To compound the disappointment, his application to his alma mater UNSW was also rejected a few months later.
Alhamdulillah, two days after my elder brother was born on Feb 11th at the Kedah Medical Centre, another bundle of joy sprang to life and was on its way all the way from the Midlands of England.
Although this unexpected gift may lend credence to the proverbial third time lucky phenomenon, Papa believes that Only He Knows What Is Best. With fresh hope and the promise of an exciting new beginning, on the new year 1997 my parents and my nine-month old brother began a new chapter of their lives in Coventry, England, a non-descript industrial city that is often sniffed at for its architectural muddle. The consolation is it is conveniently close to two beauty spots of England; the birthplace of Shakespeare and the city of dreaming spires which is built upon books - books being read, books being written, books being published - that exudes a rarified atmosphere.
Their first year together in the UK was a bliss, with fascinating visits to a slew of elegant and one or two decadent spots located in London, Brighton, Bath, Cambridge, Lancaster, Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent and Bekonscot, as documented here:
And for that jolly memories with plenty more going forward, insyaAllah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABANG ARMAN.
