A foreign place yet I know so well.

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

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

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

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

Packing

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

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

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

x.o.x.o

Where would you like to travel to?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The view of Scottish highland in an August day.

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

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

x.o.x.o

Glastonbury Festival

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

Must-have for summer!

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

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!

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