one. 

Teaching her how to cook dishes that she craving for, and we chat on about everything everyday.

I never run from problem. We try to solve it instead. The decision we made can be right or wrong, we never know as no one knows what happen in the future but at lease we try and dare to try to do new things. No one is perfect but we try and if we fail we never give up. Many people dare not take the step to move away even they hated or dislike their present living for many different reason. Reasons after reasons are what stopping most people for not being able to overcome the fear of moving on to do what they need to do. At a farewell party home where we have invited some of our close friends, we were being questions, how do we do it? They respected us in many ways as we move around which most of them would love to but dont know how. Its true eventually people agreed when my husband replied, sitting to discuss to move away in one week, one month or 6 months will still be the same discussion. Once decision are made, everyone agreed, then it does not need to be repeatedly discuss months after months. Some people will try to sleep with it for month and months to see what are the possibilities, what if I cannot, what happen if I fail, what can I do, where can I start and the questions of doubt, fear and negative will start to overcome them. That was when that feeling will take over them, they decided to stay put to the same place where they are miserable or not happy because of the fear they had might happen but have not happen. 

Seriously I made many mistake in my life, I never regret doing what I have done in my past but I know I regret things that I have not done in my life. All the things I experience are a lesson to me, some brings me happiness and some gave me lesson to my life but the most importantly I am not afraid to do it. 

My daughter came to me once and said to me that she is thankful to me and daddy for it's because of us, she have learnt so much. She travelled and move around the world and learnt so many things and know so many people which other normal people who dont travel and experience it will never see the same. She even said that seeing her friends from childhood, born there, grew up there, school there and eventually work there and some have start raising a family of their own there too. Its a pity she said, the circle are limited for them and the world are big and beautiful which they have not explored. 

Here I am in Dubai right now with my husband and son. Today since he does not hv to work, we will be going to see Jumeirah Palm and few other touristic places. 

Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the world for now:)

Musical Water fountain by Dubai Mall .

Atlantis hotel at the Palm

Our farewell party

We leaving to Dubai for 2 months and then we will head down to London for good in January. Gabriel will be going to the private international Swedish school in London which is not far from where we will be living.

Our last dinner party are celebrated with around 25 people that are our close friends, neighbors and family. The party was very successful. People were very happy with the food and they all had a great party. Last people to leave was around 3 in the morning. 

My daughters were both helping me with the cooking. Lena Björklund, a friend of mine came in few hours earlier to help me out with the food. 

Elrener got an offer finally for her long term student apartment which we will be driving down to Örebro again to help her move all her things to the other apartment. We will also helped Vel and her boyfriend to move all things into their own apartment which they will be getting their keys on Friday and we moved there next Saturday. 

4 different types of Sushi, roti John, spring roll, spicy prawn, epok epok, beef and chicken satay with peanut sauce and crispy meat.

Lena to the left who came in early to help out. Maria and her husband Mats parents to Krille (Vel's boyfriend) was our first guests.

Letting go of some people in my life.....

There are people who comes and go in my life, some stays for as long as I am alive and some just move on. I don't have problem of letting go of people who ain't worth holding on to. People may not be perfect but once I reach out my hands to you once and it will be the last you will never know. 

Live your life and I will live mine. I know mine is full of colourful n adventurous exciting life while yours have been dull and the same year after year. 

If finding other people fault is what you are good at than keep that profession as it has shown clearly why you still there.

Last but not least......

Yong Tau Foo - soup and Dipping sauce

Soup base:

Ikan bilis- anchovies

Dried prawns

Onion

Garlic

Fish and vegetable bullion.

Put in pot and boil them together for 2 hrs. When done filter away the soup. 

You can start putting in your vegetables, fishball etc inside.

Chillie dip sauce:

Hoisin sauce

Chilli sauce (siracha)

Oyster sauce

Water

Sesame seed

Class 4A

10/10/2013 Gabriel went with his classmate of 4A to a children TV program called the Lilla Aktuellt.

He is so excited and really looking forward to it. 

Sushi Dinner

Friday night I thought of making us a Sushi dinner. Gabriel loves sushi. I tried different new types of sushi. 

This is a deep fried sushi. Dip with tempura batter and tempura crust. Really crispy and nice.

This is called the four season sushi. Winter(rice) Summer( avocado) Autumn(salmon) Spring(tuna)

I love the sushi rice ball wrap with salmon and topped with mayonnaise and fish roe.

This is called the rainbow sushi. Its full of colours and different filling.