Summer Time
Takes away one hour
Moves the hands of time keepers
Laughs evilly as it steals my extra sleep
Starts today.
Monday, 31 March 2008
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Hujan Gig at Zanzibar
Hujan is a Malaysian band coming all the way to UK to promote at a few places and they stopped by Liverpool on the 29th of March 2008.
It seemed like even the weather was welcoming Hujan to Liverpool as it rained a few times yesterday. At first I didn't want to go, but since most of my house mates are going, and it will be an excuse for not revising, I went in the end.
It seemed like even the weather was welcoming Hujan to Liverpool as it rained a few times yesterday. At first I didn't want to go, but since most of my house mates are going, and it will be an excuse for not revising, I went in the end.
Me, after 15 minutes of make-up. Sorry ML and S. I still don't know how to put the eye liner.We walked to town, the ground was still wet from the afternoon rain. Then, it started drizzling which got heavier and heavier. Next time, if there's a band called 'La Nina' or 'Thunderstorm', don't invite me, ok?
We reached the place wet and cold. Paid the 4 pounds entrance only to find out that Hujan's performance will be the last, after 5 local band. I thought that they would be performing at 8.30pm. Never mind, since I've came all the way.
The place was quite small and most of the seats were taken. Squeezed between my friends but half of my butt was hanging in the air.There were 5 performances before the Malaysian bands take the stage. It ranged from heavy metal to ballads, bands to solo performers. At least there was a variety.
Started with this heavy metal band. The main singer, as you can see, has really long curly hair which he kept on tossing it up, down, and sideways as he shook his head vigorously. With heavy metal, you cannot miss out on the screaming which I wondered if he'd have a sore throat after each performance.The funniest part was, as his 2nd song ended, one Chinese girl in the audience exclaimed, "Isn't he tired?!" in Mandarin. I guess she never would have expected the song to end at that very moment.
Video compilation of the local performances:
I really liked the duet performance coming from a girl and a guitarist (Picture: top row on the right). The songs were ballads, and I don't usually have a liking towards slow songs. However, his guitar skills were mesmerizing! Too bad I don't have a recording of the part where he played so skilfully.Finally, it was soon the opening act by our local Malaysian band. It was almost midnight and some people at the gig were getting drunk.
I was leaning against the staircase waiting for the anticipated performance when this guy came up to me, extended his hand, so, not wanting to offend him, I just gave him a handshake. Then he put his face so close to me, expecting a kiss. I was like, don't come any closer and wished that I could just disappear from the spot. I could even smell the alcohol from him as he was that close. I told him 'sorry' and luckily he moved away. Then he went to disturb other people. I can't believe this happened even when I was standing with my friends. Scary!
Finally, the opening act. I was impressed that they sang a song in Spanish, I think. Sorry, I don't know how to identify what language it was.
Video clip of the opening act:Their performance wasn't bad at all. At least the type of music appealed to the locals who stayed on. Funny how you know all these people before and then see them performing on stage. I was impressed.
I thought my worries were over for that night, when the same drunk guy came back right before Hujan's performance. I quickly ran to hide behind my friend. Luckily that was the last time I saw him.
Crowd suddenly grew restless, Hujan was getting ready on stage!
I can say that their performance looked more professional compared to our local Malaysian band consisting of students studying here. More movement and audience engagement.However, they do say some really lame stuff. Like for one performance, they halted suddenly.
Pause.
Main singer approached the mike
' I see swimming pool'
Whole band continued jamming as he ended that sentence.
What the.......
I don't know if that's the effect that they wanted to create among the audience but I just think that it's not helping them to sell their image.
Worse part was, they don't know how to converse in English properly. Which is a big shame towards Malaysians as we do study English as our 2nd language. Plus, they've been planning to tour around the UK since ages ago. At least improve on basic conversation phrases with the audience. I wonder what kind of impression the locals will have on us. I don't think it helps with our strive towards the status of a developed nation.
I don't mind that the songs are in Malay. If the melody is great and the performance is awesome, people foreign to the language can still enjoy them. That's why I like Japanese and Korean songs. But at least learn some proper English before you come over to perform. Now I wonder who their target audience are? Malaysians in the UK only? Hmmm.
Enough said about that. I really did enjoy their performance. Melody was plentiful, vocals not bad, stage presence good, songs were not very catchy though.
I'm sceptical about their success in breaking into the UK market. For a band singing in a language besides English, their only form of appeal will be looks, skills, and music. Only time will tell.
One of their performance for that night:
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Battle with Sleep
Tick, tick, tick, tick,
My table clock went as it counted each passing second.
The night was just too peaceful,
Too serene to keep me awake.
The streets are so quiet,
Crickets playing their usual symphony.
Only my room was lit,
Accompanying the street lights at this graveyard hour.
Sleep, that dreaded temptation,
Cautiously extending its arms.
Wrapping itself around me,
Welcoming me to the land of dreams.
No, I must fight it,
Fighting for my life seemed so much easier.
Losing consciousness, I was confronted by Regret,
No! I don't want to be embraced by you yet.
Forcing my eyes open,
I was greeted by my messy table.
Strewn with books and writing materials,
Accumulated from days before.
Sat on a small corner,
A mug half filled with brown liquid.
I realised it didn't give out it's usual scent,
Must have turned cold after its battle with sleep.
Where did I left off?
Struggling to focus my vision.
Sleep was still knocking on the door,
The battle has yet to be won.
My table clock went as it counted each passing second.
The night was just too peaceful,
Too serene to keep me awake.
The streets are so quiet,
Crickets playing their usual symphony.
Only my room was lit,
Accompanying the street lights at this graveyard hour.
Sleep, that dreaded temptation,
Cautiously extending its arms.
Wrapping itself around me,
Welcoming me to the land of dreams.
No, I must fight it,
Fighting for my life seemed so much easier.
Losing consciousness, I was confronted by Regret,
No! I don't want to be embraced by you yet.
Forcing my eyes open,
I was greeted by my messy table.
Strewn with books and writing materials,
Accumulated from days before.
Sat on a small corner,
A mug half filled with brown liquid.
I realised it didn't give out it's usual scent,
Must have turned cold after its battle with sleep.
Where did I left off?
Struggling to focus my vision.
Sleep was still knocking on the door,
The battle has yet to be won.
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Response to Plight of JPA Medical Scholars
Posted on Lim Kit Siang's Blog:
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/03/23/plight-of-jpa-medical-scholars/
Frustrated JPA scholar's arguments:
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/03/23/plight-of-jpa-medical-scholars/
Frustrated JPA scholar's arguments:
- JPA's sudden change in policy that JPA scholars must immediately return to the country upon graduation is unfair
- Ridiculous reasons accepted for prolonging stay after graduation e.g. married to other scholars who are still commencing studies in oversea country concerned
- Ruin opportunity for sufficient exposure, experience and postgraduate training therefore waste tax players' money
- Lack of opportunity and funding to do research work in Malaysia
- Housemanship placements in Malaysia is random and does not consider academic achievements
- Malaysia is not able to cope with providing good standards of housemanship training to the many doctors who will be qualifying.
- Sceptical of specialist training opportunities in Malaysia
- Nothing wrong with wanting to earn in foreign currency and putting emphasis on career advancements
- Many of JPA policy makers are not doctors themselves, therefore, do not understand the situation
- Better to return to Malaysia only when received adequate oversea exposure to first world healthcare thus, will benefit the citizens more.
- To retain JPA scholars in government sector, more lucrative benefits like improved pay, fairness by meritocracy and adequate training opportunities should be installed.
It is very interesting to know that some JPA scholar is brave enough to challenge JPA openly concerning this 'hot' issue. Below are just my own thoughts about it and it will be up to you to form your own opinion. I may not be right in everything.
The changing policies of JPA. Too bad that I don't study law and I'm really shallow in this topic. But I remembered coming across a paragraph on the agreement about JPA is allowed to change the term and condition. I'll leave this to the lawyers to argue it out.
I do agree that JPA has some really weird policies especially concerning the reason accepted for prolonging the stay. What can I say about this, it is a loop hole in their system and it can be exploited to your benefit. It only depends on how far you're willing to go. You have to know the rules and play by the rules, get the meaning behind this?
Talking about gaining experience. It no doubt that studying oversea allows you to gain a different kind of experience as compared to training in Malaysia. However, think of the long term. No matter how long you try to escape, you'll have to go back to serve that 10 year bond. In order for patients to benefit, the doctor must be familiar with the local situation viz. diseases, health delivery system, hospital policies etc. It will be useless if you only know about oversea policies and situation and being very ignorant about the local healthcare which you will be serving in future. One thing is, we don't have the NHS in Malaysia which means we have to take into account the financial situation of patients before deciding their treatment etc. Another important thing is, we don't learn about tropical diseases which are a common diagnosis in a clinical setting in Malaysia. Therefore, I cannot deny that oversea doctors do lack in experience as compared to our local counterparts.
About training opportunities, I cannot say much about this as I have limited exposure to the healthcare situation in Malaysia. I'll be doing my electives this summer for 5 weeks and I hope to gain some insight to this. In the UK, there's the change in the immigration rules cutting down opportunities for international students who completed their training in UK universities for specialist training. They're giving priority to UK undergrads first, followed by EU undergrads and whatever is left behind will then only be opened to international undergrads. So, for those who are considering to continue to work and specialise in the UK, you all have to think twice.
So, will the future be brighter for those who goes back to Malaysia for their housemanship training? It is a difficult question to answer. There are different point of views, some say it is still easier if you have underwent UK training to specialise and it will be more difficult if you conducted your housemanship training elsewhere. But come to think of it, by going back to Malaysia, you can chose to apply to specialise in any parts of the world in future, not to forget, in Malaysia as well. The main concern will only be, is that degree recognised worldwide?
Looking through JPA's website, they do offer further scholarship for those who wish to pursue higher qualifications:
There are term and conditions and I cannot say for sure if they apply for medicine as well. So, aim hard for 1st class or honours.
Most of us are afraid to return to Malaysia for housemanship due to the horror stories we've heard. That's including the inhumane working hours, low pay, being sent to small villages or outskirts with lack of facilities and entertainment, etc.
All of us are afraid of hardships. I will definitely be disappointed if I were to be sent to a deserted village for my housemanship as I can foresee the hardship adapting to the living environment and worries about the lack in medical facilities. But what if nobody wants to go there? What will happen to the people living there? I think the only way to solve this problem is to routinely rotate doctors to be posted there and not give a life sentence to the poor doctor chosen to serve there forever. If we know the maximum length of posting, I don't think we'll be too reluctant to serve there. We cannot always receive and not give something back in return. The government on the other hand, cannot just exploit and not reward the doctors appropriately. We do need the motivation!
I am no saint, therefore, it will be difficult for me to say that I study medicine in order to save and improve people's quality of life and that monetary rewards and future opportunities do not matter. Come to think of it, most things I've said at interviews and personal statements are lies. I'm a hypocrite! But life is such that we cannot just merely survive on personal satisfaction and patient's gratitudes. Basic necessities itself needs to be bought with money. To get a degree involves fess. To travel to hospital and back involved travel costs. Why is that we have fund raising activities for good causes? Everything is money in this world. Therefore, I don't think we can be blamed for wanting to earn more provided we give something back to Malaysia in return. We have been given this golden opportunity and we should appreciate it.
I do feel that it is a good step for JPA in sending students to pursue their studies overseas it is not a waste of tax payer's money. It allows us to widen our horizons, learn the good points from other countries, and change our mindset for the better. At the end of the day, I do think that the knowledge and experiences we bring back will be beneficial and that they will slowly influence and shape the future generations.
My views maybe naive and some of you may disagree with it. I apologize if I have offended anyone in this posting.
The changing policies of JPA. Too bad that I don't study law and I'm really shallow in this topic. But I remembered coming across a paragraph on the agreement about JPA is allowed to change the term and condition. I'll leave this to the lawyers to argue it out.
I do agree that JPA has some really weird policies especially concerning the reason accepted for prolonging the stay. What can I say about this, it is a loop hole in their system and it can be exploited to your benefit. It only depends on how far you're willing to go. You have to know the rules and play by the rules, get the meaning behind this?
Talking about gaining experience. It no doubt that studying oversea allows you to gain a different kind of experience as compared to training in Malaysia. However, think of the long term. No matter how long you try to escape, you'll have to go back to serve that 10 year bond. In order for patients to benefit, the doctor must be familiar with the local situation viz. diseases, health delivery system, hospital policies etc. It will be useless if you only know about oversea policies and situation and being very ignorant about the local healthcare which you will be serving in future. One thing is, we don't have the NHS in Malaysia which means we have to take into account the financial situation of patients before deciding their treatment etc. Another important thing is, we don't learn about tropical diseases which are a common diagnosis in a clinical setting in Malaysia. Therefore, I cannot deny that oversea doctors do lack in experience as compared to our local counterparts.
About training opportunities, I cannot say much about this as I have limited exposure to the healthcare situation in Malaysia. I'll be doing my electives this summer for 5 weeks and I hope to gain some insight to this. In the UK, there's the change in the immigration rules cutting down opportunities for international students who completed their training in UK universities for specialist training. They're giving priority to UK undergrads first, followed by EU undergrads and whatever is left behind will then only be opened to international undergrads. So, for those who are considering to continue to work and specialise in the UK, you all have to think twice.
So, will the future be brighter for those who goes back to Malaysia for their housemanship training? It is a difficult question to answer. There are different point of views, some say it is still easier if you have underwent UK training to specialise and it will be more difficult if you conducted your housemanship training elsewhere. But come to think of it, by going back to Malaysia, you can chose to apply to specialise in any parts of the world in future, not to forget, in Malaysia as well. The main concern will only be, is that degree recognised worldwide?
Looking through JPA's website, they do offer further scholarship for those who wish to pursue higher qualifications:
There are term and conditions and I cannot say for sure if they apply for medicine as well. So, aim hard for 1st class or honours.
Most of us are afraid to return to Malaysia for housemanship due to the horror stories we've heard. That's including the inhumane working hours, low pay, being sent to small villages or outskirts with lack of facilities and entertainment, etc.
All of us are afraid of hardships. I will definitely be disappointed if I were to be sent to a deserted village for my housemanship as I can foresee the hardship adapting to the living environment and worries about the lack in medical facilities. But what if nobody wants to go there? What will happen to the people living there? I think the only way to solve this problem is to routinely rotate doctors to be posted there and not give a life sentence to the poor doctor chosen to serve there forever. If we know the maximum length of posting, I don't think we'll be too reluctant to serve there. We cannot always receive and not give something back in return. The government on the other hand, cannot just exploit and not reward the doctors appropriately. We do need the motivation!
I am no saint, therefore, it will be difficult for me to say that I study medicine in order to save and improve people's quality of life and that monetary rewards and future opportunities do not matter. Come to think of it, most things I've said at interviews and personal statements are lies. I'm a hypocrite! But life is such that we cannot just merely survive on personal satisfaction and patient's gratitudes. Basic necessities itself needs to be bought with money. To get a degree involves fess. To travel to hospital and back involved travel costs. Why is that we have fund raising activities for good causes? Everything is money in this world. Therefore, I don't think we can be blamed for wanting to earn more provided we give something back to Malaysia in return. We have been given this golden opportunity and we should appreciate it.
I do feel that it is a good step for JPA in sending students to pursue their studies overseas it is not a waste of tax payer's money. It allows us to widen our horizons, learn the good points from other countries, and change our mindset for the better. At the end of the day, I do think that the knowledge and experiences we bring back will be beneficial and that they will slowly influence and shape the future generations.
My views maybe naive and some of you may disagree with it. I apologize if I have offended anyone in this posting.
Jack of All Trades vs Master of One
I do envy people who excel in all sorts of aspects. These are the lucky people who have realised their talents and have worked hard to nourish them. How nice if I had a skill or talent which I can be proud of?
Sadly, I am one of the species of Jack of all trades. I cannot even be proud of that as my knowledge and skills are so limited! If I had the ability to know a lot, at least I can excel at being the best Jack of all trades.
Life is unfair at times. Society will only allow the person who excels in something to stand out from the rest - the Masters of One (or many for those really gifted and hardworking ones).
You can't escape that competition to stand out no matter how hard you try as people are judging and comparing you to others throughout your whole life.
Compare and compare. We do it all the time. The person who does something best will be identified soon enough. Here is the start of all the envy, jealousy, low self-esteem, admiration, motivation, yearning to be like others.
What about the Jack of all trades?
You can do that? I can do that as well. Nothing to be envy about. Agree?
I don't think so.
I envy people for things I don't have. I will envy a Jack of all trades who knows more than me. In other words, I will envy people who are better than me. Of course, I will be dazzled by Masters of One cause they're so good at it.
I know friends who don't feel that they're special but they are so wrong. It is always difficult to realise and identify your own ability which you're good at. The thing which we always forget is that even your personality, way of thinking, interpersonal skills, etc. can be the object of someone's admiration. It is not always about the physical appearance, what grades, what qualifications, what property you own that can make others envy. I don't know about you, but I envy people for so many things. Sometimes, they just need that little push on their backs to build up their confidence.
I can say that I am greedy in that I want to have all these qualities that others have and I'm trying to learn from them. If I was so contented, I wouldn't think that I would go far in life!
Everyone is special, that I believe. You just need to realise that and be more confident in yourself. Plus, at the same time, work on other aspects which you lack. That's the only way we can improve.
I would like to change how society works, still worshipping the Masters of One and neglecting the Jacks of all trades, but that change will never happen. What can we do?
Sadly, I am one of the species of Jack of all trades. I cannot even be proud of that as my knowledge and skills are so limited! If I had the ability to know a lot, at least I can excel at being the best Jack of all trades.
Life is unfair at times. Society will only allow the person who excels in something to stand out from the rest - the Masters of One (or many for those really gifted and hardworking ones).
You can't escape that competition to stand out no matter how hard you try as people are judging and comparing you to others throughout your whole life.
Compare and compare. We do it all the time. The person who does something best will be identified soon enough. Here is the start of all the envy, jealousy, low self-esteem, admiration, motivation, yearning to be like others.
What about the Jack of all trades?
You can do that? I can do that as well. Nothing to be envy about. Agree?
I don't think so.
I envy people for things I don't have. I will envy a Jack of all trades who knows more than me. In other words, I will envy people who are better than me. Of course, I will be dazzled by Masters of One cause they're so good at it.
I know friends who don't feel that they're special but they are so wrong. It is always difficult to realise and identify your own ability which you're good at. The thing which we always forget is that even your personality, way of thinking, interpersonal skills, etc. can be the object of someone's admiration. It is not always about the physical appearance, what grades, what qualifications, what property you own that can make others envy. I don't know about you, but I envy people for so many things. Sometimes, they just need that little push on their backs to build up their confidence.
I can say that I am greedy in that I want to have all these qualities that others have and I'm trying to learn from them. If I was so contented, I wouldn't think that I would go far in life!
Everyone is special, that I believe. You just need to realise that and be more confident in yourself. Plus, at the same time, work on other aspects which you lack. That's the only way we can improve.
I would like to change how society works, still worshipping the Masters of One and neglecting the Jacks of all trades, but that change will never happen. What can we do?
- Try our best to make the most out of life
- Receive all criticisms with an open mind
- Improve, improve and improve
- Set goals and work your way towards it. There is opportunity everywhere, you just need to find it
- Most importantly, live life without regrets
Sunday, 23 March 2008
I hope that this can threaten me a bit
Get ransom on fancygens.com
It's that moment when there's no motivation to do work.
The peak of holiday withdrawal when the holidays are not even over.
What to do? Datelines are approaching, exams coming up real soon. Arrrggghhhhhh!!!!!
Have to force myself to go back to work.
I do think that the donkey chasing the carrot is more motivated than me.
Now, where's this carrot of mine when I need it?
The peak of holiday withdrawal when the holidays are not even over.
What to do? Datelines are approaching, exams coming up real soon. Arrrggghhhhhh!!!!!
Have to force myself to go back to work.
I do think that the donkey chasing the carrot is more motivated than me.
Now, where's this carrot of mine when I need it?
Friday, 21 March 2008
Dublin Through Pictures Part 2
After what S commented in my previous post, I couldn't skip this part of the trip which I was planning to skip past. The makeover. Had to follow instructions on how to pose some more. Torturing lah. But the end result:
They even made a video of it but I won't be posting it here. Let them do what they want with it. They should consider changing profession already.
Next day, we continued with the tour of the city and then the day tour to Wicklow.
Our bus driver/ tour guide was really jolly and talkative. Too bad that his tone of voice of monotonous and I did slept off a few times during the tour.
Our first stop was Glencree valley, which means Valley of the Heart. There was a lovely Lilac coloured cafe there and a German cemetery.
Our tour guide told us that Prince Charles planted a tree during his visit here and asked us to look for it. In the end, he said, shortly after the tree was planted, a sheep came along and ate it. Then being Irish, they just planted another one and didn't inform him.
We passed by famous filming spots in the Wicklow Mountains. Brave Heart was filmed here instead of Scotland.
Sally Gap
Did you notice the plant which looked like dry grass covering the ground, they call it wild bog lands and the thing which I'm holding is compact bog used as fuel. Now I'm wondering if I can just compact any soil and use it as fuel...hmmm.
This part is Guiness's land. See how the black lake with sand on top look like a pint of Guiness? Now, if you're wondering how did the sand get to this lake high up in the mountains, our guide told us that Guiness transported sand from a beach in France which they owned all the way here just to create that effect. Now, this is what I call for the sake of art!
Glandalough:
Round tower where the entrance to it was about 3 metres high.
St. Kevin's Chapel
The story of this Chapel was that there was once 30 Austrians went into this Chapel and started singing. Their voices could be heard 2 miles away at Avoca village and the villagers couldn't figure out where did the sound come from. Amazing! The whole structure was fully built from stones, including the roof. The roof let light in but not water.
We had a long walk through Glendalough, passing beautiful lakes and scenery. Some of the photos really looked like I was cut and pasted into them.
Reached Meeting of the Waters :
This was taken from a souvenir shop as ML and I wanted to buy some souvenir even if the stop was just for 10 minutes.
Finally, after feeling really hungry, we stopped at Avoca village for lunch. I think they really like Lilac colour as the cafe we ate in was coloured in Lilac.
Due to great hunger, the food was finished before we remembered about taking photos first. Never mind, service was excellent, the Irish beef stew which I ordered was delicious. Having warm food in this cold weather was like heaven to me.
Houses in this village was very cute. Each was painted in a different colour. Tour guide asked us to come back to the bus at quarter past 3.
Then he added, 'To our American friends, that's 3.15'. It was so funny. But I think nowadays, everyone would have come across different ways of telling the time.
Finally, we made our way back to the city centre. Stopped by Butler's Chocolate Cafe. I shared Hot Chocolate with Cookie with ML. It tasted really good. The chocolate drink itself was really smooth and it wasn't too thick. Just nice. They even gave us a complimentary Easter egg.
Finally, the last night with S. She made us Lo Mai Kai, which was more like porridge, but still delicious. The curry chicken was really really nice! You're welcome to come to Liverpool any time as well provided that you make curry chicken for me. Hehehe...
Now, to start on my CTM. Haih....back to reality. Can't wait for the next holiday to start.
They even made a video of it but I won't be posting it here. Let them do what they want with it. They should consider changing profession already.Next day, we continued with the tour of the city and then the day tour to Wicklow.
Our bus driver/ tour guide was really jolly and talkative. Too bad that his tone of voice of monotonous and I did slept off a few times during the tour.
Our first stop was Glencree valley, which means Valley of the Heart. There was a lovely Lilac coloured cafe there and a German cemetery.
Our tour guide told us that Prince Charles planted a tree during his visit here and asked us to look for it. In the end, he said, shortly after the tree was planted, a sheep came along and ate it. Then being Irish, they just planted another one and didn't inform him.We passed by famous filming spots in the Wicklow Mountains. Brave Heart was filmed here instead of Scotland.
Sally Gap
Did you notice the plant which looked like dry grass covering the ground, they call it wild bog lands and the thing which I'm holding is compact bog used as fuel. Now I'm wondering if I can just compact any soil and use it as fuel...hmmm.
This part is Guiness's land. See how the black lake with sand on top look like a pint of Guiness? Now, if you're wondering how did the sand get to this lake high up in the mountains, our guide told us that Guiness transported sand from a beach in France which they owned all the way here just to create that effect. Now, this is what I call for the sake of art!
Glandalough:
Round tower where the entrance to it was about 3 metres high.
St. Kevin's ChapelThe story of this Chapel was that there was once 30 Austrians went into this Chapel and started singing. Their voices could be heard 2 miles away at Avoca village and the villagers couldn't figure out where did the sound come from. Amazing! The whole structure was fully built from stones, including the roof. The roof let light in but not water.
We had a long walk through Glendalough, passing beautiful lakes and scenery. Some of the photos really looked like I was cut and pasted into them.
Reached Meeting of the Waters :
This was taken from a souvenir shop as ML and I wanted to buy some souvenir even if the stop was just for 10 minutes.Finally, after feeling really hungry, we stopped at Avoca village for lunch. I think they really like Lilac colour as the cafe we ate in was coloured in Lilac.
Due to great hunger, the food was finished before we remembered about taking photos first. Never mind, service was excellent, the Irish beef stew which I ordered was delicious. Having warm food in this cold weather was like heaven to me.
Houses in this village was very cute. Each was painted in a different colour. Tour guide asked us to come back to the bus at quarter past 3.Then he added, 'To our American friends, that's 3.15'. It was so funny. But I think nowadays, everyone would have come across different ways of telling the time.
Finally, we made our way back to the city centre. Stopped by Butler's Chocolate Cafe. I shared Hot Chocolate with Cookie with ML. It tasted really good. The chocolate drink itself was really smooth and it wasn't too thick. Just nice. They even gave us a complimentary Easter egg.
Finally, the last night with S. She made us Lo Mai Kai, which was more like porridge, but still delicious. The curry chicken was really really nice! You're welcome to come to Liverpool any time as well provided that you make curry chicken for me. Hehehe...
Now, to start on my CTM. Haih....back to reality. Can't wait for the next holiday to start.
Dublin Trip Through Pictures Part 1
I didn't realised the number of pictures taken until I uploaded them into my computer. There's just so many and half of them are still with ML.
When ML and I reached Dublin, we didn't realise that it was St. Patrick's Day. The streets were full of people dressed in green hats, green clothes, and there was a street parade going on on O'Connell.
There were some interesting costumes as well:
As both of us were really hungry at that time, including the fact that we miss Malaysian food, we ended up at this restaurant:
Imagine coming all the way to Dublin just to eat Penang food! I ordered Nyonya chicken and ML ordered beef rendang. The food wasn't that' great but delicious enough to satisfy our craving for Malaysian food.
We were more occupied in our food and by the time we finishes, the parade was over as well. The streets were really packed with people but to me, the parade was not that interesting. The best parade which I've been to was the one in Paris Disneyland. That was superb.
It was weird seeing people just sitting on the road side eating. But that was a common sight:
While waiting for S, we went into the nearest gift shop to survey the souvenirs first. Tried on some of the funny looking hats:
Finally, S appeared! We haven't seen her for ages. Since college for ML and since the summer before coming to the UK for me. Miss her so much! She brought us to her home which was a really lovely house as we were quite tired. We did a lot of catching up that night. So many stories to tell, so many exciting gossips to listen to. S made spaghetti for us that night. Simple but delicious.
Next day, we started our tour around Dublin with St. Stephen's Green park.
The park was really lovely now. It was so green over there but the weather was still cold. Dublin is much colder than Liverpool and Manchester (according to ML).
We walked towards O'Connell after. After being stuck with 1 shopaholic in Cheshire Oaks, here I'm stuck with 2 in Dublin...haih.
Should we start with this shop first? No, that one's more attractive with the 70% sales sign.
Me: Anywhere also can lah. (but nobody took notice)
They made me try on a few clothes, which I did but didn't buy.
ML did end up buying a cute little dress. Luckily, that was the one and only shop we shopped at.
We came across Molly Malone statue. There's a famous song which is also the Irish anthem associated with this person:
In Dublin's fair city,
where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
And the song goes on. There's an urban legend that goes Molly Malone was a street hawker at day and a prostitute at night.
We visited Trinity college after:
The college was something like Cambridge, where it had a long history and beautiful campus. There's an exhibition on the Book of Kells, which was written in 800 AD and is one of the most beautiful manuscripts in the world. We didn't visit it cause we had to pay and were not very interested in it.
Next stop was for lunch in Temple Bar area. Someone said if there's no more than 2 bars on a street, it wasn't Dublin, which was quite true as bars were everywhere.
We didn't eat in the famous Temple Bar, but in the bar opposite it as they were doing a special offer. Too bored while waiting for our food:
I ordered Tagliatelle which was something like Kuey Tiow or Ho Fun but in a different type of sauce with spinach and tuna. Delicious!
Followed by coffee:
ML ordered Irish coffee and it was really strong. Even I couldn't drink more than a quarter of her glass.
S had to leave us after lunch to rush to hospital for her teaching. So nice of her to still accompany us in the morning. We'll be meeting her for dinner.
For the afternoon, ML and I decided to visit the famous Guiness Storehouse as Guiness is produces in Dublin. On the way:
Saw this really old barber shop
There were so many bridges connecting the city which was separated by River Liffey.
Guiness storehouse was a really hot tourist attraction. It took us about 1.5 hours just to queue up and get our tickets. The queue even started outside the building before the shocking scene below appeared:
Finally, we reached the counter, bought our tickets, and off we went:
Unless you're a big fan of Guiness, I think you'll find this place boring. Basically, there were 7 storeys of this storehouse displaying the process of how Guiness was made, what ingredients were used, collection of advertisements, Guiness World Records, finally, a complimentary pint of Guiness.
Artificial waterfall
How barley, hop, water and yeast were processed to make Guiness.
Familiar? I remember seeing this advert when I was younger.
They claimed that Guiness gave you strength. Maybe that was how the Guiness World Record came about. 
Top tower finally, where we got our pint of Guiness. Luckily the lady added blueberry juice into mine. I didn't like the bitter taste that much.
That was the most that I could drink that day. I officially don't like beer!
It's that way to the Storehouse!
Fancy eating duck noodles the chopstick-free way?
Part 2 coming soon once I have the photos. Now to start worrying about my assignments and exam.
When ML and I reached Dublin, we didn't realise that it was St. Patrick's Day. The streets were full of people dressed in green hats, green clothes, and there was a street parade going on on O'Connell.
There were some interesting costumes as well:
As both of us were really hungry at that time, including the fact that we miss Malaysian food, we ended up at this restaurant:
Imagine coming all the way to Dublin just to eat Penang food! I ordered Nyonya chicken and ML ordered beef rendang. The food wasn't that' great but delicious enough to satisfy our craving for Malaysian food.We were more occupied in our food and by the time we finishes, the parade was over as well. The streets were really packed with people but to me, the parade was not that interesting. The best parade which I've been to was the one in Paris Disneyland. That was superb.
It was weird seeing people just sitting on the road side eating. But that was a common sight:
While waiting for S, we went into the nearest gift shop to survey the souvenirs first. Tried on some of the funny looking hats:
Finally, S appeared! We haven't seen her for ages. Since college for ML and since the summer before coming to the UK for me. Miss her so much! She brought us to her home which was a really lovely house as we were quite tired. We did a lot of catching up that night. So many stories to tell, so many exciting gossips to listen to. S made spaghetti for us that night. Simple but delicious.
Next day, we started our tour around Dublin with St. Stephen's Green park.
The park was really lovely now. It was so green over there but the weather was still cold. Dublin is much colder than Liverpool and Manchester (according to ML).
Should we start with this shop first? No, that one's more attractive with the 70% sales sign.Me: Anywhere also can lah. (but nobody took notice)
They made me try on a few clothes, which I did but didn't buy.
ML did end up buying a cute little dress. Luckily, that was the one and only shop we shopped at.We came across Molly Malone statue. There's a famous song which is also the Irish anthem associated with this person:
In Dublin's fair city,where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
And the song goes on. There's an urban legend that goes Molly Malone was a street hawker at day and a prostitute at night.
We visited Trinity college after:
The college was something like Cambridge, where it had a long history and beautiful campus. There's an exhibition on the Book of Kells, which was written in 800 AD and is one of the most beautiful manuscripts in the world. We didn't visit it cause we had to pay and were not very interested in it.Next stop was for lunch in Temple Bar area. Someone said if there's no more than 2 bars on a street, it wasn't Dublin, which was quite true as bars were everywhere.
We didn't eat in the famous Temple Bar, but in the bar opposite it as they were doing a special offer. Too bored while waiting for our food:
I ordered Tagliatelle which was something like Kuey Tiow or Ho Fun but in a different type of sauce with spinach and tuna. Delicious!
Followed by coffee:
ML ordered Irish coffee and it was really strong. Even I couldn't drink more than a quarter of her glass.
S had to leave us after lunch to rush to hospital for her teaching. So nice of her to still accompany us in the morning. We'll be meeting her for dinner.
Saw this really old barber shop
There were so many bridges connecting the city which was separated by River Liffey.Guiness storehouse was a really hot tourist attraction. It took us about 1.5 hours just to queue up and get our tickets. The queue even started outside the building before the shocking scene below appeared:
Finally, we reached the counter, bought our tickets, and off we went:
Unless you're a big fan of Guiness, I think you'll find this place boring. Basically, there were 7 storeys of this storehouse displaying the process of how Guiness was made, what ingredients were used, collection of advertisements, Guiness World Records, finally, a complimentary pint of Guiness.
Artificial waterfall
How barley, hop, water and yeast were processed to make Guiness.
Familiar? I remember seeing this advert when I was younger.
They claimed that Guiness gave you strength. Maybe that was how the Guiness World Record came about. 
Top tower finally, where we got our pint of Guiness. Luckily the lady added blueberry juice into mine. I didn't like the bitter taste that much.The taste of Guiness was more bitter than sweet at the same time. I saw a video teaching you how to taste it. First, you have to swirl it to break the bubbles on top so that you can smell the nice fragrant. I liked the smell. Then you have to take a big gulp and hold it in your mouth for a while to enjoy the sweet bitter taste. The sweet part was all right. But once I stopped drinking, only the bitter taste was left behind which I didn't like.
That was the most that I could drink that day. I officially don't like beer!
It's that way to the Storehouse!We met S after our Guiness tour. Ate at O'Neills which was a very famous bar.
I had Irish corn beef, which I was expecting it to be minced beef but it was sliced beef served with side dishes. I got 3 types of potatoe on my plate that night. Boiled, mashes, and fried. Loved the gravy. The corned beef wasn't that nice as it tasted like beef marinated with salt only and baked. S and ML ordered Irish stew which was really delicious.
The next day, ML and I went for a day tour to Wicklow which was at the country side, up into the mountains. The sceneries were breath taking. I don't have the pictures with me yet. So, I can only show the 2 pictures I have at the moment:
One unusual food which I came across at Dublin airport before flying back was this:
I had Irish corn beef, which I was expecting it to be minced beef but it was sliced beef served with side dishes. I got 3 types of potatoe on my plate that night. Boiled, mashes, and fried. Loved the gravy. The corned beef wasn't that nice as it tasted like beef marinated with salt only and baked. S and ML ordered Irish stew which was really delicious.
The next day, ML and I went for a day tour to Wicklow which was at the country side, up into the mountains. The sceneries were breath taking. I don't have the pictures with me yet. So, I can only show the 2 pictures I have at the moment:
One unusual food which I came across at Dublin airport before flying back was this:
Fancy eating duck noodles the chopstick-free way?Part 2 coming soon once I have the photos. Now to start worrying about my assignments and exam.
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