Yellow is my name.

2011

2011-12-30T13:48:00.000Z

I've been really busy lately, not just with work but also having fun! (That's why I do not blog that much)

It's towards the very end of 2011, which has been amazing, with me staying in different side of the globe on the first half and the last half of my life! Two cities of which are so far apart from each other.

2011 is also a turning point of my life, that I transformed from a student, graduated and now a working profession. And, I am officially an optometrist!

A lot of things has happened and changed in 2011, and I look forward to a fantabulous 2012!

xoxo

Precious 50 hours in Kuching

2011-11-20T04:45:00.009Z

11/11/11 was a special day, which will only occur in another thousand year. I chose to be in two lands on this day, half of it in Singapore and the other half in my loveable hometown, Kuching!

From the moment I landed on Borneo, I only have 50 hours to spend (including sleeps) before I step my feet back to reality a.k.a work life!

After putting down my oh-so-light baggage, I quickly took charge of my car, and went out for lunch with my mum. I was so happy to be back on my wheels, at least for a while.

We drove all the way to town, hoping to eat one of my favourite dish, Belacan BeeHoon near Song Kheng Hai Hawker Centre. Unfortunately it's closed. So we went back to a place near my house for our long-awaited glorious lunch.

We had Sotong Kangkong, Belacan BeeHoon, Rojak, Prawn Crackers. In addition to that, we had Ais Kachang and carrot juice with milk! Imagine, me and my mum finished them ALL! We could hardly walk properly as if someone bumped towards our stomach, things would spilled out. Nyeh!

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12 years ago, on 9th September 1999 (9-9-99), I was still in Primary Six, and we all think it was a special day with all the nines. Us and our form teacher Mdm Chua decided on a reunion on 11th November 2011 (11-11-11). When time comes, we still remember, at least some of us. My cousin, who used to be my classmates for six years, organised this reunion. I flew back on this day and was really looking forward to meet friends whom I've not met for 12 years!!

The boys!

The girls!

And we presented a gift to our form teacher, Mdm Chua, by our ex-class monitor who is also my cousin, Calvin.

All of us on the Reunion Night! We started of with a little bit of shyness, people just talk to people next to them, sticking to their own seats. Girls talked to the girls, and guys to the guys. I must admit, as some of the people came in, I have to quietly ask the person next to me, 'what's his name, again? I remember his face but I couldn't remember his name.', in return I also get 'Erm, I don't know, too!'. Sooner, I heard people calling his name and all the flasback returns! After dinner, people walked about, and keep chatting and chatting, trying to catch up what's missing in the past 12 years. It was filled with laughter that none of us even bother to sing Karaoke as we thought catching up with one another is a lot more important!

If you notice, there's actually a baby boy in the picture. He's son of two of our classmates who fate to tie their knot in the end! Lovely!

The most classic thing I heard thoughout the night was the guy who used to sat next to me in class, Jeremiah (he's the one standing next to me in the above photo), said that I'm now shorter than him, and it sounded pretty unbelieveable to him. FYI, me and a few girls in primary school used to be tallest in class, beating all the guys. He kept mention that how can I be possibly shorter than him, all night! Anyway, I accept the fact that I've not grow any taller since secondary school, but guys are meant to me taller right?

Our form teacher, Mdm Chua, also brought along 'The Book' where we wrote our wishes to her before graduate from primary school. She remembered mine clearly as I put a photo for her, haha, super 'kiasu'! I never remember I did it until I saw it. Xoxo

More photos before we left. On far right, she's Adeline and is my BFF since primary school. And the girl next to her, in electric blue shirt, she, Siaw Yun used to be my best friend in primary class, too! Now we're reunited and we have to keep in touch!

Since 11-11-11 is a special day, I'd take a picture with my long time BFF, Adeline!! Woohoo!! Xox

The night ended with lots of joys and some of them asked me to go for a drink thereafter but too bad I had a wedding to attend to the next morning.

We all should keep in touch, making some effort to get along, and say, we meet up again during Chinese New Year?

_____________________________________________________________

12th November 2011 (Saturday)

Mum dragged me out of bed as early as 5.30am. Yes, it's 5.30am!!! So early that the last time I woke up this early was the time I was still in Glasgow ready to depart for Malaysia. (T.T).

It was all for my cousin, Fiona's wedding. She was looking all pretty, and it's my pleasure to be there to see her tied her knot with her now-husband, Christopher.

FYI, my dad was one of the photographer for the wedding. :D

The lovely bride and groom!

We joy a holy matrimony of Fiona and Christopher in a Methodist church in Kuching. So happy for her and let her marriage long-lived!

__________________________________

For lunch, I caught up with my Aunts for lunch. I've not seen one of my aunt for more than a year now and she's now back in Kuching for good. It's always good to catch up with them!

__________________________________

Wedding dinner reception @ Hilton Kuching!

And that's me and my pretty cousin, Fiona, and her husband, Christopher.
And I looked so big when taking picture with them. Errr, maybe it's time for me to,.... control my too-good-weird-digestive appetite!

And, of course, this whole trip being back home is to be with my beloved family- my mum and dad!! The trip was short but I'm sure for time to come we would have more time to spend together! Love you, mum and dad!! XOXO

__________________________

13th November 2011 (Sunday)

I went for my usual church service in St Thomas Cathedral, Kuching. There I get to catch up with some friends and church members. Even my Revd was shocked to see me back, thought that I'm not used to Singapore and decided to go back to Kuching for good.

At 3-ish pm, I was sent to the airport, and it ended my short trip back to my exquisite-irreplaceable Kuching. It's a place I called home.

Treat or trick?

2011-10-30T01:39:00.001+01:00

I drew this on the train to Dover this morning, thinking it's Halloween tomorrow and what's everyone going to do? I had two Halloween party last year and this year.... Home alone in Singapore!.

Halloween is a good excuse for your hang out with your friends!

By the way, anyone of you following the American drama series called 'The Big Bang Theory'? Their Halloween episode is a must watch! So funny!!

Hope you're enjoying your 'Trick or Treat!".

From 4-Season to the tropics

2011-10-02T15:32:00.003+01:00

Weather adaptation is always a tough thing for me. It's easier for me to adapt to the cold, than to the heat. There's always a concept that when it's too cold, you can layer up; but when it's too hot, what can you do?

This was me just before I depart from a four-season country, UK - Glasgow. What's lovely about being in a seasonal country is that you can update your wardrobe by season, not annually. It's pretty amazing to look through the process, as you layer up during colder months, and you layer down when the weather gets warmer. It's a good thing for ladies as you can do more shopping! :P

And here I am, working in a temperate country, with summer all year round. Well, to be exact, it's not summer after all as it's constantly hot and humid. In four-season country, summer will be moody as there are days when it rains and it gets chilly. Also, you will experience different sunrise and sunset time in summer than in winter months.

Still, I'm not used to the hot and humid weather in Singapore even though I'm born and raised in Malaysia with the same weather. Glasgow has obviously changed my perspective of weather.

Motivated!

2011-09-29T15:18:00.004+01:00

Read my real-life story to know why am I so motivated!

Today, a patient came in complaining of 'overlapping vision'. This is the first time I heard of someone describing vision as this. I was sure this patient will be interesting when he said he got it one day when he woke up. I was anticipated to check his eyes in detail.

Initially I thought what he means by 'overlapping vision' could be a case of serious astigmatism (散光). I came across a lot of people saying they see double but actually it is just blurred.

I carried on with my investigation and found out that he has lateral rectus palsy. Lateral Rectus is one of the muscle inside the eye causing one of his eye unable to look to one side, causing his double vision.

As it is a sudden onset and he is in his 40's so I referred him to the hospital for further evaluation of the nervous system. I reassured him of the treatment options and if there's nothing they can do at hospital level, I will need to prescribe him with prism glasses.

For your information, each of our eyeball is surrounded by six muscles, and each has different function. Trust me, this topic is one of the toughest in uni. All six muscles are differently controlled by third, fourth and sixth cranial nerve, connected to the brain. Commonly lateral rectus palsy is caused by birth trauma as it is controlled by the sixth nerve, located near the side of our head. It's palsy causes esotropia, in-turned of the eye. Eye muscles of both eyes must be balanced in order to see 3-D vision, no double vision, and good depth perception. If you need more information about muscles of the eye, drop me an email. If you have real life story, share with me!

..........

In routine optometric practice, the most problems and symptoms are easily solved by giving a pair of glasses. When there's challenging cases like my patient today, it really boost my passion and anticipation. Solving a complicated eye condition is just the same as the joy of solving a difficult mathematics question!

I declare that I have never regret to start on this route as an optometrist. Once I started university in Glasgow, I have never look back since. Call me an eye freak! Haha!

The health of your eyes is my main concern.

Till then! xoxo

Update (30/9/2011): The hospital informed us that my patient has now being referred to another department for further test, as now it's not his eye problem. I hope he is okay will get treatment as soon as possible.

Exclusive: Enrique Iglesias Live in Glasgow June 2011!!!

2011-09-17T14:51:00.007+01:00

11th June 2011.

#1
Sarah and I was there to enjoy the hot and fun concert of Enrique Iglesias!!!!!

#2
Enrique it is!! Opening song was Tonight (I'm Lovin' You), bringing the mood up to the max that evening. Everyone was up on their feet, moving with music!! It was just like a huge club with live band!

#4
Enrique invited a pair of Scottish couple on stage.

Enrique: "... what's your name?"
Girl: "Jeanette" (pronounced gee-nett)
Enrique: "Gee-nett? Like Jeneatte?" (pronuonced Janet)
Girl: "Jeanette" (pronounced gee-nett)
Enrique: "Gee-nett? How do you spell it?"
Girl: "Jai-e-a-n-e-t-t-e" (in Scottish, 'J' pronounced as 'jai')
Enrique: "Oh Jeanette!" (he pronounced it as Janet, as it's how the American pronounced)
"Are you Scottish?"

It was such a cute conversation between him and Scottish! It was how I felt when I first went to Glasgow trying to understand the locals.

#6
Let the picture speaks for itself! I had a good time!

#7
Put your hands up! Put your hands up!!! Let's move it, move it!

#8
"Bailamos,..."

#10
"I'm not in love,.... Don't go running away"

# 11
"I can be your hero baby,
I can kiss away the pain,
I will stand by you forever,
you can take my breath away.."

#12
"...but you can't escape my love"

#13
"Baby, I like it!!"

#14

#15
And the concert ends with another round of 'Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)'. It was such an AMAZING and FUN-FILLED night with all the hip and dance! We want more of his songs but too bad time has come to an end. I would not hesitate to go to his other concert!

I heart Enrique Iglesias!!!!

p/s: I was supposed to upload a video from the concert but it takes too long to load. Will try some other time. Hope you enjoyed this post!

New location

2011-09-15T14:44:00.002+01:00

After I've returned to Asia for one and a half month, I moved to Singapore. Some said I am a frequent traveller, and I'm always everywhere. Now, here I am in a new location working hard as an optometrist. I would not move around as much as I did during university life. I'm going to miss travelling very dearly. Nonetheless, I have plans ahead for me to achieve so that life would not be too boring!

Stay tuned for more updates! Will try to update once a week! I have lots of long overdue blog!

Now then I know, haha!

2011-08-14T07:20:00.002+01:00

As you get older, you know a lot more people. At the same time, you lost some friend. Friendship is a thing that you need to put effort, not just one side but both parties.

Anyway, it's such a small world that I'm in Miri, working as an intern to promote my university in Glasgow, and the colleague here turned out to be a girl who went to the same college as me when I did my A-levels. I answered questions by students, also by colleagues. I think I'm doing a pretty good job telling people about Glasgow. I'm just sharing the truth and I really like Glasgow as a place to live in.

With this internship opportunity, I do not just share about Glasgow but also about making friends. Glad that my classmates in Glasgow are uber nice that we still keep I'm touch!

The colleague here in Miri, told me about what other courses (students from our college) think about my A-Levels gangs back I'm 2005 to 2006. They thought we were a bunch of clever kids (not really for me) who do not need to study yet having good results. They often see us walking around campus happily, always cheering in a big gang. We always know how to have fun! I thought we were just a bunch of crazy college students, who dont care about anything else except that we treasure friendship. Other school/class students do know about our existence. I'm surprised!

I was flipping through my old school certificates folder, I realized that I was such an active super girl who joined lots of competitions and activities that I couldn't really recall. Now that I have turned older, energy level reduced, that I'm not as active as I used to.

Hey, how old am I? I should get my energy pumped up and live a healthier happier life!

Work-related Travels

2011-08-10T08:42:00.002+01:00

Hello all,

Guess where I was? And where I am? It is sometimes difficult to keep track of my whereabouts, unless when I start my full time job.

Yes, I was in Tanjung Aru Resort of Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah. I was there in KK doing internship for INTO Scotland for my university in Glasgow. It was a great and fun experience studying in glasgow. People had been so friendly In Glasgow and fun-loving! Friends I known from my university visited my another friend who lives in KK. So, my KK friend brought us out after my work at GES Global. We went to Tanjung Aru Resort for the orangey sunset. It was really warm (where I got a bit of tan) but it's worth it!

It is a place recommend to go to, that you do not need to fly all the way to Santorini for the oh-so-expensive sunset!

Missing Scotland

2011-07-24T04:54:00.002+01:00

Withdrawal syndrome is fairly common after returning for good, from a place that I dearly love. Even if I stay there for longer, this day has to come.

I still remember just about two weeks ago in Glasgow, me and my parents were on a taxi to our car rental place, the taxi driver said to me, "Oh, I love your accent. Where are you from? You have a wee bit of Glaswegian accent!". Haha! I said, "Really? Well, I've been here for four years so I might have pick up some!" People said I've pick up some of the accent and I'm really happy of it! I hope not to loose it! I need to practice using 'aye', 'wee',... and other slang here. I'm pretty sure some people would give me a face. Haha!

Although I'm not a Scottish but I'm proud to have been there for four years, meeting really nice people, making my life in Scotland so wonderful. I would definitely go back again one day for a visit and reunion with my friends in university.

When I landed in Singapore on 15th July, I teared. It rained before I boarded to my another flight back to Kuching, and I hallucinated it as snowing. I did not do it on purpose but it just popped up in my brain that it snowed. Another incident was that I woke up from jetlag the next morning very tiredly, thinking it's so bright outside and it must be just 5am in the morning! (It won't happen in Malaysia to have sun already out at half past four in the morning, only UK!)

I need to settle down and to adapt to the weather first. I do not want anymore headache because of the heat!

x.o.x.o

A new chapter

2011-07-18T07:48:00.001+01:00

I've returned to Malaysia, for good.

It's a new page of life, with lots of adaptations to cope. First thing, jet lag!

This is my month

2011-06-25T21:28:00.002+01:00

June is the busiest month of the year for me. (Well, apart from the months I need to rush for my final year project, and studied for exams)

Not just busiest, also the most fruitful like an apple tree!

What I've done so far for the month needed a list:
1) Johnson & Johnson day trip to London, visiting their Vision institute.
2) Catch up with friends
3) 7th June: Most nerve-wrecking day of the month. Got my result and I'm graduating.
4) Catch up with friends for drinks and dinner
5) Friends visiting Glasgow from Manchester and Aberdeen
6) Enrique Iglesias concert (the hottest concert I've ever been to. Will blog about it in near future)
7) Had lobster for lunch and dinner in a same day! Life's good!
8) 8 days trip to French Rivera, visited Nice, Antibes, Saint Paul de Vence, Eze Village and Cannes (yes, the place you always see on TV: Cannes Film Festival.) of France. Of course, I went to the oh-so-posh-I-want-to-drive-a-Ferrari Monte-Carlo of Monaco.
9) Trip to Manchester
10) Bon Jovi Open Air Concert, with 46,000 audiences in Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
11) Mum & dad coming to Glasgow
12) My birthday to Fort William/Mallaig (coming soon)
13) My GRADUATION! (coming soon)
14) Family holiday begins! (coming soon)

What a busy and tightly-scheduled month!

Will update soon!!

Bagpipes + shopping

2011-06-23T22:00:00.003+01:00

I was out and about in Glasgow city centre today to do some shopping, and the summer sales is on! I needed to hunt for dress to wear underneath my graduation gown which is coming up next Wednesday. Didnt manage to get any dress so I'm just going to wear what I have in my wardrobe now.

By the way, the summer sale is excellent! High street boutique like Mango has 50% discounts storewide. How amazing is that. Only if I have more money, I will definitely buy more.... I am saving up for upcoming trips.

I feel so good about shopping in UK when the sales is simply tempting. In Malaysia, we do have mega sales two to three times a year but I must say the discounts are not as good as what we get here in UK.

Another thing about loving to shop in Glasgow is that you will listen many street performers on the main shopping streets, especially Buchanan Street. Everytime after being abroad for a while, listening to bagpipes performer on shopping street, I feel so warm at heart. I will definitely missed all these good stuff after I return to Malaysia.

The above is a video if you're interested in listening to bagpipes. It's good and this is one of my favourite, Scotland the Brave.

I must say, I will take things slowly to wrap up my heartiest love to UK, especially Glasgow. I will be back again soon. Even after I'm back in Malaysia, I will still post about UK as I still have a lot of stuff to share.

Till then, x.o.x.o

I'm back from French Rivera

2011-06-22T08:31:00.003+01:00

Arrived in Glasgow last night after a delayed flight. As I went through the border check passport control, I am so happy to be home, listening to the Scottish accent of people surrounding me. Scotland is a place I say "home".

Paris is not the only place to visit in France. I highly recommend French Rivera, south of France. I went to Nice, Antibes, Saint Paul du Vence, Eze Village and Cannes of France. Of course, I stayed a night in the oh-so-posh-and-expensive Monte-Carlo of Monaco, the secong smallest country in the world after Vatican city. French Rivera truly explains France. The weather there is loveable by many, with lots of people sunbathe at the beach. When we were there, there was just one night that it rained a bit, otherwise, it was all sunny!

I will continue my travelblog soon! Stay tuned! xoxo

Bonjour

2011-06-19T21:53:00.000+01:00

It's me updating from Cannes, France!

I love this place very much and now I totally understand why celebrities love to visit here. I was hoping to spot one celebrity but my luck was pretty bad.

It's a really small area that you can explore in just one day and you could spend the rest of it on the sandy beach, getting some nice tan or even playing beach volleyball!

Till then!! Will update again!

Be right back!

2011-06-14T00:45:00.002+01:00

Hey all!!

Will be away from Glasgow for a week,.. stay tuned for more exciting photos of my upcoming trip!

I will try to upload some photos during my trip.

xoxo

Four years....

2011-06-09T00:11:00.002+01:00

Just got my results yesterday, and I am now officially off my student status. I passed all my exams and now awaiting my graduation.

Graduation ceremony will be on 29th June, so after I get my certificate, I would change my status to a graduate optometrist.

A foreign place yet I know so well.

2011-05-22T10:19:00.006+01:00

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

2011-05-07T10:38:00.003+01:00

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?

2011-05-02T10:09:00.006+01:00

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

Glastonbury Festival

2011-04-27T10:48:00.005+01:00

Inspired by the upcoming world famous music festival in England- Glastonbury Festival. I will return in 2013 to join! xx

Must-have for summer!

2011-04-25T19:37:00.004+01:00

Friday, 22nd of April, 2011.

It was the day after I'm officially done for all my written exams, and I went out for a yummy lunch at a local Malaysian Restaurant by myself, ordering food that I love. Following that, I went for some shopping that I've been longing for after crouching myself in the library days after days of reading.

It wasn't any posh shopping just some updates to my wardrobe as the season is changing. It was Good Friday that it's an official holiday here in UK, that the town was hit by swarm of shoppers. It was really really busy.

I have my skirt, T-shirt, and my sunnies out. The weather was so warm as if I'm in Malaysia!

What's the first thing you would think of when the weather is warm and bright?? Yes, you need a UV protected sunglasses, sunscreen lotion, and of course, ICE-CREAM!!!

Glad that I live in Scotland and access to ice-cream is so easy. Oh well, to my definition, there is no season for ice-cream but it's a must-have for summer!!! My all-these-while-love-of-ice-cream is by MacKies of Scotland.

On my way home, I bought a tub of this:

Vanilla-flavoured Ice-cream is always my favourite, and goes with all sorts of toppings. As it said on the label, it's "made with fresh milk, double cream and no artificial ingredients". It's alluring that you can't resist double cream. (As always, I'm a no-no for skimmed milk, too!) When I first tried it many years ago here in Scotland, it catches my tastebud that it's so good, so smooth and very rich in flavour.

I tried it today topped with crushed honey roast cashew nuts & peanuts. Oh wow.. it's so good! Mackies Vanilla Ice Cream is the best in its world. (To be honest, it is much better than Sunny Hill Ice Cream from Kuching, Malaysia). I will miss Mackies Ice Cream!!

Anna xoxo

7th April 2011: A day to remember

2011-04-07T18:56:00.005+01:00

This was the day that everyone in class was emotional, either sad or happy. I had my last ever Primary Eye Care clinic on 7th April 2011. I had a nice patient and love talking to her while testing her. She's very co-operative. Also, getting compliments from my clinic supervisor was an additional happiness. There was clinic technician said, "Anna, is this your last clinic?" and I had to reply, "Yes, I'm a bit sad as it's my last eye test in Scotland". All the "Good luck in your future" and "Bye" from clinic supervisors make me somehow, sad. I know I will be great in future but leaving my status as a student is sad, too!

Here's some picture of me and my eye clinic:

This is the entrance that I go through first time when I was in second year, with all the remote feeling that every thing looks scary. And after years of training. I am feeling confident seeing patient each time. Now, all the clinical staff knows me well, and we greet each other whenever we met. It's amazing how this clinic enables each and everyone of us to grow and become another professional.

I can be a 'miner' in the clinic, wander around with this BIO ophthalmoscope, saying "can I have a look into your eyes?". Oh wow, it was like I'm looking into something as interesting as enjoying a picture in an art gallery.

And, this was the test chart I used to ask my patient, "Which is the smallest line can you see?"

And this will be the test room I will miss dearly. I am now being let loose in the public (well, not quite yet), without supervisors coming in and out making sure I am doing the right thing. After years of training, I now have full control over test room and I'll make sure you walk out of the door with problem solved. And, that was just a random picture of me in my white coat, a.k.a. clinic attire, everytime I perform my clinical duties. (I tried to be more colourful rather than wearing the boring, black/grey/white office wear)

This was my view when I have a full day of clinical duties in the Eye Clinic. I just sat by the window, munching my quick lunch. Oh, I miss it already...

Besides, I also have my last ever lecture in my university also on 7th April. The impact was too strong but I can handle it. It's like double sadness in one day.

That was the last ever lecture by Dr. Strang. He's a really nice and down-to-earth-head-of-school-to-be person. He would sit in the cafeteria with students, to talk about anything! "Good luck, everyone. And your year is a really nice group to teach! Hopefully will see you all in future!", was what he said in the very end.

I will also miss the Saltire Centre, also the library, that me and my pals used to hangout between lectures when we were in first and second year. That where we build our friendship and prolongs till now and getting stronger. I already miss this place as we were getting busier in third and now, final year.

This was the computer room that I used to hang around if I would like to do my report/project. I love it here because I can enjoy reading project stuff with my big fat English Breakfast.

Last but not least, this is the bridge to everything. This is the bridge that me and my mates used to walk out to when we want to have a drink somewhere nearby, shopping, or a visit to the anatomy museum! Also this is the bridge to the world, and I walk out of there being a professional.

I admit sometimes I lost concentration in lectures or complaining about the work load, but I will definitely miss university life. Anyone else out there who is still in school/college/university, treasure your time with your mates and enjoy every single moment that you can. That's my little piece of advice!

(p/s: Radio was playing "I'm coming home", making me much more emotional.)

Go Green!

2011-03-19T22:44:00.003Z

It was long ago when i wanted to blog about this.

There has been lots of things going on to this world, with Brisbane's flood, Christchurch's earthquake, and now the world most concerned Japan's Tsunami and nuclear explosion.

Not just the natural disaster, the climate change has been really worrying, with UK big freeze arrived early (click here to read post about it) and some country is chopping of trees in the forest for some money revenue. There are lots of awareness about why we should recycle, and what can we possible do to save the earth.

It was the fashion week for Spring/Summer 2011, when Jil Sander came out with a new bag that women should own to be fashion-forward. There's always something that fashionista could do to save the earth, similiar to Anya Hindmarch's "I'm not just a shopping bag".

This was what the German designer brought to the runway:

It'a an orange-coloured acetate bag.

I can't deny that many fashion blogger and fashionistas own one of this bag especially in their signature orange. It has brought very much attention into the world of fashion.

Would you as a person who has tight budget, will buy this acetate bag to add a designer's stuff to your collection, and trying to be noticed?

This acetate bag, measuring 32 cm by 58 cm, costs £90 (RM450) from net-a-porter.com.

Oh well, I know it looks sleek and simple, but I would rather use the money for some other good use. Probably, for a pair of good shoes?

If I really want to go green, I would use my own shopping bag, and I do own one shopping bag, also orange in colour just like Jil Sander's:

It's my Sainsbury's shopping bag. I look fashion forward, right??? Another additional advantage for this shopping bag is that it is 50% recycleable. If any of your out there want one of this shopping bag, let me know and I'll get it for you for 5p (RM0.25) + postage. You would look fashion forward, too!!

Till then! x.o.x.o

This inspires me

2011-03-11T21:09:00.001Z

This many look like an advert for Apple iPad, but it gives me thoughts and inspiration. Don't ask me why.

Following rules and instructions

2011-02-19T00:28:00.005Z

(Based on real story and I drew these little pictures)

Do you ALWAYS read the instructions or user manual when you're opening a pack? Do you read those little words behind a contact lens solution about the care system?

This story was something my professor in university told in our Contact Lens tutorial, which he observed happening in the train before he came in for work that day.

Here's the story:

There was a guy (let's called him 'Don-K") sitting in the train, putting both his legs up on the seats like he don't care.

Few minutes later, another man came in and starred at the Don-K. He took his glasses of and offer it to the Don-K. "Nah!"

He offered him glasses, saying:
"Take my glasses and wear it!"

"Huh? Huh?"

"Wear it, because you can't see what is written on the sign",
as he points on the sign below:

"It says keep your feet off the seats! I think you need to see an OPTICIAN right away!"

Then only Don-K put his legs away.

There's instuctions printed on the back of a packaging, is always meant for you to read, in order to use or do it the proper wear. It is the same as how you clean your contact lenses. Imagine you did not clean it properly and debris stucked on the lens, then you put it on your eye the next day. Yuck! It is the same as how you follow road signs to reach your destination.

Bored with your hair??

2011-02-11T22:22:00.008Z

Noticed what's in common with all the pictures above? It's headband! I always find my hair is just straight and boring. And, I do not have a lot of time to style up my hair because I am a busy university student!

Blair Waldorf (by Leighton Meester) in Gossip Girl.

When I was little, mum used to buy me lots of headband, and I will always be rewarded with headbands if I get good grades in school.

The come back of headband was in line with the popular American TV series, Gossip Girl. One of the main actress, Blair Waldorf played by Leighton Meester was popular with her headbands. She has countless headbands. Who says headbands only for little girls??

Headband now settles all the hair styling fuss. I just pick one headband from my collection before walking out of my room. That's how easy it is to get my hair done. I am now in love with headband more than any other accessories. One big difficulty is that you do not know how to store your headbands.

I once saw a headband on my BFF's twitter and I absolutely love that headband. It was the Sereni & Shentel Willow Ice Ice Baby headband. She then let me know it's her cousin (Shentel) that made these headband and I fell in love with it. We both now has the same interest which is collecting headbands!

Sereni and Shentel:

Limited Edition Blair from Sereni & Shentel. Love this one as I do not have a green headband from theirs yet. Thinking of getting this. :D

I own quite a lot of headbands by them. I wear them when I dress up or down. Absolute love.

Garlands. These are the latest design in their collection.

Their headbands are available at sereniandshentel.com and they deliver to anywhere in the world! What's not to love?

Juicy Couture:

Another brand which I love is Juicy Couture, in which they have lots of fun and pretty headbands too.

Their headbands are cute and available at juicycouture.com or asos.com

There are a lot more headbands that I love. I get my headbands from anywhere as long as I love the design, they includes Topshop, H&M, Primark and some vintage store.

Ok, I declare I am a headband freak. Haha!

新年快樂

2011-02-02T13:37:00.003Z

Happy Chinese New Year. It's the year of bunny and let's hop, hop and hop to a prosperous and great year!!!

Recap of 2010: Part Two (July to December)

2011-01-27T19:59:00.012Z

"You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space"

-Johnny Cash

From my last post, mentioned about my first half of my twenty-ten. Was fabulous but the second half was even better! It's just like any football match, second half may change the overall result, from defeat to victory.

(Singapore Changi Airport Sunflower Garden)
1st July 2010. I was on my own, ending my short summer break, coming back to UK by myself which is a first time as my parents normally come with me for a wee summer trip. Leaving Kuching behind and look forward to another experience. I was lucky enough to get a job with Boots Optician in Aberdeen as an USWEP (Undergraduate Summer Work Experience Placement).

And thanks to Sarah who let me stayed at her place for 6 weeks while I work there.

I then welcome Stella's visit by exploring Aberdeen in further depth.

As the company I worked for is a very systematic and organised company. I had to attend an Opening Conference for all placement student in Edinburgh, which is 2.5 hours of train away. So, I went down to Edinburgh, stayed with Stella, and went to have seafood. Yum!! It was my first business trip. (Sounds very much like a working profession)

After Sarah came back to UK from Kuching, we went to Charleton Fruit Farm for Strawberry while her family was still here for her graduation.

Enjoyed some big fat dinner after my work at Little Johns which I passed by each time I go to work.

After six weeks of knowledge and work experience, I kick start my summer holiday with my Inverness cum Isle of Skye trip with Stella. Say 'hello' to Nessie!

Urquhart Castle

Went to Portree, Isle of Skye for a wee tour. This picture is meaningful to me because the centre island is Isle of Raasay that my friendship in Glasgow built up in Raasay 2/1 of Caledonian Court.

Isle of Skye

Kyleakin. We love it there and it's really relaxing. We sat on the pebble beach and enjoy sunshine where you unwind yourself. This is what we define a true holiday, not very jam-packed schedule of sightseeing.

The following week (August 2010), again, Stella and I went to Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It was Trinity College where the picture was taken.

We fell in love with Wicklow and thanks to the Canadian/American tourist, this picture looks fab!! Wicklow was where Leap Year and P.S I Love You were shot.

After some trip with Stella, mum and dad arrived from Malaysia!! Our first stop was a stopover in London!

Then we took Eurostar to Brussels, Belgium. It's a land of waffle, chocolate, and chips!

We then went to Zurich, Switzerland. I love it there even though it's my second visit!! The weather was lovely and it's a place where you can walk on a slow pace and enjoy every scene.

Brought mum and dad to experience their first snow in Switzerland. We went to Mount Titlis of Engelberg. They have snow there all year round!

Apart from these places in Switzerland, we stayed in Bern, went to Lucern, Mount Pilatus with world steepest cogwheel train, and last but not least, we went to Geneva.

Barcelona, Spain. Sagrada Famillia. Famous work of Gaudi.

Somewhere near Plaza Catalunya of Barcelona. The weather was dry and hot, comparable to Malaysia!

October 2010. My last concert of 2010 for Mark Ronson (for further details of how fabulous was this gig, click here!). Stella and i managed to grab the first row and the experience was amazing!

I always wanted to watch a live football match and I did it! It was Spain vs Scotland for 2012 Euro Qualifying match in Hampden Park, Glasgow!! All worth the money!

My last halloween in UK

Bonfire night in Glasgow Green.

Christmas Lights On in George Square Glasgow.

23rd November 2010. Another memorable shopping experience. It was the Lanvin x H&M crossover. I managed to grab a few pieces for my collection!

The first snow arrived in November!

A journey to the west-end for some photos. Click! Click! Click! To check out how miserable it was the snow for us here in UK! It definitely struck UK badly and let it stand still for a while.

Farewell dinner for Stella at our favourite Jamie's Italian.

My last ever Pantomime with my beloved classmates in Glasgow. It was so good and I actually feel touched and sad at the same time during the Snow White show knowing that there will be minimal chance of seeing it again.

Day trip to Edinburgh for Christmas Market and Hotpot dinner.

Kick start of my long winter holiday, 18 days altogether. First stop was my visit to Manchester, saying hello to Sarah!

London for Christmas with Min Shan. It was St Paul's Cathedral in the picture where Princess Diana got married. It's my fourth visit to London for 2010, didnt realised I've been there so many times in a year until now and each time it brings me different surprises yet adding scent of familiarity.

Boxing Day shopping at Harrods. It was my first ever experience of Boxing day shopping in London. The atmosphere is there to make you buy more, more and more. The crowd was crazy in Harrods and I can hardly find a place to sit in for lunch. Discounts were great that many girls can't resist a 50% off!

31st December 2010. Flew to Innsbruck, Austria with Sarah and Chia Pau on New Years' Eve to experience a foreign country. We didn't make it New York's Times Square and I had experienced London's New Years Eve, so an Austrian Silvester (Austria's New Year's Eve is called Silvester), would be merry.

We underestimated the weather in Innsbruck that it was way too chilly in town, so we decided to go back to our hotel in the alps (yes, we stayed in the alps) for New Years Eve.

From our hotel's car park we would be able to see the town of Innsbruck where we set eyes on the fireworks when the clock strikes 12.

(Hotel Sonnhof where we stayed)

Have a great year ahead!! 2010 was astonishing and I believe 2011 will be even better!!! (Maybe a little less on travelling but I'll definitely enjoy it as I step into another section of life!)

HAPPY TWENTY-ELEVEN!

Recap of 2010: Part One (January to June)

2011-01-18T18:11:00.013Z

I can foresee 2011 is another fruitful yet exciting year! I was browsing through photos of the past and it brought back lots of memories. I had my intensity turned on to the max in year 2010! It was rich in laughter and passion. There's too much happening so I'm going to split it into two post.

Here are the recap of what I did in 2010..

1st January 2010. I was in London which was part of my Winter holiday journey. The bright blue sky was a really nice kickstart for another great year!!

After my exams of first semester for Third Year in uni, I went away with Sarah for break! We went to Paris and it was our second time there. Chose there because we wanted to go to Disneyland Paris, plus the airticket from Glasgow to Paris by Ryanair was cheap, £10 for return!

Then I met my all time favourite Winnie the Pooh. He loves me too!!! Was touched!!! Aww... I miss him!!

Celebrated Chinese New Year with fellow friends!! Wern Nee, Kah Wai, me, Eunice, Constance and Lincoln.

Cooked Sarawak Laksa in Glasgow. Yum!!!! I should probably do this again!

I got a summer placement with one of the big company in UK and it's in Aberdeen. Therefore I decided to go up to Aberdeen to have a look before I decide.

Spent Easter in Edinburgh so we went to Edinburgh Botanic Garden. Had fun there with lots of snapshots. Lots more photos in my facebook.

Went to see One Republic. It was the best concert(click here to read my review on their concert) ever. I would love to see them again!

Another concert. La Roux.

Rihanna's concert!!! Stage performance was absolutely fantastic! This girl can really sing. Too bad I'm going to miss her 2011 concert in Glasgow!

London again with my best friends in UK! Was really happy to be able to reunite with them! Stella, me and Min Shan.

Us again. We had a day trip to the 'sunny' Brighton. Oh well, it wasn't sunny, we just pretended it was. Still remember that day was indeed rainy and cloudy. Nevertheless, we had fun!

And it was my last ever EyeBall with my friends as this year we're going to Graduation Ball. Oh no, I'm getting older.

Then it was time for me to fly home, back to Malaysia on my own. Again, I hop on to my favourite airplane of all time, the Airbus A380 (click here & here to read my past review)! It was a smooth journey.

Yeah! I was home in the catcity- Kuching.

It was just a short holiday back home as I have to get back to UK for job. During this short break I took up a 2 weeks hospital work experience which was memorable and I learnt a lot! (I know, I fully utilise my summer holiday). I get to know many friends from the hospital. They were really nice people and very knowledgeable.

Had family gathering with family!! Love it!

Almost every week we go to various places for seafood in order to fulfill my lust. I love seafood especially crabs, lobster, prawns and mussels. Thanks mum and dad for being so nice bringing me to eat all the nicest food!

Met up with my BFF Adeline!! She always try to spare time out of her busy schedule to have fun with me!! (Note my long hair!!!! And Sereni&Shentel headband!!)

Celebrated my twenty-three birthday!

Also met up with my A-level gang. Too bad when I was home only En Thein and Hon Hua was in Kuching. We had fun!!!!!

More nice crabs!!! Yummy!

What a combination!! The headband, top and my carrot juice! Sorry this is quite random! LOL!

And then, I chopped off my long hair that has not been to the hairdresser for at least 9 months!! I loved my new short hair. (Hmm... It's getting much longer now, I like short and easily manageable hair!)

And the day before I fly back to UK, I had lunch again with my best mates, En Thein and Hon Hua.

The first half of 2010 was hip, fun and outrageous!! I will post my second half of 2010 in another post. I have to get back to my uni work now. I hope you enjoyed the pictures like I do! No matter how's your 2010, keep the good memories, break the bad ones, and move on to another great year of TWENTY-ELEVEN!

Anna x.o.x.o

Ich liebe schi

2011-01-10T12:14:00.004Z

Ich vermisse schi. "I missed ski". Ski has never been so fun! When you ski down the slope, you feel the movement and forgotten that you have slope-phobia. It was good but it's a really tiring sport for beginners. I love Innsbruck, Austria. I never feel that I love a place so much and it strikes me that i wanna learn German as one of my New Year Resolution for 2011!!

Will blog more soon!! Sich amüsieren!!

Dear Scotland, see you in 2011

2010-12-22T09:27:00.000Z

I'm starting to miss this scene, the wintry snowy scenery from Scotland to somewhere down south in England. I feel some sadness as I will not b able to experience this next year. The picture didn't turn out to be so good but it's prettiness will stay in my heart forever. It's so calm and picturesque. It's all white and nearer to fulfill my dream of a white Christmas.

Although there's still a bit of time before leaving UK, I start to treasure bits and pieces here.

(In the train from Glasgow Central to Salford Crescent.
Virgin Pendolino Train
9.26am)

Anna xx

My ever-oh-so-lovely-one-and-only Christmas Card from home!

2010-12-21T01:24:00.004Z

Woke up late on the morning on 2oth December, then as usual I always switch on my laptop before going to brush my teeth. (Yes, that's my routine daily unless I'm running really late)

On my browser, I have bookmarked some tab that I use always. Not to mention, it's Facebook, Hotmail, Twitter, and then Yahoo! UK news.

I got an email from my parents, and turned out they sent a Christmas card to me, specially made by my dad. It's so lovely, isn't it?

It's so cute! But wait, what are these little shoes? My mum has a habit of keeping stuff, for many many years. Then over the weekend they found these cute little shoes of mine, during the time when I dont even recognise things. And, it's just during the time when I just have colour vision and start seeing the world. My dad took pictures of these little shoes and compiled them into this one and only Christmas card for me.

I love this card very much and thanks to my beloved mum and dad! Too bad I missed another Christmas with them but my heart is always there. I will be home for Christmas next year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

p/s: I'm leaving Scotland soon, away to Manchester, London then Austria for my Christmas and New Year breakaway! I will be inactive in my blog again!

S-N-O-W

2010-12-08T23:24:00.008Z

Done with one exam and still have another one to go! I have things to share after the exam today, so I thought (why not?) spare a night off doing something that is not uni-related. This post is a wee bit long but I thought you would enjoy the pictures.

21st November 2010, I was out in town, off to the Christmas market, and got this yummy German Sausage. Weather was cold but was nice.

21/11/2010. Still no sign of snow yet. We (heart) snow.
These were the crowds from the Christmas Lights On celebration. Glasgow is a busy and crowded city, although not as busy as London. The night was just dry and cold!!

And here it is, first snow with my Winnie the Pooh.

27th November 2010. We heard a sudden cheer (not like someone who's drunk but cheer of a happy person), then we look out. It was the first snow of this winter. It arrives early, earliest in 13 years(?). It was snowing heavily and we waited for the right time to go out for pictures.

People had snow fight outside, having fun during the first snow. Normally, in UK, or particularly Glasgow for the past few years since I was here, first snow arrive in late December and it was jusr rain and snow. It wont be as thick as this during first snow. So, this year is weird.

27th November 2010. The residual of snow the following day was perfect! This is the backyard of my university. There was sunshine and snow. Beautiful.

28th November 2010. More snowfall the night before. Kept snowing till I think there's too much.
This is my university and the one on the right hand side is my faculty.

28th November 2010. We went out for a brunch, passed by George Square and again, there's snowfall. There's still lots of people out in town for Christmas shopping.

1st December 2010. Most of the snow melted and I thought I could wear my common boots rather than my snow boots. Looking out of the window, knowing it snowed overnight, and yes I have to put on my ugly snow boots again. I need to go out for my usual clinic, and I could not wear my snow boots for it. So, I need to bring another pair of shoes. It was quite troublesome and colleagues were also busy changing into proper outfit for our clinic to be professional.

I thought the weather was perfect for a day trip to the West End, so it was spontaneous trip after my clinic, bringing all my clinic gear (and no joke it was heavy), just try not to miss out any of the perfect scene. West End is my favourite reservoir of leisure.

1st December 2010. I thought this picture looks like as if I'm in Scandinavia, or somewhere in Austria. Love it!

And the famous touristy Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Some wee shop in West End, Byres Road.

Most people managed the snow well and even eat ice-cream when the temperature is the same as your freezer! People knows how to enjoy and look at its bright side despite the unpredictable weather.

And then, it kept snowing and it has caused much disruption to Central Scotland, including Glasgow (like I mentioned in previous post). Some of my classmate has problem coming in to uni and we have exams the following week. I told my friend who live far from Glasgow, if they need a place to stay the day before exam, I would love to accommodate them. Then it stop snowing over the weekend and weather seems fine.

6th December 2010. A day to remember. It was a SHOCK for the whole of Scotland. There's nothing we can do to beat mother nature. Snow arrives just during the peak time of the early hours of Monday morning, when most people are rushing to work. I woke up, look out of the window seeing Glasgow blanketed with snow again, I said to myself, "Yes, I hate snow now". And, oh dear, listening to the radio, many people were trapped in the snow for more than 8 hours in M8 Motorway. Till now, I heard the M8 Motorway was closed for 36 hours. Imagine people were in the car, trapped in motorway, cannot pee and no convenient store nearby, how miserable would it be.

I never felt as depressed and miserable in Scotland before. I went out to town that day, seeing many store in the mall are closed. I wondered "Is there a strike for Buchanan Galleries?", then I saw a note on most closed store that "Our store is closed today due to ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITION". There's not many people in town and it's as quiet as Christmas Day. This is not Glasgow. Not Glasgow. Many store closed earlier that day to ensure people can go back home safely.

This snow condition has placed Glasgow on hold for three days, causing Airport closure and transport disruption. Flights has been cancelled or delayed. It was so chaotic! Roads are icy and slippery. Grits supply do not arrive on time. Police department urged people not to get out of the house unless essential.

I went to supermarket today and find food are out of stock, even ready meals, especially pizza. Im not sure if people are stocking up food of just that supplies don't arrive on time. I feel like the city is shut! (Or the city going to invade by Aliens or Zombies that people won't go out).

I hate snow. Although I live in the city centre, I feel like I've been risking my life walking out there. So scary. Hope this gets over quickly. Oh well, I do hope it snows during Christmas though. I now can stand the temperature colder than your freezer at home, but the icy road is still my challenge.

Anyway, to prove how empty is Glasgow, here's a picture:

I took picture in the middle of the road. 6th December 2010. It wasn't late at night or early in the morning, but sky gets darker very quickly during winter. There was no car and so quiet. It's not like the busy metropolitan city of Glasgow.

x.o.x.o

Life's different when it snows.

2010-12-04T10:25:00.000Z

Have not been blogging for a while. Was really busy and still is. Last weeks weather was chaotic and being causing lots of disruption. Friends can't come to uni as snow thicken up to knees. People can't go to work because there's no transport available to be functional on road.

Snowing is pretty but there's nothing we can control the weather. Too much snow is like flood in Malaysia, both made up of water. I'd prefer snow just for a week and that's enough to cheer most people up. Snow melted now and it's so slippery. It takes me 10 minutes to walk on a 15 seconds route. Knock on wood, I do not want to fall on my bum.

Anyway, I'll update where possible as I may have exciting plan to announce!!!

Anna xx

When I'm bored, I draw too

2010-11-16T00:35:00.004Z

This is just a random illustration of mine, shouting "I'm a queen at heart and I have freedom to the world!"

If you notice that there are pictures in my lecture notes, means 'ahem', I was bored. I want to keep drawing and who knows I can have a collection one day! (in my dream, LOL)

Anna xx

Gear ready

2010-11-04T17:15:00.000Z

I have my winter gear ready. Bought a new coat, keeping me warm and glam. Has brolly (umbrella) ready for this rainy season. Not just keeping me warm but a pair of wellies is perfect for the season. Ok, time for some serious work. Ta!

Anna xx

Conquered most of Scotland

2010-10-22T00:50:00.000+01:00

Anna xx

Bang, bang, bang! --> Mark Ronson.

2010-10-16T09:55:00.014+01:00

Do you know who's Steve Aoki? He's one famous DJ. He's been to Malaysia and Singapore.

Today's story is not about him, it's another most popular DJ in UK. I'm seeing a good future in him. He's also Grammy Award winning DJ and Songwriter.

First of all, listen to this song first:

Valerie, performed by the 'Rehab' singer, Amy Winehouse. It's produced by Mark Ronson. He's a DJ and I decided to go to his gig as I want to see a different gig. I've seen boy band, alternative rock, R&B, electro-pop and now it's time for a different genre.

So, of course, it's Mark Ronson concert that I went to!

It all started here:

As usual, whenever supporting act came out, we're all just being impatient.

The lead singer is Rose Elinor Dougall, and the name of the band is The Pipettes.

Finally supporting act is over and behind-the-scene-worker starts to set things up:

Can't wait, can't wait!

Tadaa!

Mark Ronson and his DJ set! He and his new silver-ish hair.

[Top Left]: In case you don't know her, she's Amanda Warner. She is one of the member from MNDR, an American group.
[Top Right]: Peter Wade
[Bottom Left]: Spank Rock. An American Rapper
[Bottom Right]: Kyle Falconer. A Scottish singer from the group called The View. He's from Dundee.. On the right is of course Mark Ronson.

From the above video you can see that how close I was to the stage! I was on the first row and nevertheless the best place of all!! (It'd be a lot better if it was One Republic's concert.)

Okay, the video was a bit short so if you're interested in the full official music video, see below:

We were dancing with his DJ mix. Very British style. Funky punky.

It was so good till the end of the gig. They ended the gig with the song Valerie. If you read my previous blog, about The Bike Song, it was so good. the crowds sang live together and the atmosphere was ace!

Happy me!

Oh, not to forget, Mark said the disco ball is the largest he ever seen anywhere in the world. It's indeed really big!

x.o.x.o.

How cute is this song??

2010-10-15T16:30:00.000+01:00

Stay tuned for something interesting! Promise!

Welcome rainy days.

2010-10-09T11:10:00.003+01:00

Autumn it is.

As usual, it's always been raining here in Scotland during Autumn. It's my fourth Autumn here hence kind of get used to the weather.

Always, new gear for a new season will glam yourself up this rainy season, making rainy season less depressing. Anything that is velvet or faux fur is not ready for this season.

These two items will definitely glam up any rainy season. Not just in UK but I believe Malaysia raining season will be too become so much fun with them!

Top: Lulu Guinness Birdcage Dome Umbrella
Bottom: Vivienne Westwood Anglomania for Melissa Ankle Boots

I will enjoy autumn to the most!

Till then, x.o.x.o

Multitasking

2010-10-08T18:46:00.000+01:00

I'm now in the progress of preparing my final year project. Just submitted my proposal draft hope I get better feedback.

A place so far from home yet I know it very well.

2010-09-29T21:12:00.007+01:00

It's my final year of my undergraduate studies, and I've been here since 2007. Believe me, there's a big difference when studying overseas and a place near to home. The exposure makes you different. I am an independent girl but coming here makes my thinking more mature. I have a lot of thoughts recently.

I'm here in a metropolitan city of Glasgow, big yet happening, but kind of boring at night. I say it's happening because if you're a concert goer like me, it's never too bored. You can have Rod Stewart this week, Rihanna next week, and then Miley Cyrus the week after next. Clubs and pubs here are never too little.

I explore the city quite well, like how I know my hometown, almost. I know every corner of my university:

Now, I can walk more confidently around university, and seeing freshers walking about, finding their way to lecture room. I always wanted to asked where are they going but each time I'm in uni I'm almost late for class because I strive for extra 5 minutes of sleep. I know my way round the uni and know who to seek advice from if I need anything.

I walk, walk and walk. Walking my way to be a better person. Walking my way to be a professional. Walking my way to grow. Walking my way to know more about the world.

I might have thoughts that is different, but that's me. Personally, I think I adapt into the culture here quite well. Know their very-so-not-like-English-Glaswegian-knows-only accent, speak a little, knows the town well, the people's personality, also the fashion style. When I see lost tourist around the city, I would really love to show them the way they want to go to. I was like them years ago when I came here.

Sometimes I do peak through the corner, being an observant. I changed my habit, and knows how to cook a little.

It always sounds so fun to travel abroad, but honestly, there is the hard side. Well, think, you have to go through some hard time without your family with you; you decide, you plan, you do, you study, you manage your money, and you do a lot of stuff on your own.

After sometime, I will miss everything here, the life and the place. It's an experience that is valuable. One big tips for anyone who's coming to UK, have an open mind.

So empty

2010-09-28T11:40:00.000+01:00

Sent from my iPhone

Emptiness

2010-09-28T10:28:00.000+01:00

It's 10.30am in the library. It's so empty but it's a high time to get some self study.

Gonna meet up with supervisor later to talk about our Final Year Project. My topic is related to tears and its quality. Also related to the use of Contact Lens multipurpose solution in relation to tears. I'm gonna be an expert in tears.

Cry, cry, cry now! And ask me questions!!

Till then. xoxo

Lack of updates

2010-08-29T15:14:00.004+01:00

The car safety company didn't just test the durability of my laptop for the human safety, but indeed my laptop just crashed! Windows Vista is corrupted and it has been 2 week. Not sure how I survived but thanks to Sarah's netbook and my glorious iPhone which has unlimited internet that I still get connected with my friends and family. I'm waiting for my laptop to be fixed by my super all-you-can-fix daddy. Then I will update lots of long lost gossip.

I'm now back in Glasgow after been in many-confuse-me-and-you location- Aberdeen, Inverness, Isle of Skye, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dublin, Wicklow, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Even I myself confuses. In few days time, I'm away again. (What?!)

This summer has been crazy. Literally crazy, also the most productive ever. I had a hospital placement back in Malaysia, another longer placement in UK (one of the most systematic company I worked with), travelling, travelling, shopping, travelling and travelling.

People asked me where do I get all my money from? Well, I earn a little bit while working, also it's a lot cheaper to travel within Europe rather than flying all the way from Malaysia to Europe for a short trip. I myself is happy at the moment and amazed how many places I had been to in this 4 years. I'm way more than satisfied.

Time really does flies, I am now entering my final year of uni. I promise I will make the most out of it. I will not be dissappointed by myself. That's not me!

So.. until next time, you know you love me... x.o.x.o

It has been a long time.

2010-07-17T23:21:00.002+01:00

I did not blog since May when I was still in the mid of my exam.

I have quite a lot of stuff in mind to blog about but I just don't have the time. By the way, it's my first blog in Aberdeen.

I got a job up here in Aberdeen, it's further north of Glasgow, a much smaller city. The average age of people here are much higher than Glasgow, no offense. I believe this city has a lot more to explore, with stores that I've never seen in Glasgow. I'm okay with Aberdonian accent so far after being surrounded by three years of Glaswegian accent, which is a lot difficult to understand.

I'll blog a little bit more later! That's for now!

VERY BUSY but will be the best month of the year!

2010-05-08T21:40:00.004+01:00

Sorry guys for not posting anything for ages. Well, it's just one month max.

I have been so busy lately with my exam preparations. FOUR written exam plus TWO clinical assessment. Unbelieveable. All these within 16days!

As I promised, I will blog about One Republic concert, I still remember and will do so after my exam.

In between my busy schedule, I went to another concert. (AGAIN?!) Yes, I did. It was La Roux, electro-pop British band. A different genre people will lease likely to get involved with, unlike the more popular pop, rock, dance and hip hop music!

Elly Jackson from La Roux.

It's Saturday night so I take a few minutes to blog, keeping my blog alive. And.... I will have another concert to go to this month! I am so looking forward to it, and it's going to mark the ending of my exams (not quite yet). Stay tuned!

Adverse 'OneRepublic' reaction

2010-04-20T20:11:00.003+01:00

It is not adverse drug reaction you get from using steroids but the side effect I get from an amazing gig I attended last Friday. It's the exclusive OneRepublic concert in Glasgow.

Excited as a kid, I was on the second row of the gig, able to see each member of the band so clearly. I will post something exclusive about the gig.

Click on the song above, it's one of my favourite song of OneRepublic's Waking Up album. It's called Good Life. This song was created by the band with inspiration from London. It makes me feel even closer to the band mentioning places like Piccadilly of London. It's a place I love in London. Nonetheless, the lyrics remind me that I am having a good life as always and love my life to the most. It's also the favourite song of the band as cited by Ryan Tedder during their gig in Glasgow. They will be shooting the new music video in Italy during their current Europe tour. I think would it will be more appropriate if they shoot in London.

No matter if you are busy, upset or bored, remember there's always a way to live life to be happier. There's much more people in the news suffer a lot more than anyone else. I always remind myself to be optimistic even though life don't go the way you want it to be. I love my life now and is living a good life. If you have a camera with you don't forget to capture every single nice moment you been through.

I fit the following verse in the song reminds me of all the people I met in my life. You know who you are and it's for you!

To my friends in Kuching I say 'Hello'
My friends in U.K. love you all,
Where I've been for the past few years or so,
Paris to London to Berlin and Rome

And there's nothing to complain about. We're surrounded by loving family and friends.

GOOD LIFE!

Enjoy this song specially dedicated to you!

One Republic

2010-04-15T19:41:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow is the start of my concert fever! Not that I am a musician performing in an event but a concert-goer who love to join the crowd and feel the heat!

I went to Backstreet Boys' Concert, last year in October. I was amazing as they are my favourite boy band since I was a kid! Finally a dream comes true to me.

16th April 2010 is the day! I am going to see One Republic! I loves all their songs, not just the 'Dremaing Out Loud' album but also the new one, 'Waking Up'. I even follow their twitter!

The lead singer, Ryan Tedder is so talented, written songs for many people, including Beyonce 'Halo', Leona Lewis 'Bleeding Love' and so on! One great alternative rock band.

It's going to be in O2 ABC in Glasgow, Sauchiehall Street, one of the busiest street in Glasgow. It's right in the city centre so no need to worry about transport.

Jealous? Haha! There two more concert after One Republic! Yay!!

Can't talk more. Will update soon, and wants to revise their songs!

What dreams mean?

2010-03-27T12:19:00.003Z

Honestly, I'm not too sure. Occasionally, is it just a deja-vu or you might actually dream of something that is going to happen in future.

Recently I find that my dream is rather common, not like being chased by a zombie or fell into the world of fantasy like Alice in the Wonderland. I can dream of my yellow headphone and the fridge, which is rather weird.

Yesterday, fuse of the kitchen went off, hence many electrical appliances not working, i.e the fridge and jug kettle. Me and my friend Sarah was kind of worried that our food in the fridge n freezer will b rotten. There's nothing we can do either. Thinking of just wait for Monday and people from Maintenance Department to fix.

Last night when I was in my dream, I dreamed of the fridge! (So bizzare!) That the fridge is now OK and functioning well. When I woke up in the morning, I told Sarah about that and find it funny!! It's just a dream though.

'Knock, knock!' My other flatmate knocked on my door a short while later to asked me something and told me the fridge is now back to normal. ARGHHH!!! What's going on??

Any of you know what is the link between real life and dream?? Weird.

...................

Side story:

My friend told me about there's a new application for iPhone. It's sleep cycle and it knows when you are in deep sleep, dreaming or awake. You just have to switch on the APP then put it on our bedside. It has an alarm to wake you up at the best time in the morning, a bit earlier than your desire alarm. When you wake up in the morning, it will give you a graph like this:

How cool, right??

Mad as a Hatter

2010-03-24T16:27:00.003Z

Johnny Depp is brilliant! From Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of Carribean to Mad Hatter of Alice in the Wonderland. Totally love the character of Mad Hatter!

I Wikipedia the movie and found that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp went to the extreme side of the movie, to make it more fantasy. The funny thing is, Johnny Depp trying to use Glaswegian Scottish accent in the movie. How can I not notice that? Oh yes! In case you noticed the word 'extreme', then you know in the English speaking world, Glasgwegian accent if definitely difficult to understand. (I'm still kinda half-know-half-not-sure state about Glasgwegian accent, althought I know how to communicate with people in Glasgow).

Anyway, the movie is definitely a MUST-SEE. I love it and watching it the second time is fine for me.

The love for Alice in the Wonderland 3D is not over yet, many people still talk about it and many people still yet to see it. If you know the cartoon by Disney for Alice in the Wonderland, expect a bit of differences from the movie although can be quite predictable. My favourite character is still Mad Hatter that he's so cute in the movie. Even Facebook proved it for me!

Let me know what do you think of this movie? Mad-as-a-hatter!!

xx

(p/s: I'm in the library hence do not have much time to blog in details about this movie)

Macaroons in the Wonderland

2010-03-13T14:05:00.004Z

The return of Alice in the Wonderland in the hand of Tim Burton, adds fantasy with 3D and animation. I'm going to watch it soon!

I watched the original version of Alice in the Wonderland, cartoon version by Disney, about 15 years ago. I love the cartoon as it's more of a fantasy land than a fairy tale.

The come back of this film, draws the attention of many retailer, creating lots of Alice's merchandise. It's all from Paul & Joe make-up range, to OPI Mini Nail Lacquer set, Miss Selfridge's Alice inspired t-shirt and a lot more! Even macaroon is inspired by the comeback of Alice in the Wonderland!

I went to Paris during end of January, for some de-stress. And fpund out about the very famous double-decker macaroons that was invented by the French pâtisserie, Ladurée. We hunt for their main store in Avenue des Champs Elysée:

We were so excited when we saw this! Went in there and told the sales person what we want. My forefinger was pointing at the glorious macarons, said:

"I want one each of these."

The feeling of excitement and being a forefinger customer is so much fun! (It's something that we can afford to buy one of each in Champ Elysée, not like some rich women went in to Louis Vuitton buying luxury goods using forefingers! LOL!) We just can't wait to try each and every single flavour!

I just can't wait any longer, had one large vanilla macaroon on Avenue des Champs Elysée, before even having my lunch! Vanilla is far most the best ever! Vanilla ice-cream's the best, too!

Look at its colour!!

OKAY, back to my main point.

Ladurée, too has limited edition macaroons, made based on Alice in the Wonderland, only available in selected store.

It is in a stunning music box adorned with emblematic images as a tribute to the enchanting world down the rabbit-hole that Ladurée imagines its new limited series gift box.

The new macaroons flavour is green apple. It's a new flavour Ladurée proud to present, that it's both both tender and tart, bold yet refined. Astonishing colour of Granny Smith green is just so charming! *Drooling* I want one!

I Personalised my Nike. {First}

2010-03-02T17:38:00.006Z

Ever since I know Nike, I love it! It was not like fell in love at first sight but of course heard about its advantages. The comfort I get from my first pair of Nike sport shoes, form my loyalty to the brand since. The first pair I had was a black low dunk sport shoes with neon yellow shoe string and swoosh. Very funky and I wore it to my netball practice. There's lots of imitation products of Nike with the swoosh band, so beware!

Here in UK, I found out there's something called Nike I.D.. It is a service that you can personalise your own Nike shoes with selected designs. I only able to do it last year, after Christmas when I was in London. I was so excited and wait for my shoes to arrive within 4 weeks time!

(Start from scratch. Click on the above picture if you wanna try it out)

There was lots of design to choose from but I picked this one. Mary Jane shoes. Something different from Nike as I already had many of sport shoes, including low dunk and Nike Free.

As I am very into the colour of yellow, the main colour I chose is of course YELLOW! Nike do not produce lots of shoes in yellow, as I think the more popular colours are blue, pink, white, black or grey.

Initially I was given this my the store and has a printed copy of my design, by Designer Anna. Never thought the package is so complete!

One fine day, as I have waited for long,...

Tadaa!! My personalised Nike Mary Jane is here!! One and only in the world, special edition! At first I was not sure about the size but the 'Size Guide' section while ordering helps a lot!! This fits me so well and could not feel the weight while walking! Superb!

These are the initial I had at the back of my shoes. 09 indicates made in year 2009. I am aiming more of Nike I.D shoes to come.

Fruitful week

2010-02-28T21:49:00.002Z

It has been a fruitful week. A week full of happiness and laughter. A week to remember.

Monday- Received deliveries from home. Love from home.

Tuesday- Stella, my dearest friend in UK came to Glasgow from Edinburgh to visit me. Had a long chat and some shopping!!!

Wednesday- Long lie in the morning.

Thursday- Bought 2 big head home, Winnie The Pooh Cushion. Then went to see Wedding Singer musical.

Friday- Gained a lot of knowledge from the visiting ophthalmologist. Love his lecture and feel more like an optometrist now!

Saturday- Trip to Edinburgh. Had some shopping and hotpot dinner with my friend, Stella. Finally get to visit her. Was there with my 2 great Malaysian friend in Glasgow! Dinner was ended with laughter, and lots of talkings!

What a great week!!!

Love from home.

2010-02-22T22:34:00.003Z

Wintry weather elongates since last week, that I woke up every morning with minus temperature, and feels like want to cuddle under my blanket a bit longer.

The feeling of coldness all cracks with the warmth of family. Talking to family always makes you feel comfort and being paid attention to. They will never fail you. Love, love, love.

Today marked as another happy day of my life. My friend came back from Malaysia, then my parents passed some stuff to him to bring back to UK for me. I get some food from home, yay! Excellent! Also, this can be the late Chinese New Year food I enjoy. These 3 years, I have eaten the most dried meat (肉干) throughout my life. I still remember I only eat them during Chinese new year moderately.

When I am abroad, I miss eating dried meat, 肉干, a lot! Hence, I got another few pack of them today! As well as Laksa Sambal sauce from home too! I will cook some authentic Sarawak Laksa soon! Excited and I love them!

I know those celebrating Chinese New Year now might already had too much of dried meat. I only get to eat them now. You know, craving for something from home is so annoying when you are abroad with no access to have them!

Then, my cute young cousin, gave me some Chinese New Year cookies from home. It's tiger-shaped pineapple tart cookies, which signifies the year of tiger! Roar! The cookies are so cute! Yum!

So cute and chubby, right! Thanks, Jo!

Well, I'll continue enjoy my 肉干, then will blog soon! Happy 'Chap Goh Mei' in advance!

Happy Chinese New Year

2010-02-16T21:56:00.003Z

The loud crackling sound of firecrackers, colourful blazing fireworks and the drums of lion dance, marked the people welcoming the year of Tiger. ROAR! Let us all be strong and tough like a tiger!

Seeing the glorious food on the table, I had a good dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year (CNY). Traditionally, families gather together on the eve of CNY to have dinner and a long chat, and waits for the clock to chime at 12 midnight. That time, firecrackers spurred the streets, although it's illegal to do so. Every family hope the God of Wealth heard them and brings prosperity to the family.

Again, this year, for the third time, I celebrate CNY without my beloved family. I am stucked in Scotland, still in uni during this festive season. Everyone back home in Malaysia is having a break and catch up with long lost friends. I missed the time we had open house during CNY, that I invited my friends over for food and fun! Wondering when is the next time there will be a chance like that??

Anyway, hope love and prosperity is with you this year. Let's roar to live another year of greatness!

Alexander McQueen

2010-02-11T21:23:00.006Z

When I switch on my laptop, open my Internet browser, the first three tab I'll open are Yahoo! News, Hotmail and Facebook.

Today, when I came back from uni, Yahoo! front page says Alexander McQueen, a British designer, found dead in his flat in London. I was shock!! He's a brilliant designer, with lots of creativity and is always second to none.

I always like his designs although I cannot afford one. Fashionista loves his work. It's such a great lost to the world of fashion. Why would he commit suicide?? We do not have the right to choose when to end our life, it's all in God's hand. There's so much in life for us to see and enjoy, and be together with people we love.

Lady Gaga wears lots of his designs. If you see in her music video, 'Bad Romance', most of it are by designer Alexander McQueen. His designs are always the inspiration of many, and he proved it to the world too. The world is going to miss him and his work. RIP Lee McQueen.

Back from Paris; back to reality

2010-02-04T08:32:00.002Z

Coming back from a trip to Paris and enjoyed the fantasy in Disneyland, I'm still in the mood of holidaying. Traveling is so relaxing, forget about the worries and just enjoy! I miss it!! The last Paris trip, I went with my high school friend, Sarah. It's always fun to travel with her and not sure when's the next one.

Now, back in uni. Things don't look that easy. Timetable is really full, heavier workload and tougher! One of the most approachable lecturer said to us, "... put your social life on hold just for this FOUR months. This will be the toughest semester for the course." ALRIGHT, I'll have to work hard now. Glance through lecture notes, and yes, they are tough! I want good results! I'm a geek!

I have lots to say about the fantasy and happiness I had in Disneyland although it's my second trip there, still feel like a kid! I need to choose photos and will upload in facebook and some of them exclusive to my blog here!

De-stress

2010-01-24T09:54:00.003Z

I'm done with the three exams of semester one. I'm not sure ow I feel but I think they can be a lot better. There's no point for me to think about it as nothing I can do to change.

Exams are over but cough is visiting me. This is something I dislike, even worse when I am going to travel in 2 days time. This time, I'm going to Paris! Bonjour Paris!

I've been there before, about 15months ago. Paris is a place that I really love, able to visit there again is a plus! Of course, whom I am going with this time is different from my first trip. The overall feeling will be different yet unforgettable!

Though I am a poor student in UK, I will try to travel around as often as possible while keeping up with my studies. I believe I still need to go back to Malaysia in the end which is where my heritage is .

Was chatting with my fellow classmates the other day about our future. They were saying it's such a pity and sad thing that I have to go back to Malaysia in the end after I am qualified. A friend said we should have a reunion in Malaysia after everyone is qualified, which is a brilliant idea. At the same time, they would be able to visit my hometown. I do promise them that I would definitely come back to Glasgow to see them all. :) Future is something that we cannot predict but live your life happily as you can is the most satisfied part of this challenging life.

Love these sunnies

2010-01-19T16:42:00.004Z

I've been wearing appropriate UV protected sunglasses since I start driving, although I got some of the casual one for outdoors, i.e. sports. The one you seen from the picture above is from RayBan, a brand that I fancy.

This year, they came out with a few of the extraordinary ones, different from the classic RayBan sunnies. They play with colours and I really love to own one of them!

My personal favourite

They are so cool, aren't they? Might get one ready for the summer!

What more to say, sunglasses is the new 'in'!

I won't mind trying this out! Gaga's sunglasses rawks!!!!

UK big freeze!

2010-01-14T09:31:00.004Z

Happening last week, and was claimed to be the coldest winter in 100 years! Said it was due to the the wind blew from Scandinavia. Think Scndinavia's coldness loves me; was there the week before new year, which was absolutely freezing! Now, I experience the exceptionally cold in the usually-not-so-cold-British-isle.

Coldest is -11'c but this is the coldest I've recorded in Glasgow.

While I'm blogging now, it's snowing outside. I HATE snow now. Ask me why. I have a long story to tell.

I still love the feeling of staying indoor, enjoy my cup of hot chocolate while looking at the wintry snow outside. The after-story of a snow is terrible though, when it starts to melt and road is going to be very slippery.

Ok, now back to my studies and enjoy UK big freeze!

Quiet for the next 20days

2010-01-06T15:00:00.004Z

I had a fabulous time in Zürich, Neuchâtel, Genevé, Engelberg, Stockholm and London. Went to these places for Christmas and New Year.

I'm now back in my own room, stuck with revision for my exams (I don't want to screw up this time)! Hence, I will stop blogging for the time being.

Sunrise @ Neuchâtel.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-04T14:30:00.000Z

End of term and went home with new friend.

2009-12-12T10:22:00.006Z

I got a new friend home yesterday! It's a tradition here to bring a new Pooh home each Christmas~ He says, "Merry Christmas" to all of you!!

He's all wrapped up and ready for the Christmas fun!! He's wearing jeans and comfy shoes! He's so cute right?? How can I resist not to own him?? I believe if you see him you will give him a big hug!

This Winnie The Pooh is exclusive to DisneyStore UK, that he's not the common one that wear a red shirt without a pant (*shy shy*). Also, he's limited edition with only 4000 worldwide. There's a certificate of authenticity and my number is 2883. Love him!!

Christmas Wishlist

2009-12-06T13:36:00.003Z

Never deny that Christmas is ACTUALLY my favourite celebration. I love it more than my own birthday, which i only like to keep it to myself and let the truly knows remember my birthday.

Christmas is like a family day to me, gathered together, sharing laughter and love. Not only children, everyone deserves a present, from the prettiest Barbie Doll, to the remote controlled car, to the warmest hug you can ever get this cold season! Christmas makes me feel delighted always!

This Christmas is of course, going to be an extraordinary one. I will be away from my home in Malaysia, missing my family and friends there, and also leave the city of Glasgow to a place I never been to before. I will be in Switzerland for Christmas. How amazing is that????

And this is something I always wanted to see on Christmas. White Christmas. It's first on my Christmas wishlist this year!

Secondly, of course something more that I can keep. A thing. It's the so-cool-yellow-coloured-headphone, Oboe Headphones: Dandellion Yellow!

It's so pretty and it's so me, right?? I'm into yellow for everything!

Third, I want a pair of nice boots! My current one is a bit old and a bit worn out, especially the soles.

I want it to be waterproof and non-slippery.

Forth, I need a nice and simple wallet. My wallet is a bit old and childish now.

This year, I only have 4 things that I wanted to have for Christmas. The rest, I can get it anytime like Winnie The Pooh Limited Edition soft toy and pretty dress. It's just a wishlist and might end up not getting the headphone, boots, or wallet. Still, might hunt for it after boxing day sales when I'm in London for new year to celebrate the end of noughties.

The first one is likely to come true because I will definitely be in Swiss for Christmas, and will hunt for a While Christmas somewhere. Gonna be there with my friend from home. Super excited!!

Anyway, what's your Christmas wishlist???

Am I a shopaholic??

2009-12-05T00:00:00.002Z

According to definition, SHOPAHOLIC means a person, either male or female, who cannot resist tremendous quality, value and savings, creating an uncontrollable need to shop.

If seriously consider this definition to my own behavior, I am not a hundred percent shopaholic. Maybe 60%, which is not so good either.

Retail therapy works best for me to be stress-free. Will definitely go for a shopping after I've done with a presentation, assessment or exams. As I am not a permanent resident of UK, and not staying in a permanent place, hence I have to move my stuff away each time I go home for summer or longer breaks. If I am really INTO shopping, means I have to move a lot of stuff!

Whenever the moving house scene come through my mind each time I go shopping, I will hold on to my brake, and think twice before I buy. I will shop moderately.

I promise I would not become a shopaholic and only buy necessities! And I dont want to end up like her:

Rihanna

2009-11-29T21:23:00.001Z

Debut single from her new album- Rated R.

"Russian Roulette"

Enjoy!!

And I really hope I can go to her concert in UK next spring!

I'm broke (for good)

2009-11-25T16:46:00.004Z

...impecunious by more than £800 now! It's a huge amount that I can fly home tomorrow for my air ticket with that price, and includes some extra money for my duty free shopping!

So why??

I just got myself my very own Ophthalmoscope and Retinoscope! I feel more like a proper optometrist now! You should be scratching your head or have huge question mark over your head what are those stuff? And why do I need to spend a fortune on that?

Keeler Specialist Ophthalmoscope & Retinoscope Set. Manufactured in the UK by the British company. Favourite Keeler instrument of all time!

Tadaa!!

Looks like I have a set of some sort of gun! No! They are not! (BTW, anyone knows if I can bring this through the security of the Airport when I travel with this in my cabin luggage?)

Specialist Ophthalmoscope. Finest in the world!

Then, it comes with a free gift that I love a lot!!! Pocket Ophthalmoscope!

It's so small and I can just carry it around in my pocket! I tried it and it's not bad at all!! Worth more than 180pounds!

The one on the left is a Retinoscope; the right is an Ophthalmoscope. Will explain what they are used for in 2 seconds.

NOW, I'll tell what are they used for.

Ophthalmoscope: an instrument that Ophthalmologists and Optometrists use for checking the health of the back of the eye, specifically retina. Also it can also check the anterior segment of the eye. There's lots of diseases that are sight threatening starts from the back of the eye. Hence it is crucial to have your eyes checked by an optometrist once every two years! And, I can also know if you have diabetes by only seeing the back on the eye. It's the only visible sign in human body in detection of diabetes. The easier one, cataracts can be seen often. I've seen quite a few patient with cataracts now.

Retinoscope: an instrument optometrist used to estimate the power (or vision) of a person's eye. Can also see if there's any fluctuation in different media of the both eyes. It has a better estimation than auto-refractor. And i can only neutralise your power together with other instrument.

It comes with a charging dock so these two things are just perfect! No need to worry about batteries or power supply. I can use them anytime as long as they are charged!

If you catch me around somewhere, ask me if I have my ophthalmoscope with me then I can check the health of your eyes for you! I love to see different eyes!

Aberdeen Angus @ Sizzler's Steakhouse

2009-11-21T17:25:00.007Z

What do u think of when you first see this picture??

Ugly. Black. Hairy. What else???
This is the well-known Angus Cattle, breed in Aberdeen. There's sheep in New Zealand, and there's angus in Aberdeen!

I am neither a food critic or an advertiser. I share my experience, just like how sharing the Jack Daniel's® Tower in T.G.I Friday with 5 other friends.

Why I talk about Angus? Not because I have a boyfriend who's name is Angus but I have ate Angus Steak for 3 times ever since I came to Glasgow. You can only get Angus Beef Burger in Burger King UK. That's why angus is precious to me.

It was a Christmas Eve when I first went there with my buddies for a wee Christmas celebration. We have not had steak fo quite a while so after some recommendation, we decided to head to Sizzler's Steakhouse for our Angus Steak! Their steakhouse is located at Merchant Square of Merchant City, Glasgow. That is a really nice area for a relaxing lunch or dinner, in an enclosed area with warm atmosphere.

Second time was the time when my friend came to visit me all the way from Aberdeen, and I brought her to this nice and cozy restaurant for Angus Steak. We both ordered Angus Sirlion Steak.

Served with Angus 80z Sirlion Steak with my Cosmopolitan. Table full of stuff!

Yummy!! Love it! Very full after eating this and we did not even order starter.

I love to take picture of candles. No matter which restaurant I am in. Cosmopolitan on the left. I think the scent of liqueur is too strong and made the drink bitter.

Overall the food there deserves 4 star out of 5. Recommended and excellent service too!

And yes, you're right! 2 course lunch for only £6.95! Add 1 pound if u want to have Angus Steak.

On the recent Monday, friends were here, so I brought them back to this restaurant again. This time, for lunch! The restaurant never fails me.

Starter: Pan Fried Mushroom. I love it because I am a mushroom lover!!

Again, my Angus Steak with Mushroom sauce! It's still so good! Love it! I would definitely go there if I want to have steak. Cheap and good!

Sizzler's Steakhouse
79 Albion Street,
GLASGOW,
G1 1NY

0141 5524200

Friday the thirteen. Unlucky???

2009-11-13T13:41:00.003Z

The number 13 always linked to bad luck as believe by many. What do you think??

Well, leave bad luck behind and look for clover leaves. I won't say I always have bad luck, but just dont have the luck like winning lottery or bingo! I prefer doing things more realistic and trust myself instead of luck.

Rihanna is always my favourite pop princess, and listen to most of her songs. Follow her news and would REALLY love to see her in person one day.

Then, there once saw an advert, "Nokia presents Rihanna – a live preview of selected tracks from her new album "Rated R". ", and may get a chance to win tickets for 2 to see her live in LONDON!! Since it's an easy competition, I joined...

TELL you what.... I GOT THE TICKETS!!!

What a luck!!! I never ever thought i will get those tickets free.. HOW LUCKY, RIGHT?

The problem is, I might have contact lens clinic on Monday which I cannot miss. Then another must-attend-or-you-will-get-your-marks-down seminar on Tuesday morning. I found train tickets to go down from Glasgow to London, to-and-fro, for about 70quid! The time suits me and includes one night train from London to Glasgow..

Am I going to be so crazy for her, spend 70 quids to see her sing a few songs, then come back?? Is it worth it??

Backstreet Boys live in Glasgow SECC, 7th November 2009

2009-11-09T18:22:00.005Z

This is my 100th post for my blog, dedicate it to Backstreet Boys!

I said in my previous post that I am going to Backstreet Boys concert. I've seen the concert and everything seems to be still so fresh on my mind as if i just came back an hour ago!! I cannot stop myself for not listening to their songs over and over again.. Flip through all the pictures again, again and again!

So long story short, let you see pictures first:

Madcon from Norway, performing pre-show!

The boys! Singing "We've got it goin'"

Nick Carter, still my favourite! I've been trying all night to take a nice picture of him and I have loads of them!! (Lucky dancers to b able to get so close with him!)

Howie D! Though he's not as famous as the other 3, he seems to be very down to earth man.

AJ! Still rock like he always does! Did you notice that his face is getting rounder??

Brian Litrell! He's the lead singer! Man on the house!

Nick Carter is looking at you! No, no, he's looking into my camera for me! :P

I like this nice shot of four of them

DJ of the house! He's absolutely fantastic, just like Absolut Vodka! He plays drum too!

They still can dance, still can sing! Not lip-sync!

Awhh.. Bye bye!

So here's some video that I took for all of you to enjoy!

'I Want It That Way'- My favourite song of all time. This is the debut single for the album "Millennium" which is the first original CD I bought about 12 to 13 years ago! And I still love it! I was specially attracted when Howie sang out the word 'Glasgow' in the song. Listen to it carefully and you will notice it!

'Incomplete' from NEVER GONE album

Another classic song

As Long As you love me. If you remember their music video, Nick was so young back then, I think only about 16. His voice is still so youthful as before!

Next is their new single, 'Straight Through my Heart' from the 7th album called 'This is Us'

Hope you enjoy my post. If you get to know there's a Backstreet Boys concert in town, YOU MUST GO TO SEE, no matter if you're working or whatever. They are still perform in their best form like they always do.

p/s: All these photos and videos were taken using my Canon G10 camera. It has superb quality although i use my zoom to the max and even used digital zoom!

Backstreet's BACK!! - 'This is Us' TOUR

2009-11-06T11:09:00.005Z

Just read a news minutes ago that Backstreet Boys is flying to Glasgow today from Berlin after attending the European MTV Music Award. I am excited. Anyone has a clue which flight are they on?? I'm a crazy fan of them!! "WOOOOOOO!!!"

I just bought their album recently (you will know if you follow my blog closely, see here!) and it bring backs lots of my memories since I'm in primary school. For those who were about my age and listens to English songs since young, I believe you too, had once fell in love with Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, Spice Girls or 5ive! Girls out there, don't tell me you never been crazy about Nick Carter before. Hmm...

FYI! I am going to BACKSTREET BOYS concert tomorrow in Glasgow! My first ever concert!

My tickets arrived last week!

In early October, Brian Litrell was diagnosed with Swine Flu while shooting their new music video 'Bigger' in Japan. I was so worried that they are not going to make it here in Glasgow. Now he has fully recover and everything is back to plan.

Anyway, I am extremely excited and been listening to their song over the week, over and over again. They already had their first two concert in Newcastle and Manchester. I will be seeing them here in Glasgow LIVE!

Here's a few song from their new 7th album that I really like:

Straight Through my Heart
Bigger
Masquerade

I own quite a few of their album, mostly originals. I will buy originals if I support the singer. I have 'Millenium' (1999), 'Black & Blue'(2000), 'Greatest Hits: Chapter One'(2001), and the current one, 'This is Us'.

Their song brought me up through my life, been listen to their song a lot more than any other singer I can say, just like people love Michael Jackson or Bee Gees.

Every album brings back my memories. 'Never Gone' (2005) album brings back memories of things that happen in college- friends, study and life! I listen to their song on my mp3 while studying in Inti College's library. They bring me through my hazardous exams.

I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR CONCERT TOMORROW AND WILL DEFINITELY BLOG ABOUT IT!
(Continue to listen to their song now so that I won't miss a word of their lyrics and can sing with them!)

Are you kiasu??

2009-11-02T21:50:00.003Z

KIASU is a very common word used in Southeast Asia, especially Singapore and Malaysia. I believe it originates from Singapore.

Kiasu means 'afraid of losing' if directly translate from the original word. It's not a proper English but it is translated from Chinese Hokkien dialect. It reflects how competitive a society can be.

"Eh, why you so kiasu? Everything also want, everything also want to win!"

Sometimes, as simple as queuing up for buying concert tickets as early as 5am in the morning, or even camp at night outside the ticket selling area, when tickets are only up for sale 10am the next day! This, to me is also an act of kiasu.

As I am still a university student, I find students who are competitive, kiasu. They are normally those who get top grades in class. Some of them might even peek at your notes what you have written down during lectures, that he/she might left out. (That is a not a big deal for me of those student who do that) The most kiasu students are those who kept telling you they have not finished their reading before exam when actually they already prepare for it. In the end, they score really well. However, all these kiasu situation can have its brighter side that it helps one to improve and excel in their own way.

Keep that aside, in general public, many people, I would say Asian in particular, very kiasu, not only in their act as well as during conversation. Whenever you said something, they think of that they cannot loose their dignity and think of a lie or something without realising for you to know that they are better than you. Though sometimes I am quiet, I scrutinise. I am quite good in observing other people or things in my surrounding. Sometimes, give and take, is all it needs for a good conversation, be truthful and not too kiasu. Listen, observe and talk. Sometimes, I think 'dua-pao' is equivalent to kiasu in certain conversation. (For those who dont understand hokkien, ask me what 'dua-pao' means.)

I trust that, there's a kiasu character in each and everyone. It all depends on how you surpass the brighter side of kiasu-ness. Parents can be kiasu, too, to find the best school for their kid, in order for their children to be a intelligent, better than the kids next door. You can either be kiasu while dealing with business, conversation, studies or anything without realising.

Here's a comic for you to enjoy, adapted from Google Images.

First experience.

2009-10-27T21:14:00.002Z

I was in the clinic the other day, and have my first volunteer patient in my third year of studies. I can say albeit I am nervous, I look forward to it!

My patient is over 60 years old female who is really friendly and lovely to talk to.

As usual, I start off by "Hi, are you Mrs ____? I'm Anna and will be testing you today." She is nice and we went to by asking her "How are you? And did you have a nice weekend?". (FYI: We had a module about communication skill.)

Later, she told me, "Anna is my favourite name." I'm so happy and replied "Thank you". Then we had a little chat then continue with my routine.

First she told me about her complain and I'll try to fix it. I checked her vision and I cannot go any further than what normally we get. She kept telling me that she sees double vision in one eye. I checked her muscle balance and she does not has any problem, at all.

The nerves ran up and my super-nice supervisor came in to my cubicle. I told him what I've done and can never get any further for her vision. Questions that he asked me gave me a really blank-mind and all that I answered was trial-and-error. *I feel ashamed in front of my patient!!*

After that, I check the back of the eye, then I discover that there's something in front of her retina. It looks like floaters of clog of fibres to me. "Ah-ha! That's the reason why she sees double in one of her eyes!" Not entirely the problem that I am bad in doing it.

The result is that she has Cortical Cataracts. Something like this:

I can see streaks floating around the viewing media. It scatters the light that went into the eyes, so that is the reason why she sees double in one of her eyes.

It was a REALLY good experience and she is a wonderful patient who is really patient of what I did. She made my day!

Leave a comment if there's any question about the eye that you would like to ask!

Malaysian Food in Glasgow (2nd Edition): Rumours Kopitiam

2009-10-20T14:06:00.010+01:00

Being far from home always makes you feel like eating something that reminds you of it. I'm from a city named Kuching, an urban city on the Island of Borneo, which has lots of affordable and yummy food for you to taste, day to night, all day long!

There's a few authentic Sarawak food that I missed. Sarawak Laksa, Belacan Beehoon, Sotong Kangkong, and Kolo Mee, to name a few.

Here in Glasgow, there's a Malaysian Restaurant- Rumours Kopitiam. It's a place where I can eat food (not all) from home. Some of the authentic one is Nasi Lemak, Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles), Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice), and Curry, to name a few.

This is kind of like our starter. Quite heavy though. Good.

Fried Chicken Wings. Behind: Red-Ice Blended Watermelon Pearl; Yellow: Mango Sago

Me with my Singapore Laksa Noodles and a glass of Mango Sago. Singapore Laksa is different from what I get from home, the Sarawak Laksa. Singapore Laksa, I would say, more of the curry taste where as Sarawak Laksa has more coconut milk and sambal. I personally prefer Sarawak Laksa, though the Singapore Laksa served at Rumours Kopitiam taste pretty much authentic and good.

Tips: If you like spicy food and would not want to have rice, you can order this Singapore Laksa which is worth a try. It's served with mussels, fish cake, prawns, bean sprouts, as well as some meat.

Rumours Kopitiam.

There quite a lot of their menu I've tried. I will try more in future. And, just a quick review, I went there 2 years ago, click here to see!

x.o.x.o

2009-10-14T21:01:00.001+01:00

There are songs that you sing with
There are songs that you dance with
But there's always one song that you always love
It's the song that you first heard of.

Pleased.

2009-10-13T16:24:00.003+01:00

Checked my mail at the security office. I used to have lots of mail hence they already know my name. This is my third year with Caledonian Court.

And, I finally receive my Backstreet Boys new album, which just launched in UK last week! The new album titled "THIS IS US". It's a deluxe version I own.

Some of you might think, "What? Backstreet Boys?? Be a grown up!". Ya, I know, I know. They are my first favourite boy band and I first knew them when I was 10! Imagine that! They might be too pop and a bit cheesy, I still like them!

I'm enjoying my new songs now! With their new song, "Straight Through My Heart".

Berlin, an overview.

2009-10-12T21:37:00.012+01:00

I've promised a blog about my recent travels. Went to Germany and Italy in mid-September with my family. BERLIN is my first stop.

The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor), is the icon of Berlin. If you have not seen this, you've not been to Berlin. Behind this Unter den Linden, the boulevard of the city. And the part where I tool this pic, which divided by the gate is Ebertstraße. Lucky for me, the weather is good hence any picture would perform well.

[BTW: all these pictures were taken with Canon Powershot G10, and I am satisfied with its performance, except the fact that I've resize them]

Spare some time, sitting at the fountain near the gate, looking at people, have a nice break, just makes you feels good while traveling. Noted in the picture, I was doing some jump. It just came across my mind that I should do so though there's lots of people wander about. :P

Then, another must go place is Potsdamer Platz. It's kind of like the Time Square of Berlin, though not as busy. Platz, simply means square in German. This place is modern, with sky-scrappers surrounding you, feel as if you are in a young city!

This is a place I like!

Somewhere round the corner, is the Sony Centre, very upfront and intelligent architecture.

The umbrella-like roof will closes itself when it rains. It is structured beautifully! Though it's by the name of Sony Centre, but there's IMAX, Flim Museum and restaurant there!

Normally, before I travel, I will use Google Earth to my research of places. Otherwise I will buy a travel book. It really helps me a lot. I am quite good in sense of direction so sometimes even when I am in a foreign city, I still roughly know which direction to go, left or right as soon as I come up of a tube station. It all depends very much of my picture memory of map, with hint from the pictures of buildings and places, comparing to those I see on the spot!

Long story short, I saw a picture online then I google-ed how to go there.

Legoland Discovery Centre! The giraffe is made of Lego!! I love Lego when I was a kid! I am sure many of you does.

Look at the eye lashes of the giraffe! So cute! Then I saw my all-time-favourite-scientist, Albert Einstein! These makes me feels like a kid. I am as happy as a child!

And not to forget, somewhere there, we saw part of the Berlin Wall. If you know a bit of German history, spill out more to me! In 1949, the Federal Republic of Gemany was founded in West Germany, and eventually included all of the American, British and French zones, but excluded those three countries' zones of Berlin, while the Marxist-Leninist German Democratic Republic was proclaimed in East Germany. This is it:

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Well, I'm not finish yet. There's more about Berlin that you have to know. I am sleepy yet more coursework to do, so I will continue next time. Check frequently!

On your own... abroad

2009-10-08T12:31:00.003+01:00

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

Just watched a Taiwan variety show online, and it talked about id study abroad is better than studying in your hometown. What's the difference?

Personally, I still think, it depends on how you live with it. On your own out there isn't as easy as many people think. I know it's a chance to get away from parents, enjoying your total freedom. I think that is a bit childish.

At home, everything is so convenient, you get a car, live with people you used to be with, and you can stay with your parents always. This is what I miss when I am out here on your own.

Same thing with travel, if travel alone and saw something really pretty, you cannot share it with your companion, and just keep all to yourself. Bringing pictures back from holidays, is a sharing moment but a totally different feeling.

When you are on your own, you learn to be independent, get to travel to different places (like me), experience different culture, and be a grown up! No matter what, know what you are doing, know what you want and live the best out of it!

p= F/A

2009-10-04T17:58:00.003+01:00

I start to feel it.
The weight on my shoulder.
I have to overcome this throughout the year.

Just read some core instructions,
it sounds scary,
though at the end,
it says "Enjoy as much as you can!"

There's so many 'must' around,
number of clinics,
number of patients,
number of dispensing,
number of prerequisite,
number of lectures,
number of seminars..

Will get to see real patients,
hope I can communicate well with them,
though English not my first language.

'Revise before lecture',
is what I see often.
'Read again after lecture',
is not too remote either.
Can I possibly do that every now and then?

I will provide the best service,
learn the most,
and outshine myself!

A New Toy

2009-09-29T17:33:00.007+01:00

Many people now own a new toy, similiar in common but much more affordable than BMW, Benz, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Beverly Hills.

It's camera! DSLR seems to be a new toy.

Canon EOS 500D

DSLR= Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera. OR, normally we call it camera for the PROs. Friends surrounding me own one, and being readily involved with photography. You can play with different lens for different zoom, polaroid lens, and so on... Everything is so digitized now that the used-to-be SLR became DSLR.

Dad said formerly SLR, using films produce a lot better picture than the current SLR, and a lot cheaper. Only problem is that you have to carry around lots of films with different ISO sensitivity. DSLR makes life much easier with memory cards. And, we dont need to produce poster-size photo so the picture that DSLR produce now is pretty much satisfied.

This is my third year of studies in UK and I've travel around a little bit, which is a golden opportunity for me. And hence, taking good pictures during my trip is extremely inportant.

Olympus FE-280, 8 MP, August 2007.

This Olympus camera is what I used to own, following me around to take pictures, and I've been complaining this camera for 2 years now that it takes lousy and low quality pictures even though it's 8 megapixel (so what??). There's a lot of settings you have to make before u take a picture, for a higher quality, but after you're done with it, the moment you want to capture is gone.

Over summer of 2009, I've consider lots and lots of camera to invest a new one. They includes DSLR and semi-SLR.

Panasonic Lumix FZ-28, with 10MP and 18X Zoom

Sony HX-1, 9.1 MP, 20X Zoom, and sweep panorama (which I like!)

Nikon Lumix G1, DSLR, smallest one in market
And many many more.

There's to many things I put into consideration, including size, shape, weight, price and image quality. I want it to be easy to bring around, for a girl to travel around!

At last, I've got this: (which I really fell in love with)

Canon Powershot G10, 14.8 Megapixel, 5X zoom. (Sorry for the dodgy picture as was capture using iPhone)

I went around Europe during mid September, walking around with this camera, taking pretty pictures. I love this one is because of the size, high in megapixels (which is upfront), comes with horseshoe for additional flash light, convertible adapter for telephoto-lens, retro design, metal body, and most importantly, easy to use.

You can adjust the ISO sensitivity, mode and backlight immediately from the top without going into camera's menu to click here and there. Quick and easy to adjust.

You can choose you want to shoot pictures using shutter speed priority (Tv), aperture priority (Av), or other custom pre-programmed mode. The video quality is DVD, which is good enough, though I have another video camera shooting High Definition video.

I will be happily travel around with my retro-design Canon Powershot G10, taking every happy moment that I enjoy here. This is just a perfect camera who wants something in between DSLR and normal compact digital camera. Just like me!!

It's been 3 weeks.

2009-09-27T09:18:00.003+01:00

Had 2 weeks of Europe tour, not whole of it but 2 countries. And now, I've already had a week of lecture, including clinics.

Many said that third year in Optometry is the toughest of all. I cannot deny even during the beginning of it, I have to look for books and stuff from first year and compile them altogether into a sensible eye examination part. Just ask me if there's any question about the eye that you're curious about, I would love to help, and helps a lot for my revision as well.

Moved in to a different room from the previous years, with different people and different environment. My flatmates are all quiet, which I like a lot, and no serious party-animal here.

Have not been blogging for quite sometimes and not sure where to start and what theme to go with. I'll definitely work it out.

Sorry for the delay

2009-09-22T10:49:00.001+01:00

I'm now back in UK but currently having some problem with my internet connection in my room.

I have loads and loads of stuff to update and say here in which a post would not be enough.

Stay tuned!

Down the memory lane

2009-07-04T03:50:00.006+01:00

Kuching High School is where I grew up with. This is my secondary school, which involves deeply in my memories. I've left school about 5 years now (this reveals that I am old!), and I still miss the good old times!

On 2nd December 2008, I received a text message when I woke up early in a winter morning, there in UK. "St John Room is gone!" I was shock then quickly find out what's happening! Part of Kuching High was burnt. Click on this to read more about it.

I started to miss my high school much more after that incident. Our school is a semi-government school so need money to rebuild. Raising funds, funds, funds and funds. For interested people, please click on this to find our more about how you can help to donate.

Alright, back to my main point.

I'm now back in Malaysia and definitely wants to meet up with BFF from school, as well as those whom I've not seen for ages!

It begins during the charity sales at Kuching High in 20th June.

Then it was all the gatherings, night out and dinner with friends!

Friends, you all will stay in my memories forever. When is the next meet up???

Traffic

2009-06-24T16:14:00.003+01:00

Red-Amber-Green

As usual, when I am back home in Malaysia, I drive a lot.
I love driving, and I can go anywhere at my own speed, but of course bound with the Malaysia Traffic Law.

One think I hate to the uttermost is traffic jam. That's why I always try to avoid them. Your legs will be tired to pressing the accelerator and brake. Lucky me, I have an automatic modulated car.

There's some driver, especially some annoying people, who thinks they rule the road. Whenever they have their signal light on to the left or right, they think they can just drive over without considering whether it is safe or the situation allows them to do so.

And there's another type of driver is those who seems to always have emergency, tail-gate you. Follow by overtaking you and other's people car in a zigzag way.

On the contrary, there's another type of people who drive very very slowly on the outer land, meant for overtaking other cars. Then when you are in a rush or need at least 70km/hr, and they drive at 30km/hr.

Sometimes, I just think that this is 'the way' how some 'Malaysian' drives. And I just need to be patient. While I'm stuck in the traffic jam, I will have my phone out to play with a few games or just look around at other drivers, what do they do.

Fairytale

2009-06-13T05:56:00.002+01:00

When I was a kid, I love to play with Barbie dolls. I will get a new one during my birthday as well as Christmas. I have lots of their dresses, particularly, in the style of princesses!

I believe many girls would have a dream of meeting their prince charming and live in a castle. When you grow up, you will realise a dream is still a dream.

However, there's always a fairytale within you, you design it yourself and it's your type of fairytale. It's always good, although not as perfect as those in books and movies.

I've seen a fairytale-like castle when I went away for a break during Easter holiday. Isn't it pretty? It's in Benmore Botanic Garden, Dunoon, Scotland. It's a huge garden of more than 150 acres! There's hidden treasure in it, including the castle above (now they use it as recreational centre), and the endangered red squirrel.

I just love that place as any picture you take is postcard-like and suitable for your wallpaper!