Berlin, an overview.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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???