Saturday, February 11, 2012

It all started, well 16 years ago

In 1995, Papa harboured the thought of doing his PhD research in Cambridge, but this dukacita letter dashed his hope somewhat.



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.


4 comments:

Nurusaurus said...

Is it Arman's birthday? I'm sure he'll be someone spectacular one day , insya Allah (amin). I'd be proud to have such great parents =) -Nurul (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARMAN!)

Wan Nordin Wan Hussin said...

What a pleasant surprise to see you here Nurul. You're in great company, but I am biased of course. All the best in your IB final.

rizwa said...

..I am sure I am a reader of this blog..but like most things at my age, it was set adrift and forgotten..I must have only bookmarked it and not followed it...anyway, happy birthday to your son, this coot likes the name...and am glad to be of acquaintance status with your papa..as yours will lead to better things, lets hope the balance of mine life will, too..cheers..

Al-Manar said...

I had practically given up seeing an update. Luckily I casually moved in and saw this posting, almost a month old.

Coventry is not just a city. It is a very old historical city with famous cathedral and all. I was in Loughborough, a much smaller town, an industrial centre where famous church bells in English cathedrals were made. Unlike us in Malaysia, English people are not one proud of high sounding names. We belittle schools and colleges but they are proud of London School of Economics, Imperial college, School of African and Oriental studies, and so on.

That your dad obtained his Phd there is a credit likely with match over here where every place of learning is a university!