A foreign place yet I know so well.

I still remember the time when I first arrive in UK, the first thing I encounter is the cold breezy weather a September day. I have an uncle who asked me which part of UK I am going to, and when he knows I'm coming to Scotland, he said "Wow, is it because England is not cold enough so you chose Scotland?". Haha!

For the my first 20 years, I've been using notes and coins in Malaysian currency, Ringgit. When I first arrived in UK, I have to stand at the cashier point for a while when paying to make sure I give the right notes and coins. I have came out with a system to sort out coins so that I dont get mixed up. Now, I am capable of using my sense of touch to identify coins like I've been living here for ages.

After years in Scotland, I started to use slang/words like "aye" means yes or "wee" means little, without noticing. I've been told by many (including Irish, English and Scottish) that I have Scottish accent, in which I am happy of. I come all the way from Malaysia, not only to study but also to learn about the culture, people, and lifestyle here. I love Scotland.

When I leave Glasgow, I am sure it will be a really emotional day for me. When I think of it, the feeling comes. Nevertheless, I will be back to visit the country and friends at some point.

Packing

I am officially not a student anymore (well, not quite until I've done my interview for my final year project), and I need to move a step forward as I will be let loose in the public as a professional. It is scary but it's the stage of life that I need to face. There won't be anymore three months summer holiday, no more occasional day-off from university, and also no more student discounts.

Now, I am trying to accomplish a huge project, which is to clear my room with four years of cumulative stuff. Four years may seems to fly by with a few blinks but with bits and pieces putting together, is indeed, scary to the most. I can never imagine how much stuff I need to ship home, and when they arrive in Malaysia, what should I do with them?

It's time to pack, not just my boxes of stuff, also my feeling and affection for UK. Time to give it a wrap.

x.o.x.o

Where would you like to travel to?

I would say that I am a very lucky girl to be able to travel to many places in Europe during my studies here in Great Britain. I am from Malaysia, and honestly, the one and only country that I have been to in Asia is Singapore, which is just about 1.25 hours away by flight. Even in Malaysia, I've only been to Kuala Lumpur and its near proximity, and not the lovely island that many people might have already been to, i.e. Redang Island and Langkawi Island.

In short, I really enjoy my stay in UK with all the exposures I get, seeing different cities and of course, to study hard.

With my passion of travel, I love to read Yahoo! Travel Featured Articles section, to find out interesting tips, places to go and fun stuff about travels. One main thing about travel is that you need to save money before you travel and you will (most likely to) return home, skint.

I was reading the articles "Cheapest city breaks this Spring" and "Cheapest Holiday Destinations for 2011" (click on the titles to read in details), and I would agree with some of the facts.

One thing that I am still really proud of is be able to fly directly to Paris from Glasgow Prestwick Airport, for only £10 return. That is the amount of money you would need to spend for a nice main course of a meal. The thing is, your airticket can be so cheap but the local expenses at your destination may cause a bomb in your pocket when you are just trying to have a weekend away.

Here's the adaptation from the article of how much you would need to spend for holiday costs including accommodation, meals, drinks, travel and sightseeing. See below:
For those in Malaysia, in case you wonder about the foreign exchange rate to Pounds (£) from Malaysian Ringgit (RM), £1 = RM5.05. You can do the rest of the math yourself.

City	Country	Total basket price
Riga	Latvia	£114.92
Prague	Czech Republic	£134.79
Budapest	Hungary	£136.06
Tallinn	Estonia	£142.04
Warsaw	Poland	£144.18
Lisbon	Portugal	£149.93
Dublin	Ireland	£160.78
Berlin	Germany	£192.74
Edinburgh	UK	£202.85
Barcelona	Spain	£217.89
Bruges	Belgium	£228.62
London	UK	£237.10
Amsterdam	Netherlands	£242.42
Rome	Italy	£247.50
Paris	France	£253.74
Copenhagen	Denmark	£256.77
Boston	USA	£259.89
New York	USA	£305.97
Stockholm	Sweden	£313.64

(Cities highlighted in RED are places I have been to.)

It is amusingly interesting that Stockholm, Sweden is rated as the most expensive among all. I would nod my head twice as hard to agree with that. I stayed in a shared dorm hostel in Stockholm, and a night of cost was the same amount of money I would need to spend for a night in London or Paris. Imagine that! Many people may have thought London is the most expensive places and I would say "NO!". There are lots of little cafes, supermarket, fast food store within your close proximity in London, and that is how you can save on food. In Stockholm, a meal in their local fast food restaurant allows me to buy TWO meals in McDonalds of London. For all the places I've highlighted in RED, I still think Edinburgh is much cheaper than Dublin as a general observation.

Some random picture of me in London as you might have already seen it before. I'm just trying to make this post least dry.

Now it's to compare among countries around the world for their local expenses that includes coffee, beer, cola, water, sun cream, insect repellent, and a three course evening meal for two, including wine.

Position	Country	Typical price
1	Portugal	£32.84
2	Spain	£36.68
3	Czech Republic	£37.98
4	Bulgaria	£39.39
5	Sri Lanka	£40.62
6	Hungary	£43.52
7	Thailand	£44.26
8	Mexico	£45.36
9	Kenya	£45.99
10	Malaysia	£47.68
11	Indonesia	£47.96
12	Croatia	£57.32
13	Cyprus	£57.76
14	Majorca	£57.81
15	Greece	£58.30
16	Turkey	£59.83
17	Japan	£62.32
18	Malta	£63.04
19	Tenerife	£65.48
20	South Africa	£65.62
21	France	£70.72
22	Dubai	£72.25
23	Italy	£73.44
24	China	£80.24
25	Egypt	£80.46
26	Jamaica	£82.53
27	Brazil	£87.73
28	Antigua	£90.83
29	USA	£92.47
30	Mauritius	£100.42
31	Singapore	£105.83
32	Barbados	£111.27
33	New Zealand	£111.37
34	Canada	£119.32
35	Hong Kong	£138.64
36	Australia	£157.51

This is just an idea suggested by Yahoo!Travel. Australia is now at the bottom of the list, with it's exchange rate higher than US Dollar. I would think it's worth travelling to America than to Australia now. What do you think?? For those who have not been to Malaysia, YOU HAVE TO.

I was in Paris, 2010. This was the trip when my airticket was just £10!

I still love London, and I think it's still the best place in the world if you want a good combination of sight seeing, food, and shopping. Also, it's easy to travel within the area but be warned it's always jam-packed and the locals are a bit too calm towards tourists. Occasionally, you would feel as if you're not in the England when the charming-yet-confusing English accent not heard as often on the streets unless you enter a shop. I've been to London quite a few times and I would still love to go. (p/s: I have London trip coming up again)

If you prefer somewhere more relaxing and friendlier, Scotland it is. This is where I study and a place I can call 'home abroad'. It is also much cheaper here. The Scottish highland is a must visit place that the scenery is picturesque as you see in a postcard, but be aware of the moody Scottish weather.

Here are some pictures of Scotland and they are not any downloaded pictures. I should have more but pictures were kept in my other storing area.

Isle of Skye. I love the picture of sunset especially.

The view of Scottish highland in an August day.

Not just summer, winter can be beautiful especially when it snows in Glasgow.

Hope you enjoy reading and might anticipate your desire to get away from town for a while.

x.o.x.o