notting hill

there is a certain movie or song that reminds you of something in your life.....
as i spent 2 years in UK....banyak benda yg mengingatkan masa carefree d london....
yg selalu nye ialah movie nie, The Notting Hill......


for start...Hugh Grant is the male lead..so it's definitely UK!!!
notting hill for me...succeeded in representing what UK is....
the people, the ups and downs...
not the glamourous and holiday destination......
notting hill highlights the very essence of Uk....the people.....

UK for me....tanpa sedar actually ade sense of segregation and prejudice....
if u are living d kawasan sepanjang Sungai Thames.....or they refer as "riverside".....
majority adalah org kulit putih yg mostly from middle class...not working class....
pekan2 seperti richmond upon thames dan juga tempat aku twickenham..adalah tempat yg mewah....
kawasan lebih bersih, persekitaran yg lebih terjaga.....
kalau ke Hounslow...berdekatan Heathrow Airport...lebih ramai pakistan dan bangladesh...
golongan yg sinonim bekerja d airport....
dah aku pernah ke tempat bernama "seven sister" visiting my friend hingga sesat ke
home stadium Tottenhem hotspur, white heart lane..
penuh dengan golongan kulit hitam...kawasan yg kotor dan gelap

ini adalah the real london..yg tourists x dapat alami kalau hanya singgah untuk beberapa hari..
london juga sinonim sebagai destinasi shopping...branded stuff...
itu semua d oxford circus....prada, armani, benetton, guess...
tapi the real shopping experience..london original..adalah d open market die...

portobello market

hugh grant ade mention bout portobello market semasa cite notting hill..

portobello market adelah open market...

gerai2 yg menjual pelbagai barang2 unik sepanjang jalan portobello hingga lah ke notting hill..

selalunya diadakan setiap ahad....

my geng and i selalu ronda untuk melihat benda2 unik, antik boleh d tawar menawar

covernt garden

malaysia ade central market; pasar budaya...

london ade covernt garden....tiada apa sangat yg menarik...kecuali aku suka ke kedai jam casio untuk tgk the latest g-shock pada masa itu hehehehe

tapi yg best di sini, sentiasa ade street performers yg always creative....

camden market

kalau ronda dengan hafiz...camden la tempat wajib die..

sini banyak old records and t-shirts yg penuh dengan funny captions...

walking through the stalls and vendors..was such a unique experience..

meeting the real UK people with different accents....

seeing beautiful colours of fresh fruits and flowers yg x ade d malaysia...

stopping and buying all those..and how things are wrapped or packed in brown paper bags...

heheh for 2 years..i truly missed the ever convinient plastic bags....

smelling fresh coffee and hot choco....and sometimes with a mixture of kebab...heheheh

this is the real UK......

not the big, old historical buildings and branded stuff.....

not all the ever glamourous oxford circus and piccadilly circus....

not about lining up to buy hard rock cafe and planet hollywood t-shirts.....

but all the insignificant people....brilliantly portrayed by hugh grant and his mates....

notting hill always makes me miss london....

sept 1997 until sept 1999....

thank you for the opportunity..thank you for good friends.....2 years away from malaysia..

2 years of experiencing life as minority... am humbled..